There may have been a time in which you have heard someone use the term standing on the shoulders of giants and wondered what they were referring to. We are going to find out the meaning of this phrase as well as looking at where it originally came from. We are also going to take a look at some examples of the phrase in use in both sentences and conversations.
Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
Standing on the Shoulders of Giants Meaning
The term standing on the shoulders of giants refers to using the discoveries and understanding of your predecessors in order to learn more about any given subject.
Origin of this phrase
The phrase standing on the shoulders of giants originally came from Sir Isaac Newton, the famous physicist who coined the term when talking about his work and how those who had gone before him and paved the way with information for his own discoveries.
“Standing on the Shoulders of Giants” Examples
Examples in Statements
We are now going to take a look at some examples of the term standing on the shoulders of giants.
The first is a statement from a blog post.
- And so, I could not have completed this thesis without standing on the shoulders of giants, their work before me enabled me to come up with new ideas and concepts.
The second statement is being said by a teacher.
- In order to fully understand how the theory works, we must first stand on the shoulders of giants and gain their understanding.
Conversation Examples
You are likely to hear the term standing on the shoulders of giants in a variety of different contexts. Here are some examples of conversations in which it might be seen.
The first conversation is between a piano teacher and her student.
- Person 1; “I don’t think I will ever learn this music.”
- Person 2; “Don’t have that attitude, draw your inspiration from those who have gone before you, standing on the shoulders of giants will get you to where you need to be.”
The second conversation is happening between two friends who love science.
- Person 1; “Isaac Newton was such an inspiration.”
- Person 2; “Yes, he certainly made some amazing discoveries, especially in the time period in which he lived.”
- Person 1; “He was modest though, he attributed his own work to scientists who lived before he did.”
- Person 2; “He said it himself, he was standing on the shoulders of giants for his entire career.”
Other Ways to Say the Idiom
There are other ways in which you can express the meaning of the term standing on the shoulders of giants. We are now going to take a look at some examples of other things you could say which means the same thing.
- Dwarves who stand on the shoulders of giants
- Being inspired by someone else
Standing on the Shoulders of Giants | Picture
