Every generation panics about the young — there's nothing new under the sun.
nothing new under the sun
idiomHuman affairs endlessly repeat; what seems novel has all happened before.
Origin
The phrase comes from Ecclesiastes 1:9, part of the world-weary meditation traditionally attributed to Solomon: "The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun."
The speaker, called simply the Teacher, has seen enough to be unimpressed by novelty. Every fresh ambition, he argues, is a repeat of something already tried and forgotten; history circles rather than advances.
The line survives as a dry observation, often delivered with a shrug. To say there is nothing new under the sun is to note that some supposedly modern scandal, trend, or invention is really just an old pattern in new clothes.
The pundits called it a revolutionary strategy, but veterans knew there was nothing new under the sun.
Read the financial history of any bubble and you will conclude there is nothing new under the sun: the same greed, the same denial, the same crowd insisting this time is different.
Job, Psalms, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes on how to live.
- 01
the patience of Job (idiom)
Extraordinary endurance and calm in the face of prolonged suffering.
- 02
by the skin of your teeth (idiom)
Just barely
- 03
pride comes before a fall (idiom)
Arrogance and overconfidence tend to precede a downfall.
- 04
a fly in the ointment (idiom)
A small flaw or problem that spoils something otherwise good.
- 05
my cup runneth over (idiom)
A feeling of having blessings or good fortune in overwhelming abundance.
- 06
the valley of the shadow of death (idiom)
A time or place of extreme danger, fear, or hardship.