Didn't I once observe that there is nothing new under the sun?
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The author recalls an old saying that nothing is truly original.
- In plain terms
- Everything has been done before.
- What can you take from it?
- Innovation is often just recycling old ideas.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Is anything truly new?
- How does history repeat?
Another view
New things do emerge despite this saying.
More from Joseph Heller
I think I may have been the first grown man in the world to fall truly, passionately, sexually, romantically and sentimentally in love. I practically invented …
Permalink to quote #36 Love is potent stuff, isn't it?
Permalink to quote #38 I hate God and I hate life. And the closer I come to death, the more I hate life.
Permalink to quote #35
Related quotes
What wise or stupid thing can man conceive That was not thought of in ages long ago?
Johann Wolfgang von GoetheJohann Wolfgang von Goethe quote #79 Is it possible that seemingly incredible geniuses like Bach and Shakespeare and Einstein were not in fact superhuman, but simply plagiarists, copying great stu…
Kurt VonnegutKurt Vonnegut quote #200 I've always worked a bit like a cook in a big restaurant, where you've got lots and lots of things laid out and you go and look into one cauldron and you look …
Peter BrookPeter Brook quote #4