An idea you have might not be original. But by creating a novel out of that idea you can make it original.
Umberto EcoThus we have on stage two men, each of whom knows nothing of what he believes the other knows, and to deceive each other reciprocally both speak in allusions, each of the two hoping (in vain) that the other holds the key to his puzzle.
Umberto EcoThere are more people than you think who want to have a challenging experience, in which they are obliged to reflect about the past.
Umberto EcoIf you want to become a man of letters and perhaps write some Histories one day, you must also lie and invent tales, otherwise your History would become monotonous. But you must act with restraint. The world condemns liars who do nothing but lie, even about the most trivial things, and it rewards poets, who lie only about the greatest things.
Umberto Eco