A mere copier of nature can never produce anything great.

A mere copier of nature can never produce anything great.

I invent nothing. I rediscover.

I invent nothing. I rediscover.

Originality is the essence of true scholarship. Creativity is the soul of the true scholar.

Originality is the essence of true scholarship. Creativity is the soul of the true scholar.

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.

All profoundly original work looks ugly at first.

All profoundly original work looks ugly at first.

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.

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

What moves those of genius, what inspires their work is not new ideas, but their obsession with the idea that read more

What moves those of genius, what inspires their work is not new ideas, but their obsession with the idea that what has already been said is still not enough.