This leads to the paradox that the more original a discovery the more obvious it seems afterwards. The creative act is not an act of creation in the sense of the Old Testament. It does not create something out of nothing: it uncovers, selects, re-shuffles, combines, synthesizes already existing facts, idea, faculties, skills. The more familiar the parts, the more striking the new whole.

Arthur Koestler
Alfred Koestler (1905-1983) Hungarian-English novelist, essayist
The Act of Creation (1969) p.120

 
Added on 1-Feb-04 | Last updated 1-Feb-04
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