---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: True, the initial ideas are in general…"
description: "\"True, the initial ideas are in general those of an individual, but the establishment of the reality and truth is in general the work of more than one p..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20e/willard-libby-49300_establishment_true-the-initial-ideas-are-in-general-th_895338.jpg"
---

#  True, the initial ideas are in general those of an…

![“True, the initial ideas are in general those of an individual, but the establishment of the reality and truth is in general the work of more than one person.” quote by Willard Libby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20e/willard-libby-49300_establishment_true-the-initial-ideas-are-in-general-th_895338.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20e/willard-libby-49300_establishment_true-the-initial-ideas-are-in-general-th_895338.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20e/willard-libby-49300_establishment_true-the-initial-ideas-are-in-general-th_895338.jpg)

> “True, the initial ideas are in general those of an individual, but the establishment of the reality and truth is in general the work of more than one person.”

[Willard Libby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willard-libby/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Individual ideas spark concepts, but collective effort validates and solidifies truth.

**In simple terms:** Truth emerges from many minds, not just one.

Key Takeaway

Collaborate to refine ideas.

Themes

collaboration truth knowledge

Mood

thoughtful analytical

Type

philosophical educational

When to use this quote

- research
- policy making
- education
- innovation

Key Concepts

epistemology social constructivism

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you balance individual insight with consensus?
- What mechanisms ensure diverse contributions?

A Different Perspective

Groupthink can suppress dissenting ideas.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Establishment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/establishment/) [Establishment Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/establishment-reality-1189365/) [General Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/general-work-1189367/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Individual Establishment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual-establishment-1189368/) [Initial Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/initial-ideas-1189366/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Truth General](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth-general-1189369/) [Truth is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth-is/)

## Related quotes

> [My initial ideas are just a starting place. As a record goes along, it becomes more about making discoveries and getting excited about new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-gilbert/my-initial-ideas-are-just-a-starting-place-as-a-record-goes-along-it/)

[Paul Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-gilbert/)

> [“what is fiction in particular is truth in general.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-is-fiction-in-particular-is-truth-in-general/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [THE PERSON WHO ALWAY WAGE WAR AGAINST THE TRUTH IS A GENERAL IN THE ARMY OF FALSEHOOD.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelius-ibiolorundun/the-person-who-alway-wage-war-against-the-truth-is-a-general-in-the/)

[CORNELIUS IBIOLORUNDUN](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelius-ibiolorundun/)

> [One tries to tell a truth, and one hopes that the truth has a general application rather than just a specific one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-golding/one-tries-to-tell-a-truth-and-one-hopes-that-the-truth-has-a-general/)

[William Golding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-golding/)

> [“Truth is general, it does not belong to me alone, it belongs to all, it owns me, I do not own it. My property…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/truth-is-general-it-does-not-belong-to-me-alone-it-belongs-to-all-it/)

[Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/)

> [The issue of civil rights was too much for the establishment to handle. One of the chapters of history that's least studied by historians…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hayden/the-issue-of-civil-rights-was-too-much-for-the-establishment-to/)

[Tom Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hayden/)

> [ It is certain that every class is interested in \[educational\] establishments which give to the human mind its highest improvements, and to every Country… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/it-is-certain-that-every-class-is-interested-in-educational/)

[James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/)

> [There are big, extremely irrational parts of the society, and they have now been mobilized politically by the Republican establishment, hoping that these people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-are-big-extremely-irrational-parts-of-the-society-and-they-have/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [The establishment in Britain is certainly against the arts and against education. If something doesn't make a profit, it's invalid, and art doesn't make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-maxwell-davies/the-establishment-in-britain-is-certainly-against-the-arts-and/)

[Peter Maxwell Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-maxwell-davies/)

> [How could a readiness for war in time of peace be safely prohibited, unless we could prohibit, in like manner, the preparations and establishments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/how-could-a-readiness-for-war-in-time-of-peace-be-safely-prohibited/)

[James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/)

> [Why is it that at a bachelor's establishment the servants invariably drink the champagne.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/why-is-it-that-at-a-bachelor-s-establishment-the-servants-invariably/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [The re-establishment of an ecological balance depends on the ability of society to counteract the progressive materialization of values. The ecological balance cannot be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-illich/the-re-establishment-of-an-ecological-balance-depends-on-the-ability/)

[Ivan Illich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-illich/)

> [Jeb Bush was supposed to be the establishment candidate, but he didn't catch on. And the extraordinary thing about this Republican primary is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mara-liasson/jeb-bush-was-supposed-to-be-the-establishment-candidate-but-he-didn-t/)

[Mara Liasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mara-liasson/)

> [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [It is the incongruous thing in my entire life, this isolation.. ... My work requires it - but I myself have no need or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsden-hartley/it-is-the-incongruous-thing-in-my-entire-life-this-isolation-my-work/)

[Marsden Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsden-hartley/)

## More by Willard Libby

> [Nuclear war would mean abolition of most comforts, and disruption of normal routines, for children and adults alike.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-libby/nuclear-war-would-mean-abolition-of-most-comforts-and-disruption-of/)

[Willard Libby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willard-libby/)

> [You honor me greatly and beyond my ability as an individual but in so doing you honor my colleagues also who made possible the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-libby/you-honor-me-greatly-and-beyond-my-ability-as-an-individual-but-in-so/)

[Willard Libby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willard-libby/)

> [And yet the Nobel Prizes, in singling out individuals, have done a great deal of good in pointing up to the world as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-libby/and-yet-the-nobel-prizes-in-singling-out-individuals-have-done-a/)

[Willard Libby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willard-libby/)

> [The future of the world, dependent as it is upon atomic energy, requires more understanding and knowledge about the atom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-libby/the-future-of-the-world-dependent-as-it-is-upon-atomic-energy/)

[Willard Libby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willard-libby/)

> [Most achievements in science are to a certain degree group efforts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-libby/most-achievements-in-science-are-to-a-certain-degree-group-efforts/)

[Willard Libby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willard-libby/)

> [We hope that this honor you have done us will bring the time of further realization of these benefits closer and will help all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-libby/we-hope-that-this-honor-you-have-done-us-will-bring-the-time-of/)

[Willard Libby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willard-libby/)

[Explore all 7 Willard Libby quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willard-libby/)

## More Establishment quotes

> [It is the incongruous thing in my entire life, this isolation.. ... My work requires it - but I myself have no need or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsden-hartley/it-is-the-incongruous-thing-in-my-entire-life-this-isolation-my-work/)

[Marsden Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsden-hartley/)

> [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [Jeb Bush was supposed to be the establishment candidate, but he didn't catch on. And the extraordinary thing about this Republican primary is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mara-liasson/jeb-bush-was-supposed-to-be-the-establishment-candidate-but-he-didn-t/)

[Mara Liasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mara-liasson/)

> [The re-establishment of an ecological balance depends on the ability of society to counteract the progressive materialization of values. The ecological balance cannot be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-illich/the-re-establishment-of-an-ecological-balance-depends-on-the-ability/)

[Ivan Illich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-illich/)

> [Why is it that at a bachelor's establishment the servants invariably drink the champagne.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/why-is-it-that-at-a-bachelor-s-establishment-the-servants-invariably/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [How could a readiness for war in time of peace be safely prohibited, unless we could prohibit, in like manner, the preparations and establishments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/how-could-a-readiness-for-war-in-time-of-peace-be-safely-prohibited/)

[James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/)

> [The establishment in Britain is certainly against the arts and against education. If something doesn't make a profit, it's invalid, and art doesn't make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-maxwell-davies/the-establishment-in-britain-is-certainly-against-the-arts-and/)

[Peter Maxwell Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-maxwell-davies/)

> [There are big, extremely irrational parts of the society, and they have now been mobilized politically by the Republican establishment, hoping that these people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-are-big-extremely-irrational-parts-of-the-society-and-they-have/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [ It is certain that every class is interested in \[educational\] establishments which give to the human mind its highest improvements, and to every Country… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/it-is-certain-that-every-class-is-interested-in-educational/)

[James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/)

> [The issue of civil rights was too much for the establishment to handle. One of the chapters of history that's least studied by historians…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hayden/the-issue-of-civil-rights-was-too-much-for-the-establishment-to/)

[Tom Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hayden/)

> [The central base of world political power is right here in America, and it is our corrupt political establishment that is the greatest power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/the-central-base-of-world-political-power-is-right-here-in-america/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [The very first radical known to man who rebelled against the establishment and did it so effectively that he at least won his own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-alinsky/the-very-first-radical-known-to-man-who-rebelled-against-the/)

[Saul Alinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-alinsky/)

> [Any change of government which has to be introduced should be one which men, starting from their existing constitutions, will be both willing and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/any-change-of-government-which-has-to-be-introduced-should-be-one/)

[Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

> [One of the things we're all going to have to discover, establishment is just an abusive term for institutions. It's institutions that keep us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/one-of-the-things-we-re-all-going-to-have-to-discover-establishment/)

[David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/)

> [The law increasing and organizing the military establishment of the United States has been nearly carried into effect, and the Army has been extensively…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-van-buren/the-law-increasing-and-organizing-the-military-establishment-of-the/)

[Martin Van Buren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-van-buren/)

[Browse all 905 Establishment quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/establishment/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "True, the initial ideas are in general those of an individual, but the establishment of the reality and truth is in general the work of more than one person.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Willard Libby"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-libby/true-the-initial-ideas-are-in-general-those-of-an-individual-but-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Establishment"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-libby/true-the-initial-ideas-are-in-general-those-of-an-individual-but-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20e/willard-libby-49300_establishment_true-the-initial-ideas-are-in-general-th_895338.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20e/willard-libby-49300_establishment_true-the-initial-ideas-are-in-general-th_895338.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20e/willard-libby-49300_establishment_true-the-initial-ideas-are-in-general-th_895338.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“True, the initial ideas are in general those of an individual, but the establishment of the reality and…” — Willard Libby",
                "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": "Willard Libby",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willard-libby/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "True, the initial ideas are in...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-libby/true-the-initial-ideas-are-in-general-those-of-an-individual-but-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-libby/true-the-initial-ideas-are-in-general-those-of-an-individual-but-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
