History In Context
This is one of my favorite stories of all time.
“If I have seen further it is only by standing on the shoulders of giants.”
—Sir Isaac Newton
One of the most famous statements of humility in genius, Newton’s quote sounds like it was from an acceptance speech at some physics awards ceremony, acknowledging the greatness of his accomplishments while deflecting the glory onto his predecessors and colleagues. But it’s not.
In fact, that line comes from a letter he wrote in response to another scientist who had accused Newton of stealing his ideas — no, it wasn’t Leibniz, and the subject of the dispute wasn’t calculus. The other scientist, Robert Hooke, has been largely forgotten by history, but was remarkable for one thing: he was a hunchbacked midget.
So taken in context, “If I have seen further it is only by standing on the shoulders of giants” has nothing to do with humility: it’s a short joke. Sure, I built upon the work of others, but I didn’t get nothin’ from no fuckin’ midget.
Burn.
