--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We say that Columbus discovered America…" description: "\"We say that Columbus discovered America and Newton discovered gravity, as though America and gravity weren't there until Columbus and Newton got wind o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd4/susanna-kaysen-3041_america_we-say-that-columbus-discovered-america_671008.png" --- # We say that Columbus discovered America and Newton… ![“We say that Columbus discovered America and Newton discovered gravity, as though America and gravity weren't there until Columbus and Newton got wind of them.” quote by Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd4/susanna-kaysen-3041_america_we-say-that-columbus-discovered-america_671008.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd4/susanna-kaysen-3041_america_we-say-that-columbus-discovered-america_671008.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd4/susanna-kaysen-3041_america_we-say-that-columbus-discovered-america_671008.png) > “We say that Columbus discovered America and Newton discovered gravity, as though America and gravity weren't there until Columbus and Newton got wind of them.” [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The statement critiques the notion that discoveries create reality, emphasizing that phenomena exist independently of human recognition. **In simple terms:** Discoveries label what already exists. Key Takeaway Recognize pre‑existing realities. Themes discovery perception reality history Mood critical insightful Type essay analytical When to use this quote - education - media reporting - policy making - cultural discourse Key Concepts epistemology colonial narrative scientific myth Questions to Reflect On - How does naming change perception? - What are the consequences of ignoring pre‑existing realities? A Different Perspective It may downplay the transformative impact of naming and framing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Gravity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gravity/) [Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/newton/) [Wind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wind/) ## Related quotes > [“We say that Columbus discovered America and Newton discovered gravity, as though America and gravity weren't there until Columbus and Newton got wind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/we-say-that-columbus-discovered-america-and-newton-discovered-gravity-2/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [“Since her death in 1979, the woman who discovered what the universe is made of has not so much as received a memorial plaque.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-knowles/since-her-death-in-1979-the-woman-who-discovered-what-the-universe-is/) Jeremy Knowles > [Bunkum and tummyrot! You'll never get anywhere if you go about what-iffing like that. Would Columbus have discovered America if he'd said 'What if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/bunkum-and-tummyrot-you-ll-never-get-anywhere-if-you-go-about-what/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [In fourteen hundred ninety-two Columbus sailed the ocean blue and discovered America. Now, some have argued Columbus actually discovered the West Indies, or that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/in-fourteen-hundred-ninety-two-columbus-sailed-the-ocean-blue-and/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) > [What a pity, when Christopher Columbus discovered America, that he ever mentioned it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-asquith/what-a-pity-when-christopher-columbus-discovered-america-that-he-ever/) [Margot Asquith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margot-asquith/) > [“his stomach as flat as the earth was rumored to be before Columbus discovered the truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-blakely/his-stomach-as-flat-as-the-earth-was-rumored-to-be-before-columbus/) [Lauren Blakely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-blakely/) > [Columbus only discovered that he was in some new place. He didn't discover America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-erdrich/columbus-only-discovered-that-he-was-in-some-new-place-he-didn-t/) [Louise Erdrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-erdrich/) > [Everybody in 15th century Spain was wrong about where China was and as a result, Columbus discovered Caribbean vacations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/everybody-in-15th-century-spain-was-wrong-about-where-china-was-and/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [The true America is the Middle West, and Columbus discovered nothing at all except another Europe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-l-george/the-true-america-is-the-middle-west-and-columbus-discovered-nothing/) [W. L. George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-l-george/) > [Columbus discovered no isle or key so lonely as himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/columbus-discovered-no-isle-or-key-so-lonely-as-himself/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Arithmetic must be discovered in just the same sense in which Columbus discovered the West Indies, and we no more create numbers than he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/arithmetic-must-be-discovered-in-just-the-same-sense-in-which/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [“You're like Christopher Columbus. You discovered something millions of people did before you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-simpson/you-re-like-christopher-columbus-you-discovered-something-millions-of/) Lisa Simpson > [Away back in that time-in 1492 - there was a man by the name of Columbus came from across the great ocean, and he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chitto-harjo/away-back-in-that-time-in-1492-there-was-a-man-by-the-name-of/) Chitto Harjo > [Captain Cook discovered Australia looking for the Terra Incognita. Christopher Columbus thought he was finding India but discovered America. History is full of events…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/captain-cook-discovered-australia-looking-for-the-terra-incognita/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [“Oh, you may be sure that Columbus was happy not when he had discovered America, but when he was discovering it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/oh-you-may-be-sure-that-columbus-was-happy-not-when-he-had-discovered/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) ## More by Susanna Kaysen > [I had an inspiration once. I woke up one morning and I knew that it was my task to swallow fifty asprin.It was my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/i-had-an-inspiration-once-i-woke-up-one-morning-and-i-knew-that-it/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [I don't have a whole bunch of literary connections. I don't write reviews or attend writer's conferences. I'm kind of shy and don't want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/i-don-t-have-a-whole-bunch-of-literary-connections-i-don-t-write/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [Light like this does not exist, but we wish it did. We wish the sun could make us young and beautiful, we wish our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/light-like-this-does-not-exist-but-we-wish-it-did-we-wish-the-sun/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [If I could have any job in the world I'd be a professional Cinderella.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/if-i-could-have-any-job-in-the-world-i-d-be-a-professional-cinderella/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [Lunatics are similar to designated hitters. Often an entire family is crazy, but since an entire family can't go into the hospital, one person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/lunatics-are-similar-to-designated-hitters-often-an-entire-family-is/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [It's one of the reasons I became a writer, to be able to smoke in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/it-s-one-of-the-reasons-i-became-a-writer-to-be-able-to-smoke-in-peace/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [It's a fairly accurate portrait of me at eighteen, minus a few quirks like reckless driving and eating binges. It's accurate but it isn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/it-s-a-fairly-accurate-portrait-of-me-at-eighteen-minus-a-few-quirks/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [For many of us, the hospital was as much a refuge as it was a prison. Though we were cut off from the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/for-many-of-us-the-hospital-was-as-much-a-refuge-as-it-was-a-prison/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [Freedom was the price of privacy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/freedom-was-the-price-of-privacy/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [“People ask, How did you get in there? What they really want to know is if they are likely to end up in there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/people-ask-how-did-you-get-in-there-what-they-really-want-to-know-is/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [It was my misfortune-or salvation-to be at all times perfectly conscious of my misperceptions of reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/it-was-my-misfortune-or-salvation-to-be-at-all-times-perfectly/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [Scar tissue has no character. It's not like skin. It doesn't show age or illness or pallor or tan. It has no pores, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/scar-tissue-has-no-character-it-s-not-like-skin-it-doesn-t-show-age/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [When women are angry at men, they call them heartless. When men are angry at women, they call them crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/when-women-are-angry-at-men-they-call-them-heartless-when-men-are/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [ Disease \[is\] as one of our languages. Doctors understand what disease has to say about itself. It's up to the person with the disease… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/disease-is-as-one-of-our-languages-doctors-understand-what-disease/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [“Asa had a sharp understanding of the future--that is, a time when this would be past. Time was rushing through and around him, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/asa-had-a-sharp-understanding-of-the-future-that-is-a-time-when-this/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) [Explore all 137 Susanna Kaysen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) ## More America quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/) [Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/) [Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/) [Browse all 20,382 America quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We say that Columbus discovered America and Newton discovered gravity, as though America and gravity weren't there until Columbus and Newton got wind of them.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Susanna Kaysen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/we-say-that-columbus-discovered-america-and-newton-discovered-gravity/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "America" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/we-say-that-columbus-discovered-america-and-newton-discovered-gravity/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd4/susanna-kaysen-3041_america_we-say-that-columbus-discovered-america_671008.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd4/susanna-kaysen-3041_america_we-say-that-columbus-discovered-america_671008.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd4/susanna-kaysen-3041_america_we-say-that-columbus-discovered-america_671008.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We say that Columbus discovered America and Newton discovered gravity, as though America and gravity weren't…” — Susanna Kaysen", "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": "Susanna Kaysen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We say that Columbus discovered America...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/we-say-that-columbus-discovered-america-and-newton-discovered-gravity/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/we-say-that-columbus-discovered-america-and-newton-discovered-gravity/#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 } } ] } ```