Original thought is like original sin: both happened before you were born to people you could not have possibly met.

Original thought is like original sin: both happened before you were born to people you could not have possibly met.

The man with a new idea is a crank until the idea succeeds.

The man with a new idea is a crank until the idea succeeds.

Many a man fails as an original thinker simply because his memory is too good.

Many a man fails as an original thinker simply because his memory is too good.

Nothing of me is original. I am the combined effort of everyone I've ever known.

Nothing of me is original. I am the combined effort of everyone I've ever known.

Should we all confess our sins to one another we would all laugh at one another for our lack of read more

Should we all confess our sins to one another we would all laugh at one another for our lack of originality

The first man to compare the cheeks of a young woman to a rose was obviously a poet; the first read more

The first man to compare the cheeks of a young woman to a rose was obviously a poet; the first to repeat it was possibly an idiot.

All profoundly original work looks ugly at first.

All profoundly original work looks ugly at first.

It is better to create than to be learned, creating is the true essence of life.

It is better to create than to be learned, creating is the true essence of life.

The merit of originality is not novelty; it is sincerity. The believing man is the original man; whatsoever he believes, read more

The merit of originality is not novelty; it is sincerity. The believing man is the original man; whatsoever he believes, he believes it for himself, not for another.