--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We have merely scratched the surface of…" description: "\"We have merely scratched the surface of the store of knowledge which will come to us. I believe that we are now, a-tremble on the verge of vast discove..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c6/thomas-a-edison-866_believe_we-have-merely-scratched-the-surface-of_1953806.jpg" --- # We have merely scratched the surface of the store of… ![“We have merely scratched the surface of the store of knowledge which will come to us. I believe that we are now, a-tremble on the verge of vast discoveries - discoveries so wondrously important they will upset the present trend of human thought and start it along completely new lines .” quote by Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c6/thomas-a-edison-866_believe_we-have-merely-scratched-the-surface-of_1953806.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c6/thomas-a-edison-866_believe_we-have-merely-scratched-the-surface-of_1953806.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c6/thomas-a-edison-866_believe_we-have-merely-scratched-the-surface-of_1953806.jpg) > “We have merely scratched the surface of the store of knowledge which will come to us. I believe that we are now, a-tremble on the verge of vast discoveries - discoveries so wondrously important they will upset the present trend of human thought and start it along completely new lines .” [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human knowledge is expanding rapidly; we stand on the brink of transformative discoveries that will reshape thought. **In simple terms:** We are on the edge of huge new knowledge. Key Takeaway Stay curious and support research. Themes innovation future knowledge Mood optimistic inquisitive Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - R&D funding - education reform - interdisciplinary collaboration Key Concepts Scientific progress paradigm shift exploration Questions to Reflect On - What emerging fields excite you most? - How can you contribute to breakthrough research? A Different Perspective Discovery may be delayed by funding limits or societal resistance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Discoveries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discoveries/) [Discoveries Wondrously](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discoveries-wondrously-3185799/) [Discovery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discovery/) [Human thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-thought/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [I believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-believe/) [Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important/) [Knowledge Come](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge-come-727960/) [Lines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lines/) [Motivational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivational/) [Stores](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stores/) [Surface](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surface/) [Trends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trends/) [Upset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/upset/) [Vast Discoveries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vast-discoveries-3185798/) [Verge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/verge/) ## Related quotes > [It means that through knowledge have come responsibility and hope, and through both, action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-livingston/it-means-that-through-knowledge-have-come-responsibility-and-hope-and/) [Edward Livingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-livingston/) > [I think the knowledge of where you come from gives you more of an affinity for understanding different cultures and learning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldis-hodge/i-think-the-knowledge-of-where-you-come-from-gives-you-more-of-an/) [Aldis Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldis-hodge/) > [“Within our own way, we all know the answers to the questions that we seek … it is quite simple. We have the knowledge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-williams/within-our-own-way-we-all-know-the-answers-to-the-questions-that-we/) [Lisa Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-williams/) > [“May knowledge come to us! What is this secret our heart has understood and yet will not reveal to us, although it seems to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/may-knowledge-come-to-us-what-is-this-secret-our-heart-has-understood/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [If we wonder often, the gift of knowledge will come.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aroha-janet/if-we-wonder-often-the-gift-of-knowledge-will-come/) [Aroha Janet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aroha-janet/) > [You need some knowledge to recognize knowledge, so where does the first knowledge come from?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/you-need-some-knowledge-to-recognize-knowledge-so-where-does-the/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [You have to elevate yourself to that point and bring your mind into the Godhead, into nirvana, into that perfect and pure radiant knowledge.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/you-have-to-elevate-yourself-to-that-point-and-bring-your-mind-into/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [“There may come a time when you will wish you had never tasted the fruit from the tree of knowledge. There may even come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-hawes/there-may-come-a-time-when-you-will-wish-you-had-never-tasted-the/) [Louise Hawes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-hawes/) > [There are things that have excited me to no end, and it's the sharing of knowledge that has come about on the network, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinton-cerf/there-are-things-that-have-excited-me-to-no-end-and-it-s-the-sharing/) [Vinton Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinton-cerf/) > [Knowledge must come through action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/knowledge-must-come-through-action/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [Knowledge come from looking around; wisdom comes from looking up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-rogers/knowledge-come-from-looking-around-wisdom-comes-from-looking-up/) [Adrian Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-rogers/) > [Knowledge must come through action. You can have no test which is not fanciful, save by trial.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/knowledge-must-come-through-action-you-can-have-no-test-which-is-not/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [When asked "What do we need to learn this for?" any high-school teacher can confidently answer that, regardless of the subject, the knowledge will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/when-asked-what-do-we-need-to-learn-this-for-any-high-school-teacher/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [“Growing old does not make us any better at loving one another or understanding the meaning of life or death. Nor does knowledge come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyung-sook-shin/growing-old-does-not-make-us-any-better-at-loving-one-another-or/) [Kyung-sook Shin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyung-sook-shin/) > [“If we wonder often, the gift of knowledge will come. If we never wonder, knowledge will never find us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grandfather/if-we-wonder-often-the-gift-of-knowledge-will-come-if-we-never-wonder/) [Grandfather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grandfather/) ## More by Thomas A. Edison > [We are striking it big in the electric light, better than my vivid imagination first conceived. Where this thing is going to stop Lord…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/we-are-striking-it-big-in-the-electric-light-better-than-my-vivid/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [I will not say I failed 1000 times, I will say that I discovered there are 1000 ways that can cause failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/i-will-not-say-i-failed-1000-times-i-will-say-that-i-discovered-there/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [Friendship is the heaven of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/friendship-is-the-heaven-of-life/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [Even though I am nearly deaf, I seem to be gifted with a kind of inner hearing which enables me to detect sounds and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/even-though-i-am-nearly-deaf-i-seem-to-be-gifted-with-a-kind-of-inner/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [Being busy does not always mean real work. The object of all work is production or accomplishment and to either of these ends there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/being-busy-does-not-always-mean-real-work-the-object-of-all-work-is/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [The very first thing an executive must have is a fine memory. Of course it does not follow that a man with a fine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/the-very-first-thing-an-executive-must-have-is-a-fine-memory-of/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [Personally, I enjoy working about 18 hours a day. Besides the short catnaps I take each day, I average about four to five hours…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/personally-i-enjoy-working-about-18-hours-a-day-besides-the-short/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [The brain can be developed just the same as the muscles can be developed, if on will only take the pains to train the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/the-brain-can-be-developed-just-the-same-as-the-muscles-can-be/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [“People who will not turn a shovel full of dirt on the project nor contribute a pound of material, will collect more money from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/people-who-will-not-turn-a-shovel-full-of-dirt-on-the-project-nor/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [When I have fully decided that a result is worth getting I go ahead of it and make trial after trial until it comes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/when-i-have-fully-decided-that-a-result-is-worth-getting-i-go-ahead/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [I remember that I was never able to get along at school. I was at the foot of the class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/i-remember-that-i-was-never-able-to-get-along-at-school-i-was-at-the/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [Invention is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/invention-is-10-inspiration-and-90-perspiration/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [There seems to be no limit to which some men will go to avoid the labor of thinking. Thinking is hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/there-seems-to-be-no-limit-to-which-some-men-will-go-to-avoid-the/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [Somewhere between the ages of eleven and fifteen, the average child begins to suffer from an atrophy, the paralysis of curiosity and the suspension…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/somewhere-between-the-ages-of-eleven-and-fifteen-the-average-child/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [Not only will atomic power be released, but someday we will harness the rise and fall of the tides and imprison the rays of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/not-only-will-atomic-power-be-released-but-someday-we-will-harness/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) [Explore all 345 Thomas A. Edison quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) [Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We have merely scratched the surface of the store of knowledge which will come to us. I believe that we are now, a-tremble on the verge of vast discoveries - discoveries so wondrously important they will upset the present trend of human thought and start it along completely new lines .", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas A. 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