Originality is Relative

Originality is relative, not absolute. Originality is a personal best, which is also necessarily a global event. To be original is to do something for the first time, not to be the first to do something for the first time. If we valued absolute originality as much as we think we do, we would not aspire towards known greats: to be compared to your heroes would be an accusation of plagiarism. We would be encouraged not to even have heroes.

A cliché does not become false through overuse. Each time we find in ourselves some new resonance, it is a true and genuine moment of personal discovery. Each awakening is original and important, irrespective of how many other people have had the same awakening before. Turns of phrase may be clichéd, but the content to which they point are original each time they become valid to each person.

Every baby is in absolute terms unoriginal, in relative terms unique. The birth and rebirth of cultural movements are the same. Cultural originality is also a gift which needs a mother. In absolute terms, Michelangelo was the least original of all artists. He stands on the shoulders of giants. He did not give birth to the new art of the Renaissance. The ancient artists gave birth to him.