Shoulders of Giants

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Isaac Newton wrote in a 1675 letter to fellow scientist Robert Hooke, "If I have seen further than others, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants."

This metaphor captures the essence of innovation, which is building on the work of those who came before us.

But isn't that cheating, well “No it’s not!”

It’s easy to look at innovators like Newton, Einstein, Steve Jobs, Elon and Billgates and imagine that their ideas/innovations were solely their’s and original, which is rarely the case. 

However, They learned from the best of what others had already discovered and made that knowledge their own. With each iteration, they could see a little further, knowing that future generations would also stand on their shoulders.

Today, we stand on the shoulders of giants more than ever before. We have access to a vast and interconnected body of knowledge, thanks to the internet and other technologies. 

New ideas, like those of Newton, Jobs, and Shakespeare, are only possible because of the giants who came before them and opened new doors. These giants expanded the realm of possibility, and their work laid the groundwork for the advances that followed. Nothing comes from nothing. Shakespeare could write his plays because of the structures and language developed by others. Newton could advance science because of the preliminary discoveries of others. Jobs built Apple on the shoulders of many prior devices and technological advances.

Can’t we ask ourselves: What new doors can I open based on the work of the giants who came before me? What opportunities can I spot that they couldn't? 

If you think all the good ideas have already been found, you are very wrong. New ideas emerge from the work of those who came before us, and they open new possibilities, rather than restricting them.