--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We don't know who discovered water, but…" description: "\"We don't know who discovered water, but we know it wasn't the fish.\" — Marshall McLuhan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a01/marshall-mcluhan-641_discovered_we-don-t-know-who-discovered-water-but-w_782961.png" --- # We don't know who discovered water, but we know it wasn't… ![“We don't know who discovered water, but we know it wasn't the fish.” quote by Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a01/marshall-mcluhan-641_discovered_we-don-t-know-who-discovered-water-but-w_782961.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a01/marshall-mcluhan-641_discovered_we-don-t-know-who-discovered-water-but-w_782961.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a01/marshall-mcluhan-641_discovered_we-don-t-know-who-discovered-water-but-w_782961.png) > “We don't know who discovered water, but we know it wasn't the fish.” [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Humans discovered water before fish, highlighting that knowledge often precedes the obvious source. **In simple terms:** We learned about water before fish. Key Takeaway Recognize that insight can come from unexpected places. Themes knowledge discovery perspective Mood curious reflective Type analytical thought‑provoking When to use this quote - education - research - innovation - problem solving Key Concepts epistemology history of science Questions to Reflect On - What assumptions do you make about the source of knowledge? - How can you challenge conventional narratives? A Different Perspective It may overlook that some discoveries are simultaneous or collaborative. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Discovery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discovery/) [Fish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fish/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/) ## Related quotes > [“We don't know who discovered water, but we are certain it wasn't a fish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-culkin/we-don-t-know-who-discovered-water-but-we-are-certain-it-wasn-t-a-fish/) John Culkin > [I'm not sure who discovered water, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't a fish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/i-m-not-sure-who-discovered-water-but-i-m-pretty-sure-it-wasn-t-a-fish/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [Yeah, I know he discovered the West Indies; it wasn't America. But the whole thing with Columbus was that people had been telling him,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cowher/yeah-i-know-he-discovered-the-west-indies-it-wasn-t-america-but-the/) [Bill Cowher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cowher/) > [We would all know if you took a bath if there wasn't fish in between your legs!! :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-would-all-know-if-you-took-a-bath-if-there-wasn-t-fish-in-between/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [And to know me, as you have discovered, is to love me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/and-to-know-me-as-you-have-discovered-is-to-love-me/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [He was not only, I soon discovered, a water drinker, but a strict vegetarian, to which, perhaps, he owed a great deal of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kingsley/he-was-not-only-i-soon-discovered-a-water-drinker-but-a-strict/) [Charles Kingsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kingsley/) > [You may have heard this, that NASA discovered water on Mars When he heard about the water on Mars, President Bush said, 'Is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-kilborn/you-may-have-heard-this-that-nasa-discovered-water-on-mars-when-he/) [Craig Kilborn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-kilborn/) > [“When we get the insight into this Self, we are able to have the open sesame to the mysteries of the universe, because to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaiten-nukariya/when-we-get-the-insight-into-this-self-we-are-able-to-have-the-open/) [Kaiten Nukariya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaiten-nukariya/) > [And how should a beautiful, ignorant stream of water know it heads for an early release — out across the desert, running toward the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/and-how-should-a-beautiful-ignorant-stream-of-water-know-it-heads-for/) [Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) > [“Where is your water? Know your garden.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hopi-teaching/where-is-your-water-know-your-garden/) Hopi teaching > [“All men are made of water, do you know this? When you pierce them, the water leaks out and they die.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/all-men-are-made-of-water-do-you-know-this-when-you-pierce-them-the/) [George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/) > [One cannot reflect in streaming water. Only those who know internal peace can give it to others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/one-cannot-reflect-in-streaming-water-only-those-who-know-internal/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [One can not reflect in streaming water. Only those who know internal peace can give it to others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/one-can-not-reflect-in-streaming-water-only-those-who-know-internal/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [In order to be a mentor, and an effective one, one must care. You must care. You don't have to know how many square…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/in-order-to-be-a-mentor-and-an-effective-one-one-must-care-you-must/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Those who practice know whether realization is attained or not, just as those who drink water know whether it is hot or cold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/those-who-practice-know-whether-realization-is-attained-or-not-just/) [Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/) ## More by Marshall McLuhan > [Even mud gives the illusion of depth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/even-mud-gives-the-illusion-of-depth/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [Language always preserves a play or figure/ground relation between experience, and perception and its replay in expression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/language-always-preserves-a-play-or-figure-ground-relation-between/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [Electronic man has no physical body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/electronic-man-has-no-physical-body/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [I am curious to know what would happen if art were suddenly seen for what it is, namely, exact information of how to rearrange…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/i-am-curious-to-know-what-would-happen-if-art-were-suddenly-seen-for/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [With the arrival of electric technology, man has extended, or set outside himself, a live model of the central nervous system itself. To the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/with-the-arrival-of-electric-technology-man-has-extended-or-set/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [“The constant broadcast and reception of ghostly images via radio and television, according to this notion, had weakened the sense, particularly among youth, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/the-constant-broadcast-and-reception-of-ghostly-images-via-radio-and/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [Every innovation scraps its immediate predecessor and retrieves still older figures – it causes floods of antiques or nostalgic art forms and stimulates the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/every-innovation-scraps-its-immediate-predecessor-and-retrieves-still/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [The family circle has widened. The worldpool of information fathered by the electric media--movies, Telstar, flight--far surpassesany possible influence mom and dad can now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/the-family-circle-has-widened-the-worldpool-of-information-fathered/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [Like primitive, we now live in a global village of our own making, a simultaneous happening. It doesn't necessarily mean harmony and peace and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/like-primitive-we-now-live-in-a-global-village-of-our-own-making-a/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [Professionalism is environmental. Amateurism is anti-environmental. Professionalism merges the individual into patterns of total environment. Amateurism seeks the development of the total awareness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/professionalism-is-environmental-amateurism-is-anti-environmental/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [The visual power of the phonetic alphabet is the translate other languages into itself is part of its power to invade right hemisphere (oral)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/the-visual-power-of-the-phonetic-alphabet-is-the-translate-other/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [New media may at first appear as mere codes of transmission for older achievement and established patterns of thought. But nobody could make the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/new-media-may-at-first-appear-as-mere-codes-of-transmission-for-older/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [Youth instinctively understand the present environment - the electric drama. It lives mythically and in depth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/youth-instinctively-understand-the-present-environment-the-electric/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [Our motor car is our supreme form of privacy when we are away from home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/our-motor-car-is-our-supreme-form-of-privacy-when-we-are-away-from/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [The scientist rigorously defends his right to be ignorant of almost everything except his specialty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/the-scientist-rigorously-defends-his-right-to-be-ignorant-of-almost/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) [Explore all 433 Marshall McLuhan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) ## More Discovered quotes > [When I discovered drama, I felt a connection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-fearon/when-i-discovered-drama-i-felt-a-connection/) [Ray Fearon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-fearon/) > [Music is almost like a therapy for me. It helps keep me centered and think straight. Before I discovered it, I was walking around,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banks/music-is-almost-like-a-therapy-for-me-it-helps-keep-me-centered-and/) [Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banks/) > [Especially for those of us who lived in single cells, you had the time to sit down and think, and we discovered that sitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/especially-for-those-of-us-who-lived-in-single-cells-you-had-the-time/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [I can't really remember, but I think my life must have been a lot more productive before I discovered Facebook...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-can-t-really-remember-but-i-think-my-life-must-have-been-a-lot-more/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The first time I went to Abbey Road and put those headphones on, I discovered I had two voices. I no longer had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cilla-black/the-first-time-i-went-to-abbey-road-and-put-those-headphones-on-i/) [Cilla Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cilla-black/) > [My singing led into acting, and that is how I discovered acting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lalaine/my-singing-led-into-acting-and-that-is-how-i-discovered-acting/) [Lalaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lalaine/) > [At Ungaro, I discovered the flou and the language of Paris.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giambattista-valli/at-ungaro-i-discovered-the-flou-and-the-language-of-paris/) [Giambattista Valli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giambattista-valli/) > [“I discovered windows one afternoon and after that, nothing was ever the same.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-spollen/i-discovered-windows-one-afternoon-and-after-that-nothing-was-ever/) [Anne Spollen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-spollen/) > [After years of research, I discovered 25 differences in the work-life choices of men and women. All 25 lead to men earning more money,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/after-years-of-research-i-discovered-25-differences-in-the-work-life/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) > [The big problem is just this kind of gigantic piece, of kids reading less and liking it less and so getting worse at it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-scieszka/the-big-problem-is-just-this-kind-of-gigantic-piece-of-kids-reading/) [Jon Scieszka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-scieszka/) > [“I discovered race in America and it fascinated me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/i-discovered-race-in-america-and-it-fascinated-me/) [Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/) > [All my words are sort of shaped, all my words, my voice, my gestures, my imagination, are shaped by centuries, really. They are educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-rohrwacher/all-my-words-are-sort-of-shaped-all-my-words-my-voice-my-gestures-my/) [Alice Rohrwacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-rohrwacher/) > [I first discovered YouTube while browsing the web, and then I found people just talking into their cameras. I never even knew it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-oakley/i-first-discovered-youtube-while-browsing-the-web-and-then-i-found/) [Tyler Oakley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-oakley/) > [I'm a perceptive person. I know what's good and I don't venture into what's not good. I've discovered my own khazana. Everybody should.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rekha/i-m-a-perceptive-person-i-know-what-s-good-and-i-don-t-venture-into/) [Rekha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rekha/) > [When I discovered acting, I decided that's what I wanted to do above everything else. It was the first time I was passionate about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-morrissey/when-i-discovered-acting-i-decided-that-s-what-i-wanted-to-do-above/) [David Morrissey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-morrissey/) Browse all 653 Discovered quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We don't know who discovered water, but we know it wasn't the fish.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Marshall McLuhan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/we-don-t-know-who-discovered-water-but-we-know-it-wasn-t-the-fish/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Discovered" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/we-don-t-know-who-discovered-water-but-we-know-it-wasn-t-the-fish/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a01/marshall-mcluhan-641_discovered_we-don-t-know-who-discovered-water-but-w_782961.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a01/marshall-mcluhan-641_discovered_we-don-t-know-who-discovered-water-but-w_782961.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a01/marshall-mcluhan-641_discovered_we-don-t-know-who-discovered-water-but-w_782961.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We don't know who discovered water, but we know it wasn't the fish.” — Marshall McLuhan", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Marshall McLuhan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We don't know who discovered water,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/we-don-t-know-who-discovered-water-but-we-know-it-wasn-t-the-fish/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/we-don-t-know-who-discovered-water-but-we-know-it-wasn-t-the-fish/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```