You May Be the Only Person Left Who Can Bring Your Unique Gifts and Talents to the World - Susan Cain

Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth, you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it. — C.S. Lewis

C.S. Lewis

At first glance, C.S. Lewis presents a paradox: the harder an artist chases originality, the less likely it is to appear.

Originality is clarity. — Zadie Smith

Zadie Smith

At first glance, Zadie Smith’s line overturns a common assumption. People often treat originality as novelty for its own sake, as if being new automatically means being meaningful.

The most original of authors are not so because they advance what is new, but more because they know how to say something as if it had never been said before. — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Goethe begins by shifting originality away from mere invention and toward expression. In his view, a writer does not become original simply by producing unheard-of thoughts; rather, originality emerges when familiar trut...

Originality is nothing but judicious imitation. — Voltaire

Voltaire

At first glance, Voltaire’s remark seems self-defeating: how can originality come from imitation? Yet his point is subtler than it appears.

In a world full of copies, be an original. — Suzy Kassem

Suzy Kassem

At its core, Suzy Kassem’s line urges people to resist the comfort of imitation and instead cultivate a life that reflects their own convictions, talents, and vision. In a culture shaped by trends, algorithms, and social...

Originality is not about doing what no one else has done, but about doing what you do in a way that is uniquely yours. — Arthur Koestler

Arthur Koestler

At first glance, originality is often mistaken for absolute novelty, as if value only exists in ideas never before imagined. Koestler gently overturns that assumption by suggesting that originality emerges less from inve...