can't see the forest for the trees

1. An expression used of someone who is too involved in the details of a problem to look at the situation as a whole: “The congressman became so involved in the wording of his bill that he couldn't see the forest for the trees; he did not realize that the bill could never pass.”

Idioms and Phrases

Also, can't see the wood for the trees. Focus only on small details and fail to understand larger plans or principles, as in Alex argues about petty cash and overlooks the budget—he can't see the forest for the trees. This expression was already a proverb in John Heywood's 1546 collection.

Example Sentences

Sometimes you can't see the forest for the trees.

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“Oh well, it’s like I always say: people who are cut from the same cloth can’t see the forest for the trees.”

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She added, "In this study we are trying to map the local environment so that when we build models of the whole Galactic magnetic field we can take the local contribution into account. The saying that we can't see the forest for the trees really applies here. We need to understand what we're looking at close-up in order to get a sense of the bigger picture. I hope this is a step towards understanding the magnetic field of our whole Galaxy, and of the Universe."

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“Charlie’s criticism of the Clinton administration was always that it was a bunch of very, very smart wonks who can’t see the forest for the trees,” Worthen said.

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“People are penned up. When you’re stuck in a job, you can’t see the forest for the trees. You’re just watching the clock and you’re bored out of your mind.”

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