[enneff]

> This is expressed in the famous quote by Isaac Newton: "If I have seen further it is only by standing on the shoulders of giants."

Ironically, this was a quip at the expense of Robert Hooke, who was particularly short in stature.

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Newton#Fame

[codeflo]

I've heard about that, and I'm not convinced. Here's the quote in context:

> What Descartes did was a good step. You have added much several ways, and especially in taking the colours of thin plates into philosophical consideration. If I have seen a little further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants.

So if it's (also) meant as a quip, it's a friendly one. And in either case, the saying goes back to the middle ages and was always meant metaphorically.