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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.
Francis Bacon
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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.

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Nothing doth more hurt in a state than that cunning men pass for wise.
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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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