Nothing doth more hurt in a state than that cunning men pass for wise.
Francis BaconRead
Salomon saith, There is no new thing upon the earth. So that as Plato had an imagination, that all knowledge was but remembrance; so Salomon giveth his sentence, that all novelty is but oblivion.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote expresses the idea that all new ideas are simply rediscoveries of things that have already existed.
Francis Bacon references both Solomon and Plato to convey a profound philosophical idea: that there is nothing truly new under the sun, and what we perceive as novel concepts are merely forgotten knowledge being recalled. This notion suggests that wisdom is cyclical, with humanity continuously reinterpreting previous insights and experiences rather than creating entirely new thoughts.
Themes
KnowledgeNoveltyPhilosophyWisdomHistory
In practice
Example use cases
In a lecture about the evolution of ideas, one might use this quote to highlight that innovation often stems from historical concepts.
More from Francis Bacon
All quotes →Truth emerges more readily from error than from confusion.
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Great art is always a way of concentrating, reinventing what is called fact, what we know of our existence- a reconcentration… tearing away the veils, the attitudes people acquire of their time and earlier time. Really good artists tear down those veils
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Wise men make more opportunities than they find.
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Knowledge and human power are synonymous.
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Philosophy when superficially studied, excites doubt, when thoroughly explored, it dispels it.
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