--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm here because I stand on many, many…" description: "\"I'm here because I stand on many, many shoulders, and that's true of every black person I know who has achieved.\" — Vernon Jordan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/704/vernon-jordan-35252_achieved_i-m-here-because-i-stand-on-many-many-sh_695895.png" --- # I'm here because I stand on many, many shoulders, and… ![“I'm here because I stand on many, many shoulders, and that's true of every black person I know who has achieved.” quote by Vernon Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/704/vernon-jordan-35252_achieved_i-m-here-because-i-stand-on-many-many-sh_695895.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/704/vernon-jordan-35252_achieved_i-m-here-because-i-stand-on-many-many-sh_695895.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/704/vernon-jordan-35252_achieved_i-m-here-because-i-stand-on-many-many-sh_695895.png) > “I'm here because I stand on many, many shoulders, and that's true of every black person I know who has achieved.” [Vernon Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-jordan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Success is built on the contributions and support of those who came before, especially within the Black community. **In simple terms:** We owe our achievements to those who paved the way. Key Takeaway Recognize and honor past mentors. Themes community legacy gratitude Mood reflective inspirational Type historical motivational When to use this quote - education - career advancement - activism - leadership Key Concepts intergenerational support social capital Questions to Reflect On - How can you acknowledge those who helped you? - What responsibilities come with inherited privilege? A Different Perspective Individual effort alone cannot replicate collective progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [It's true, black lives do matter. It's not that we're saying no other lives matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bubba-wallace/it-s-true-black-lives-do-matter-it-s-not-that-we-re-saying-no-other/) [Bubba Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bubba-wallace/) > [You are where you are today because you stand on somebody's shoulders. And wherever you are heading, you cannot get there by yourself. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-jordan/you-are-where-you-are-today-because-you-stand-on-somebody-s-shoulders/) [Vernon Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-jordan/) > [I stand on the shoulders of women who marched before me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-shriver/i-stand-on-the-shoulders-of-women-who-marched-before-me/) [Maria Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-shriver/) > [As I walk to my office every morning, I know I stand on the shoulders of those who came before me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mazie-hirono/as-i-walk-to-my-office-every-morning-i-know-i-stand-on-the-shoulders/) [Mazie Hirono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mazie-hirono/) > [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/) > [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/) > [I stand on the shoulders of giants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rosbash/i-stand-on-the-shoulders-of-giants/) [Michael Rosbash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rosbash/) > [Mathematicians stand on each other's shoulders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-friedrich-gauss/mathematicians-stand-on-each-other-s-shoulders/) [Carl Friedrich Gauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-friedrich-gauss/) > [You always stand on the shoulders of your predecessor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annegret-kramp-karrenbauer/you-always-stand-on-the-shoulders-of-your-predecessor/) [Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annegret-kramp-karrenbauer/) > [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/) > [“We tend to see math and science as a steady state of facts rather than as the accumulated knowledge of linear traditions. As Korzybski…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/we-tend-to-see-math-and-science-as-a-steady-state-of-facts-rather/) [Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/) > [“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/) > [We all stand on the shoulders of the past generation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/we-all-stand-on-the-shoulders-of-the-past-generation/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) ## More by Vernon Jordan > [A lot of companies make diversity a part of the performance goals against which an executive gets paid. Just as you have to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-jordan/a-lot-of-companies-make-diversity-a-part-of-the-performance-goals/) [Vernon Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-jordan/) > [Terrorism is not new to black people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-jordan/terrorism-is-not-new-to-black-people/) [Vernon Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-jordan/) > [The last job I applied for was to be a bus driver for the Chicago Transit Authority in 1957.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-jordan/the-last-job-i-applied-for-was-to-be-a-bus-driver-for-the-chicago/) [Vernon Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-jordan/) > [You are where you are today because you stand on somebody's shoulders. And wherever you are heading, you cannot get there by yourself. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-jordan/you-are-where-you-are-today-because-you-stand-on-somebody-s-shoulders/) [Vernon Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-jordan/) > [What I know about this world is white people will take care of themselves. And what I have learned is that if you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-jordan/what-i-know-about-this-world-is-white-people-will-take-care-of/) [Vernon Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-jordan/) > [But there will come a time and a place to give back, and each individual will recognize that time and place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-jordan/but-there-will-come-a-time-and-a-place-to-give-back-and-each/) [Vernon Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-jordan/) > [My mother was the president of the PTA at every school I attended.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-jordan/my-mother-was-the-president-of-the-pta-at-every-school-i-attended/) [Vernon Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-jordan/) > [You're in love, that's what your problem is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-jordan/you-re-in-love-that-s-what-your-problem-is/) [Vernon Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-jordan/) > [Every company, every boardroom in which I sit, has a plan, and they have objectives, goals, and a process. And to make it work,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-jordan/every-company-every-boardroom-in-which-i-sit-has-a-plan-and-they-have/) [Vernon Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-jordan/) > [You have to be careful how you're using the word boycott.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-jordan/you-have-to-be-careful-how-you-re-using-the-word-boycott/) [Vernon Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-jordan/) > [September 11 stands on its own as a terrible tragedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-jordan/september-11-stands-on-its-own-as-a-terrible-tragedy/) [Vernon Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-jordan/) > [I had a sense of what leadership meant and what it could do for you. So am I surprised that I am sitting up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-jordan/i-had-a-sense-of-what-leadership-meant-and-what-it-could-do-for-you/) [Vernon Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-jordan/) [Explore all 13 Vernon Jordan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-jordan/) ## More Achieved quotes > [By the time you have no difficulties in your life, you have achieved Heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-brown/by-the-time-you-have-no-difficulties-in-your-life-you-have-achieved/) [Charles Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-brown/) > [To achieve something you've never achieved before, you must become someone you've never been before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shubham-joshi/to-achieve-something-you-ve-never-achieved-before-you-must-become/) [Shubham Joshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shubham-joshi/) > [My decision was that after nearly three years at Celtic - with everything we'd achieved and the success we'd had on the pitch, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendan-rodgers/my-decision-was-that-after-nearly-three-years-at-celtic-with/) [Brendan Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendan-rodgers/) > [Now when I watch my films after 10 years, I realise what have I achieved? Nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rimi-sen/now-when-i-watch-my-films-after-10-years-i-realise-what-have-i/) [Rimi Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rimi-sen/) > [Justice is not cheap. Justice is not quick. It is not ever finally achieved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/justice-is-not-cheap-justice-is-not-quick-it-is-not-ever-finally/) [Marian Wright Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-wright-edelman/) > [No doubt the ridiculous politicians are right to like politics. They have found careers in which success can be achieved by being ridiculous. Imagine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/no-doubt-the-ridiculous-politicians-are-right-to-like-politics-they/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [If I can achieve for Celtic what I have achieved for Hibs, then I feel I will have done well for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jock-stein/if-i-can-achieve-for-celtic-what-i-have-achieved-for-hibs-then-i-feel/) [Jock Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jock-stein/) > [I can only thank Manchester City for everything they have done for me. What we have achieved in such a short space of time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-duggan/i-can-only-thank-manchester-city-for-everything-they-have-done-for-me/) [Toni Duggan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-duggan/) > [The victory will be only entirely and finally achieved when the whole world is free of Jews.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-streicher/the-victory-will-be-only-entirely-and-finally-achieved-when-the-whole/) [Julius Streicher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-streicher/) > [Nothing great is ever achieved without much enduring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-catherine-of-siena/nothing-great-is-ever-achieved-without-much-enduring/) [St. Catherine of Siena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-catherine-of-siena/) > [You've got to admire Sir Richard Branson. He is a completely different style of businessman to me, but you have got to admire what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-sugar/you-ve-got-to-admire-sir-richard-branson-he-is-a-completely-different/) [Alan Sugar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-sugar/) > [In the end, individual titles are achieved with the help of all your team-mates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-ramos/in-the-end-individual-titles-are-achieved-with-the-help-of-all-your/) [Sergio Ramos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-ramos/) > [Success is not found in what you have achieved but rather in who you have become](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziad-k-abdelnour/success-is-not-found-in-what-you-have-achieved-but-rather-in-who-you/) [Ziad K. Abdelnour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziad-k-abdelnour/) > [Gender equality cannot be achieved by cutting programs that allow girls to get the same chance to compete, learn, and play. The United States…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-sanchez/gender-equality-cannot-be-achieved-by-cutting-programs-that-allow/) [Linda Sanchez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-sanchez/) > [It is only through religion that communism can be achieved, and has been achieved over and over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/it-is-only-through-religion-that-communism-can-be-achieved-and-has/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) Browse all 410 Achieved quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm here because I stand on many, many shoulders, and that's true of every black person I know who has achieved.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Vernon Jordan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-jordan/i-m-here-because-i-stand-on-many-many-shoulders-and-that-s-true-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Achieved" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-jordan/i-m-here-because-i-stand-on-many-many-shoulders-and-that-s-true-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/704/vernon-jordan-35252_achieved_i-m-here-because-i-stand-on-many-many-sh_695895.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/704/vernon-jordan-35252_achieved_i-m-here-because-i-stand-on-many-many-sh_695895.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/704/vernon-jordan-35252_achieved_i-m-here-because-i-stand-on-many-many-sh_695895.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I'm here because I stand on many, many shoulders, and that's true of every black person I know who has…” — Vernon Jordan", "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": "Vernon Jordan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-jordan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I'm here because I stand on...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-jordan/i-m-here-because-i-stand-on-many-many-shoulders-and-that-s-true-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-jordan/i-m-here-because-i-stand-on-many-many-shoulders-and-that-s-true-of/#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 } } ] } ```