An open book has aged, crumbling pages on the left and clean blank pages on the right against a cream background.

Original artwork, not a still

Harry S. Truman

The only thing new in the world is the history you don’t know.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

Something can feel new simply because you haven't learned its history. The remark turns novelty into a gap in knowledge rather than a feature of the world. It invites a second look at surprises, suggesting that an older example may already exist.

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