Where Ideas Come From

We love to claim the ideas that drop into our heads as our own.

But are they?

How many times have you had a brilliant idea, just to find, via the Internet, that others already had it. There was no claiming it after that–who would believe you?

We often say that insights come from out of the blue, are flashes of inspiration, divine intervention, or use other terms that seem to suggest they are given to us rather than being derivative from our own thought processes.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said:

All my best thoughts were stolen by the ancients.

Whichever way they come, I am grateful for every creative idea I “have.” They are fun to entertain, even if I discover someone else thought of them before. They make life more exciting, challenging and satisfying.

Thoughts

There are those who believe in originality of thought:

If you do not express your own original ideas, if you do not listen to your own being, you will have betrayed yourself. …………..~ Rollo May The real Antichrist is he who turns the wine of an original idea into the water of mediocrity. …………..~ Eric Hoffer You’ve gotta be original, because if you’re like someone else, what do they need you for? …………..~ Bernadette Peters

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