--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I stand on the shoulders of giants." description: "\"I stand on the shoulders of giants.\" — Michael Rosbash" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92d/michael-rosbash-30056_giants_i-stand-on-the-shoulders-of-giants-17851_1785158.jpg" --- # I stand on the shoulders of giants. ![“I stand on the shoulders of giants.” quote by Michael Rosbash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92d/michael-rosbash-30056_giants_i-stand-on-the-shoulders-of-giants-17851_1785158.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92d/michael-rosbash-30056_giants_i-stand-on-the-shoulders-of-giants-17851_1785158.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92d/michael-rosbash-30056_giants_i-stand-on-the-shoulders-of-giants-17851_1785158.jpg) > “I stand on the shoulders of giants.” [Michael Rosbash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rosbash/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Standing on predecessors' achievements allows progress beyond individual effort. **In simple terms:** Build on others' work. Key Takeaway Leverage existing knowledge for advancement. Themes knowledge collaboration progress humility Mood inspirational reflective Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - research - education - career development Key Concepts science history innovation Questions to Reflect On - What can you learn from past giants? - How do you balance homage with originality? A Different Perspective May overlook the need for original contribution. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Giants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giants/) [Shoulders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shoulders/) [Shoulders Giants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shoulders-giants-268901/) [Shoulders Of Giants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shoulders-of-giants/) [Stand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stand/) [Stand Shoulders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stand-shoulders-295251/) ## Related quotes > [With books we stand on the shoulders of giants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-locke/with-books-we-stand-on-the-shoulders-of-giants/) [John Locke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-locke/) > [“Some say they stand on the shoulders of giants. True. But have they ever tried walking like one?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-telford/some-say-they-stand-on-the-shoulders-of-giants-true-but-have-they/) [Jill Telford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-telford/) > [I stand on the shoulders of giants that have gone before me, in terms of affording people like myself, women, the access to democracy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-lennox/i-stand-on-the-shoulders-of-giants-that-have-gone-before-me-in-terms-2/) [Annie Lennox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-lennox/) > [“It's easier to reach for the stars when you stand on the shoulders of giants.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-j-peters/it-s-easier-to-reach-for-the-stars-when-you-stand-on-the-shoulders-of/) [C.J. Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-j-peters/) > [Genius may stand on the shoulders of giants, but it stands alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/genius-may-stand-on-the-shoulders-of-giants-but-it-stands-alone/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [As I go about my work as Premier, I know I stand on the shoulders of giants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-bligh/as-i-go-about-my-work-as-premier-i-know-i-stand-on-the-shoulders-of/) [Anna Bligh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-bligh/) > [We stand on the shoulders of giants - and that's something we can never forget.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaime-harrison/we-stand-on-the-shoulders-of-giants-and-that-s-something-we-can-never/) [Jaime Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaime-harrison/) > [“And because you can stand on the shoulders of giants, you can accomplish something quickly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-crichton/and-because-you-can-stand-on-the-shoulders-of-giants-you-can/) [Michael Crichton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-crichton/) > [Everything is derivative. Everything is a remix, and we all stand on the shoulders of giants - a great phrase.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-ohanian/everything-is-derivative-everything-is-a-remix-and-we-all-stand-on/) [Alexis Ohanian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-ohanian/) > [If I have seen farther than others, it is because I was standing on the shoulders of giants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-newton/if-i-have-seen-farther-than-others-it-is-because-i-was-standing-on/) [Isaac Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-newton/) > [“Nachmanovitch writes, “It’s great to sit on the shoulders of giants, but don’t let the giants sit on your shoulders. There’s no room for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-henry/nachmanovitch-writes-it-s-great-to-sit-on-the-shoulders-of-giants-but/) [Todd Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-henry/) > [“If I have been able to see further, it was only because I stood on the shoulders of giants.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/issac-newton/if-i-have-been-able-to-see-further-it-was-only-because-i-stood-on-the/) [Issac Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/issac-newton/) > [“If I had seen further than others, it's because I stood upon the shoulders of giants.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-newtonnew/if-i-had-seen-further-than-others-it-s-because-i-stood-upon-the/) [Isaac NewtonNew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-newtonnew/) > [“If I have come further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/issac-newton/if-i-have-come-further-it-is-by-standing-on-the-shoulders-of-giants/) [Issac Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/issac-newton/) > [“We are like dwarfs standing on the shoulders of giants; thanks to them, we see farther than they. Busying ourselves with the treatises written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carter-lindberg/we-are-like-dwarfs-standing-on-the-shoulders-of-giants-thanks-to-them/) [Carter Lindberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carter-lindberg/) ## More by Michael Rosbash > [It's been overlooked for a long time as a real public health problem. All of western society is a little bit sleep-deprived, and when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rosbash/it-s-been-overlooked-for-a-long-time-as-a-real-public-health-problem/) [Michael Rosbash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rosbash/) > [I don't drink alcohol too late in the evening; I read a good book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rosbash/i-don-t-drink-alcohol-too-late-in-the-evening-i-read-a-good-book/) [Michael Rosbash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rosbash/) > [I am grateful to my colleagues at Brandeis and to the unusual environment here that allows researchers to explore without boundaries while also engaging…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rosbash/i-am-grateful-to-my-colleagues-at-brandeis-and-to-the-unusual/) [Michael Rosbash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rosbash/) > [I was a difficult kid and a somewhat indifferent student but realized somehow that a new start at a good place, and far from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rosbash/i-was-a-difficult-kid-and-a-somewhat-indifferent-student-but-realized/) [Michael Rosbash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rosbash/) > [Most important for the circadian field was the pioneering work of Ron Konopka in Seymour's lab.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rosbash/most-important-for-the-circadian-field-was-the-pioneering-work-of-ron/) [Michael Rosbash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rosbash/) > [I try not to take sleep medication.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rosbash/i-try-not-to-take-sleep-medication/) [Michael Rosbash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rosbash/) > [Scientific careers rely on inheritance, environment, and random events, like all biological phenomena.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rosbash/scientific-careers-rely-on-inheritance-environment-and-random-events/) [Michael Rosbash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rosbash/) > [You've got to go for what you love and not look back 30 years, 40 years later and say, 'I never tried.' You got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rosbash/you-ve-got-to-go-for-what-you-love-and-not-look-back-30-years-40/) [Michael Rosbash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rosbash/) > [The same biological clock ticks away in humans and fruit flies, which underscores the importance of circadian timing to life on this planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rosbash/the-same-biological-clock-ticks-away-in-humans-and-fruit-flies-which/) [Michael Rosbash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rosbash/) > [Immigrants and foreigners have always been an indispensable part of our country, including its great record in scientific research.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rosbash/immigrants-and-foreigners-have-always-been-an-indispensable-part-of/) [Michael Rosbash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rosbash/) > [It was always intriguing that flies had two peaks of activity, in the morning and evening, with a siesta during the day and not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rosbash/it-was-always-intriguing-that-flies-had-two-peaks-of-activity-in-the/) [Michael Rosbash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rosbash/) > [We benefited from an enlightened post-war period in the United States: Our National Institutes of Health have enthusiastically and generously supported basic research.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rosbash/we-benefited-from-an-enlightened-post-war-period-in-the-united-states/) [Michael Rosbash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rosbash/) > [This is the western world; if somebody can make a buck, they're going to try to do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rosbash/this-is-the-western-world-if-somebody-can-make-a-buck-they-re-going/) [Michael Rosbash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rosbash/) > [Shift work, where the body clock is continuously changed, is really deleterious on many levels - from psychology to physiology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rosbash/shift-work-where-the-body-clock-is-continuously-changed-is-really/) [Michael Rosbash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rosbash/) > [The circadian neurons are one of the few circuits in neurobiology where we have a chance to understand at multiple levels how different sets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rosbash/the-circadian-neurons-are-one-of-the-few-circuits-in-neurobiology/) [Michael Rosbash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rosbash/) [Explore all 17 Michael Rosbash quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rosbash/) ## More Giants quotes > [I love making movies, and being in any that I can be in. I'd like to be in those giant movies, as the fifth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-burr/i-love-making-movies-and-being-in-any-that-i-can-be-in-i-d-like-to-be/) [Bill Burr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-burr/) > [The universe is simmering down, like a giant stew left to cook for four billion years. Sooner or later we won’t be able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-bloch/the-universe-is-simmering-down-like-a-giant-stew-left-to-cook-for/) [Arthur Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-bloch/) > [And I always think of life like a giant wave. You know, it rises and it crests and it flies, and it's just magnificent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-seymour/and-i-always-think-of-life-like-a-giant-wave-you-know-it-rises-and-it/) [Jane Seymour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-seymour/) > [Intimacy requires an ability to both merge and be separate, to come together and be apart, like oscillating on a giant swing from oneness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-sophia-kasl/intimacy-requires-an-ability-to-both-merge-and-be-separate-to-come/) [Charlotte Sophia Kasl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-sophia-kasl/) > [I thought that the world was a vast system of signs, a conversation between giant beings. My actions, the cricket's saw, the star's blink,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/i-thought-that-the-world-was-a-vast-system-of-signs-a-conversation/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [The Montana sunset lay between the mountains like a giant bruise from which darkened arteries spread across a poisoned sky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/the-montana-sunset-lay-between-the-mountains-like-a-giant-bruise-from/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [“Humility is the mother of giants. One sees great things from the valley; only small things from the peak.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/humility-is-the-mother-of-giants-one-sees-great-things-from-the/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [Jesus was the poorest of the poor. Roman Catholicism, which claims to be His church, is the richest of the rich, the wealthiest institution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avro-manhattan/jesus-was-the-poorest-of-the-poor-roman-catholicism-which-claims-to/) [Avro Manhattan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avro-manhattan/) > [We were at a Giants game, and my manager told me, 'Sadie, you have an audition for a show called 'Stranger Things,'' and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadie-sink/we-were-at-a-giants-game-and-my-manager-told-me-sadie-you-have-an/) [Sadie Sink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadie-sink/) > [It's like when we get the transformer movies. It was all a bunch of smaller robot pieces and then you're on set, and you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-nicotero/it-s-like-when-we-get-the-transformer-movies-it-was-all-a-bunch-of/) [Gregory Nicotero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-nicotero/) > [If your memory was OK you could descend upon on a bookshop – a big enough one so that the staff wouldn’t hassle a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/if-your-memory-was-ok-you-could-descend-upon-on-a-bookshop-a-big/) [Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/) > [Parenting is a giant responsibility forever, so we need to learn how to drop the guilt and go easy on ourselves when we mess…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-bermingham/parenting-is-a-giant-responsibility-forever-so-we-need-to-learn-how/) [Rachael Bermingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-bermingham/) > [I am a giant squid of anger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-am-a-giant-squid-of-anger/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [You have to make that stand out from the rest of the three hours. There are times when I'm having fun and being loose,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-buck/you-have-to-make-that-stand-out-from-the-rest-of-the-three-hours/) [Joe Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-buck/) > [I had a map on my wall that had a circle around Lubbock and then giant arrows pointing toward New York City and Los…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-corbin/i-had-a-map-on-my-wall-that-had-a-circle-around-lubbock-and-then/) [Barry Corbin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-corbin/) [Browse all 1,337 Giants quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giants/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I stand on the shoulders of giants.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michael Rosbash" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rosbash/i-stand-on-the-shoulders-of-giants/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Giants" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rosbash/i-stand-on-the-shoulders-of-giants/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92d/michael-rosbash-30056_giants_i-stand-on-the-shoulders-of-giants-17851_1785158.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92d/michael-rosbash-30056_giants_i-stand-on-the-shoulders-of-giants-17851_1785158.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92d/michael-rosbash-30056_giants_i-stand-on-the-shoulders-of-giants-17851_1785158.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I stand on the shoulders of giants.” — Michael Rosbash", "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": "Michael Rosbash", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rosbash/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I stand on the shoulders of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rosbash/i-stand-on-the-shoulders-of-giants/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rosbash/i-stand-on-the-shoulders-of-giants/#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 } } ] } ```