The Sidebar Quote

I know it’s cheesy to have a sidebar quote, and maybe it’s even worse to defend it with a sappy post, but I’m going to do it, anyway!

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I’ve never really been one to have idols - specific people whom I admire and want to emulate - instead, I have been more drawn to tangible goals and specific values.

One of those values is appreciation for where I am and what I have. The quote

“If I have seen further, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.”

by Sir Isaacon Newton encapsuates this value for me.

It acknowledges the work and sacrifice of those before us and the benefits I (we) reap from them. And it touches on so many aspects of my life.

As a son of immigrants from India, it encourages me to think of how my comfortable life growing up in the US would compare with one that my ancestors might have had in India.

As a (junior) statistician, it prompts me to acknowledge the advances in mathematics and technology that facilitate my education and career. So much of what I do relies completely on work and ideas just invented in the past few decades.

And as a human living in the 21st century, it reminds me of the enormous progress we have had as a civilization to get to where we are today. I can’t say I am happy every moment, but this makes me optimistic for the future.

Categories: Personal