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.

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.

Utter originality is, of course, out of the question.

Utter originality is, of course, out of the question.

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.

All truly wise thoughts have been thought already thousands of times; but to make them truly ours, we must think read more

All truly wise thoughts have been thought already thousands of times; but to make them truly ours, we must think them over again honestly, till they take root in our personal experience.

I invent nothing. I rediscover.

I invent nothing. I rediscover.

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.

A mere copier of nature can never produce anything great.

A mere copier of nature can never produce anything great.

What the world calls originality is only an unaccustomed method of tickling it.

What the world calls originality is only an unaccustomed method of tickling it.