Johann Wolfgang von Goethe1749–1832Everything has been thought of before, but the difficulty is to think of it again.
- Maxims and Reflections (1833), Maxim 428, trans. Stopp
- Maxims and Reflections (1833), Maxim 1207, trans. Stopp (p153)
Man usually believes, if only words he hears,
That also with them goes material for thinking!Faust (1808), Scene VI, spoken by MephistophelesIn context
