--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Scientists are really very conscious of…" description: "\"Scientists are really very conscious of the fact that they stand on the shoulders of an enormous tree of preceding workers and that their own contribut..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbe/martin-fleischmann-26035_conscious_scientists-are-really-very-conscious-of_400642.png" --- # Scientists are really very conscious of the fact that they… ![“Scientists are really very conscious of the fact that they stand on the shoulders of an enormous tree of preceding workers and that their own contribution is not so enormous.” quote by Martin Fleischmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbe/martin-fleischmann-26035_conscious_scientists-are-really-very-conscious-of_400642.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbe/martin-fleischmann-26035_conscious_scientists-are-really-very-conscious-of_400642.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbe/martin-fleischmann-26035_conscious_scientists-are-really-very-conscious-of_400642.png) > “Scientists are really very conscious of the fact that they stand on the shoulders of an enormous tree of preceding workers and that their own contribution is not so enormous.” [Martin Fleischmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-fleischmann/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Scientists acknowledge they build on past work, recognizing their own contributions are modest within a vast collective effort. **In simple terms:** Science stands on many shoulders, not just one. Key Takeaway Value collaboration. Themes humility collaboration progress Mood reflective motivational Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - research - education - innovation Key Concepts history of science knowledge accumulation teamwork Questions to Reflect On - How do you honor past contributors? - What is your unique impact? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on humility may underplay breakthrough achievements. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conscious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscious/) [Contribution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contribution/) [Contribution Enormous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contribution-enormous-3593483/) [Enormous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enormous/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Preceding Workers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preceding-workers-3593485/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Scientist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientist/) [Scientists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientists/) [Scientists Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientists-really-301541/) [Shoulders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shoulders/) [Tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tree/) [Trees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trees/) [Workers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/workers/) [Workers Contribution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/workers-contribution-3593484/) ## Related quotes > [If you look at the scientists who really make a difference, they think boldly. 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All scientists really have is a reputation for telling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/science-is-a-set-of-rules-to-keep-us-from-telling-lies-to-each-other/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [Global warming - at least the modern nightmare vision - is a myth. I am sure of it and so are a growing number…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bellamy/global-warming-at-least-the-modern-nightmare-vision-is-a-myth-i-am/) [David Bellamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bellamy/) > [Scientists care deeply about their place in that culture, and their contribution to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haldan-keffer-hartline/scientists-care-deeply-about-their-place-in-that-culture-and-their/) [Haldan Keffer Hartline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haldan-keffer-hartline/) > [Though neglectful of their responsibility to protect science, scientists are increasingly aware of their responsibility to society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-charles-polanyi/though-neglectful-of-their-responsibility-to-protect-science/) [John Charles Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-charles-polanyi/) > [Physicists analyse systems. Web scientists, however, can create the systems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-berners-lee/physicists-analyse-systems-web-scientists-however-can-create-the/) [Tim Berners-Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-berners-lee/) > [Muzzling our leading scientists benefits no one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-whitehouse/muzzling-our-leading-scientists-benefits-no-one/) [Sheldon Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-whitehouse/) > [When you're in a room with twenty people who've all got the True Theory of the universe, it's difficult to know what to do.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-wertheim/when-you-re-in-a-room-with-twenty-people-who-ve-all-got-the-true/) [Margaret Wertheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-wertheim/) > [When scientists are asked what they are working on, their response is seldom 'Finding the origin of the universe' or 'Seeking to cure cancer.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/when-scientists-are-asked-what-they-are-working-on-their-response-is/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) > [ They \[scientists of centuries past\] call on God only from the lonely and precarious edge of incomprehension. Where they feel certain about their explanations,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/they-scientists-of-centuries-past-call-on-god-only-from-the-lonely/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [I swam with my first shark in the 1980s. I was 20 miles off the coast of Rhode Island, working with a group of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-skerry/i-swam-with-my-first-shark-in-the-1980s-i-was-20-miles-off-the-coast/) [Brian Skerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-skerry/) > [The caricature of science is that we hold tight to the theories we have, and shun challenges to them. That's just not true. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/the-caricature-of-science-is-that-we-hold-tight-to-the-theories-we/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [Like many other scientists who hold the Catholic faith, I see the Creator's plan and purpose fulfilled in our universe. I see a planet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-r-miller/like-many-other-scientists-who-hold-the-catholic-faith-i-see-the/) [Kenneth R. Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-r-miller/) ## More by Martin Fleischmann > [It doesn't matter whether you can or cannot achieve high temperature superconductivity or fuel cells, they will always be on the list because if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-fleischmann/it-doesn-t-matter-whether-you-can-or-cannot-achieve-high-temperature/) [Martin Fleischmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-fleischmann/) > [American science is much more organized, much more hierarchical than British science has been.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-fleischmann/american-science-is-much-more-organized-much-more-hierarchical-than/) [Martin Fleischmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-fleischmann/) > [Now Stan and I were still working in secret at that time but, because of this development, we had to inform the University of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-fleischmann/now-stan-and-i-were-still-working-in-secret-at-that-time-but-because/) [Martin Fleischmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-fleischmann/) > [One of my theme songs is that if you can't do it in a test tube, don't do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-fleischmann/one-of-my-theme-songs-is-that-if-you-can-t-do-it-in-a-test-tube-don-t/) [Martin Fleischmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-fleischmann/) > [You see, I am a very conventional scientist, really.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-fleischmann/you-see-i-am-a-very-conventional-scientist-really/) [Martin Fleischmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-fleischmann/) > [I have had this view of the optimization of the electrode design for a long time. Historically we went through various phases in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-fleischmann/i-have-had-this-view-of-the-optimization-of-the-electrode-design-for/) [Martin Fleischmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-fleischmann/) > [Now, of course, cold fusion is the daddy of them all in a way, in terms of value, so I think that viewed in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-fleischmann/now-of-course-cold-fusion-is-the-daddy-of-them-all-in-a-way-in-terms/) [Martin Fleischmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-fleischmann/) > [Stan and I funded the first phase of the work ourselves. It was secret.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-fleischmann/stan-and-i-funded-the-first-phase-of-the-work-ourselves-it-was-secret/) [Martin Fleischmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-fleischmann/) > [The problem is that replacement of Quantum Mechanics by Quantum Field Theory is still very demanding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-fleischmann/the-problem-is-that-replacement-of-quantum-mechanics-by-quantum-field/) [Martin Fleischmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-fleischmann/) > [If it had been anything else, we would have said, 'People don't want us to do it. Forget it. Let's just leave it alone.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-fleischmann/if-it-had-been-anything-else-we-would-have-said-people-don-t-want-us/) [Martin Fleischmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-fleischmann/) > [Usually, if you have a new idea, you very rarely break through to anything like recognizable development or implementation of that idea the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-fleischmann/usually-if-you-have-a-new-idea-you-very-rarely-break-through-to/) [Martin Fleischmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-fleischmann/) > [If you assume that it was a valid experiment, then its disintegration reveals a very substantial part of what has been found since then,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-fleischmann/if-you-assume-that-it-was-a-valid-experiment-then-its-disintegration/) [Martin Fleischmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-fleischmann/) > [It has been suggested at various times that I should start an operation in the United Kingdom but - bearing in mind my age…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-fleischmann/it-has-been-suggested-at-various-times-that-i-should-start-an/) [Martin Fleischmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-fleischmann/) > [So if I could just go back now to something which I am sure we should cover here regarding our original scenario: we have,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-fleischmann/so-if-i-could-just-go-back-now-to-something-which-i-am-sure-we-should/) [Martin Fleischmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-fleischmann/) > [I am a caricature of what British science is about in the way I work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-fleischmann/i-am-a-caricature-of-what-british-science-is-about-in-the-way-i-work/) [Martin Fleischmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-fleischmann/) [Explore all 22 Martin Fleischmann quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-fleischmann/) ## More Conscious quotes > [Ye youths and virgins, when your generous blood Has drunk the warmth of fifteen summers, now The loves invite; now to new rapture wakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/ye-youths-and-virgins-when-your-generous-blood-has-drunk-the-warmth/) [John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/) > [Woman, in short, has an unconscious life, man a conscious life, and the genius the most conscious life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-weininger/woman-in-short-has-an-unconscious-life-man-a-conscious-life-and-the/) [Otto Weininger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-weininger/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [Whatever your conscious mind assumes and believes to be true, your subconscious mind will accept and bring to pass. Believe in good fortune, divine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-murphy/whatever-your-conscious-mind-assumes-and-believes-to-be-true-your/) [Joseph Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-murphy/) > [To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a rage almost all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-be-a-negro-in-this-country-and-to-be-relatively-conscious-is-to-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Just as everybody has the vote including women, I think children should, because as a child is conscious of itself then it has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/just-as-everybody-has-the-vote-including-women-i-think-children/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [If you are not conscious of all of the different parts of yourself, the part of yourself that is the strongest will win out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-zukav/if-you-are-not-conscious-of-all-of-the-different-parts-of-yourself/) [Gary Zukav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-zukav/) > [One of the noblest words in our language is "grace," defined as "unearned blessing." We live by grace far more than by anything else.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-elton-trueblood/one-of-the-noblest-words-in-our-language-is-grace-defined-as-unearned/) [D. Elton Trueblood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-elton-trueblood/) > [Repugnant is a creature who would squander the ability To lift an eye to heaven, conscious of his fleeting time here](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-james-keenan/repugnant-is-a-creature-who-would-squander-the-ability-to-lift-an-eye/) [Maynard James Keenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-james-keenan/) > [The goal of the Creator is for each entity to make a conscious choice to again seek Oneness, out of our own free will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wilcock/the-goal-of-the-creator-is-for-each-entity-to-make-a-conscious-choice/) [David Wilcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wilcock/) > [I know one thing: that you can do a lot of things but if you don't educate people into conscious anarchism it gets frittered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-bookchin/i-know-one-thing-that-you-can-do-a-lot-of-things-but-if-you-don-t/) [Murray Bookchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-bookchin/) > [All black people who are even minimally conscious, black people who have ever experienced Europe's technological power crusading in the vanguard of a civilizing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-nkosi/all-black-people-who-are-even-minimally-conscious-black-people-who/) [Lewis Nkosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-nkosi/) > [ A mind conscious of right laughs at the falsehoods of rumour. \[Lat., Conscia mens recti famae mendacia risit.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/a-mind-conscious-of-right-laughs-at-the-falsehoods-of-rumour-lat/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [I don't think my paintings are self-conscious but you feel the consciousness of them. Without them being self-conscious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-schnabel/i-don-t-think-my-paintings-are-self-conscious-but-you-feel-the/) [Julian Schnabel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-schnabel/) [Browse all 3,716 Conscious quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscious/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Scientists are really very conscious of the fact that they stand on the shoulders of an enormous tree of preceding workers and that their own contribution is not so enormous.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Martin Fleischmann" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-fleischmann/scientists-are-really-very-conscious-of-the-fact-that-they-stand-on/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Conscious" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-fleischmann/scientists-are-really-very-conscious-of-the-fact-that-they-stand-on/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbe/martin-fleischmann-26035_conscious_scientists-are-really-very-conscious-of_400642.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbe/martin-fleischmann-26035_conscious_scientists-are-really-very-conscious-of_400642.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbe/martin-fleischmann-26035_conscious_scientists-are-really-very-conscious-of_400642.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Scientists are really very conscious of the fact that they stand on the shoulders of an enormous tree of…” — Martin Fleischmann", "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": "Martin Fleischmann", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-fleischmann/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Scientists are really very conscious of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-fleischmann/scientists-are-really-very-conscious-of-the-fact-that-they-stand-on/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-fleischmann/scientists-are-really-very-conscious-of-the-fact-that-they-stand-on/#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 } } ] } ```