Often, even after years, mental states once present in consciousness return to it with apparent spontaneity and without any act of the will; that is, they are reproduced involuntarily.
Hermann EbbinghausRead
Ideas which have been developed simultaneously or in immediate succession in the same mind mutually reproduce each other, and do this with greater ease in the direction of the original succession and with a certainty proportional to the frequency with which they were together
Interpretation
What this quote means
Different ideas can enhance each other when they are developed close in time or within the same mind.
The quote by Hermann Ebbinghaus explores the concept that ideas do not exist in isolation; rather, they can influence each other when developed together. This interdependence is particularly strong when ideas follow one another closely in time, as they tend to reinforce each other, leading to richer understanding and creativity.
Themes
IdeasCreativityInfluenceDevelopmentThought
In practice
Example use cases
In a brainstorming session, I often refer to the interrelatedness of ideas.
More from Hermann Ebbinghaus
All quotes →Psychology has a long past, but only a short history.
Hermann EbbinghausRead
Mental states of every kind, - sensations, feelings, ideas, - which were at one time present in consciousness and then have disappeared from it, have not with their disappearance absolutely ceased to exist.
Hermann EbbinghausRead
Similar quotes
It turns out your conscious mind - the part you think of as you - is really the smallest part of what’s happening in your brain, and usually the last one in line to find out any information.
David EaglemanRead
The feeling is constantly growing on me that I had been the first to hear the greeting of one planet to another.
Nikola TeslaRead
As a true scientist, I have been proved wrong so many times that I'm very humble.
Kip ThorneRead
There are an awful lot of scientists today who believe that before very long we shall have unraveled all the secrets of the universe. There will be no puzzles anymore. To me, it'd be really, really tragic because I think one of the most exciting things is this feeling of mystery, feeling of awe, the feeling of looking at a little live thing and being amazed by it and how it has emerged through these hundreds of years of evolution and there it is and it is perfect and why.
Jane GoodallRead
For I am well aware that scarcely a single point is discussed in this volume on which facts cannot be adduced, often apparently leading to conclusions directly opposite to those at which I have arrived. A fair result can be obtained only by fully stating and balancing the facts and arguments on both sides of each question.
Charles DarwinRead
Our goal is not to completely eradicate the infection - that would be very difficult - but to produce a vaccine that will prevent not infection but disease. I think this is more possible.
Luc MontagnierRead