---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Though old the thought and oft exprest…"
description: "\"Though old the thought and oft exprest, Tis his at last who says it best.\" — James Russell Lowell"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93c/james-russell-lowell-561_inspirational_though-old-the-thought-and-oft-exprest-t_2611415.png"
---

#  Though old the thought and oft exprest, Tis his at last…

![“Though old the thought and oft exprest, Tis his at last who says it best.” quote by James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93c/james-russell-lowell-561_inspirational_though-old-the-thought-and-oft-exprest-t_2611415.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93c/james-russell-lowell-561_inspirational_though-old-the-thought-and-oft-exprest-t_2611415.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93c/james-russell-lowell-561_inspirational_though-old-the-thought-and-oft-exprest-t_2611415.png)

> “Though old the thought and oft exprest, Tis his at last who says it best.”

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Even though the idea is old, the final, most effective expression often comes from someone who has lived it.

**In simple terms:** Experience refines expression.

Key Takeaway

Value seasoned perspectives.

Themes

experience wisdom expression

Mood

thoughtful respectful

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- teaching
- public speaking
- writing workshops

Key Concepts

historical perspective literary analysis

Questions to Reflect On

- How does experience shape your voice?
- When should fresh perspectives be prioritized?

A Different Perspective

New ideas can also be valuable.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [Though old the thought and oft expressed, 'Tis his at last who says it best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/though-old-the-thought-and-oft-expressed-tis-his-at-last-who-says-it/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

> [ \[B\]ut in literature, it should be remembered, a thing always becomes his at last who says it best, and thus makes it his own. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/b-ut-in-literature-it-should-be-remembered-a-thing-always-becomes-his/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

> [“He says the best way out is always through And I agree to that, or in so far As I can see no way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/he-says-the-best-way-out-is-always-through-and-i-agree-to-that-or-in/)

[Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/)

> [My mum says I was the best kid ever; you could put me in a corner with a box of paints and I'd be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-ramsay/my-mum-says-i-was-the-best-kid-ever-you-could-put-me-in-a-corner-with/)

[Lynne Ramsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-ramsay/)

> [Honesty, like my mama always says, is always the best policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-rowland/honesty-like-my-mama-always-says-is-always-the-best-policy/)

[Kelly Rowland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-rowland/)

> [Every person I have met who has gone vegan says it is the best decision they have ever made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-hamilton/every-person-i-have-met-who-has-gone-vegan-says-it-is-the-best/)

[Lewis Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-hamilton/)

> [I think Will Smith's character says it best in his opening speech when he says, "We long for love, we wish we had more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-loeb/i-think-will-smith-s-character-says-it-best-in-his-opening-speech/)

Allan Loeb

> [“What God says is best, indeed is best, though all men in the world are against it. Seeing, then, that God prefers his religion;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bunyan/what-god-says-is-best-indeed-is-best-though-all-men-in-the-world-are/)

[John Bunyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bunyan/)

> [I try to do what the manager says the best way I can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joao-cancelo/i-try-to-do-what-the-manager-says-the-best-way-i-can/)

[Joao Cancelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joao-cancelo/)

> [“Whatever life brings, we'll share," she says, and "I can do no more than the best I can.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-emshwiller/whatever-life-brings-we-ll-share-she-says-and-i-can-do-no-more-than/)

[Carol Emshwiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-emshwiller/)

> [History says that I'm one of the best pound-for-pound, and I won't stop until I'm number one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-martinez/history-says-that-i-m-one-of-the-best-pound-for-pound-and-i-won-t/)

[Sergio Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-martinez/)

> [If someone says that I'm the best at anything, I always just agree with them. I'm certainly not gonna argue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-gottfried/if-someone-says-that-i-m-the-best-at-anything-i-always-just-agree/)

[Gilbert Gottfried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-gottfried/)

> [“There is no right,” she says. “There’s the best you can do. And that’s fine. That’s normal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marya-hornbacher/there-is-no-right-she-says-there-s-the-best-you-can-do-and-that-s/)

[Marya Hornbacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marya-hornbacher/)

> [I hate the pollyanna pest who says that all is for the best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-p-adams/i-hate-the-pollyanna-pest-who-says-that-all-is-for-the-best/)

[Franklin P. Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-p-adams/)

> [What God says is best, is best, though all the men in the world are against it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bunyan/what-god-says-is-best-is-best-though-all-the-men-in-the-world-are/)

[John Bunyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bunyan/)

## More by James Russell Lowell

> [We kind o' thought Christ went agin war an' pillage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/we-kind-o-thought-christ-went-agin-war-an-pillage/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

> [He gives only the worthless gold who gives from a sense of duty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/he-gives-only-the-worthless-gold-who-gives-from-a-sense-of-duty/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

> [As life runs on, the road grows strange with faces new - and near the end. The milestones into headstones change, Neath every one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/as-life-runs-on-the-road-grows-strange-with-faces-new-and-near-the/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

> [Where one person shapes their life by precept and example, there are a thousand who have shaped it by impulse and circumstances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/where-one-person-shapes-their-life-by-precept-and-example-there-are-a/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

> [Granting our wish is one of Fate's saddest jokes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/granting-our-wish-is-one-of-fate-s-saddest-jokes/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

> [Most religion-mongers have bated their paradises with a bit of toasted cheese. They have tempted the body with large promises of possessions in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/most-religion-mongers-have-bated-their-paradises-with-a-bit-of/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

> [The thing we long for, that we are For one transcendent moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/the-thing-we-long-for-that-we-are-for-one-transcendent-moment/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

> [O reputation! dearer far than life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/o-reputation-dearer-far-than-life/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

> [Keats longed for fame, but longed above all to deserve it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/keats-longed-for-fame-but-longed-above-all-to-deserve-it/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

> [It is beginning to be doubtful whether Parliament and Congress sit in Westminster and Washington, or in the editorial rooms of the leading journals,--so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/it-is-beginning-to-be-doubtful-whether-parliament-and-congress-sit-in/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

> [ \[B\]ut in literature, it should be remembered, a thing always becomes his at last who says it best, and thus makes it his own. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/b-ut-in-literature-it-should-be-remembered-a-thing-always-becomes-his/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

> [It may be glorious to write Thoughts that shall glad the two or three High souls, like those far stars that come in sight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/it-may-be-glorious-to-write-thoughts-that-shall-glad-the-two-or-three/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

> [It is the vain endeavor to make ourselves what we are not that has strewn history with so many broken purposes and lives left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/it-is-the-vain-endeavor-to-make-ourselves-what-we-are-not-that-has/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

> [Take winter as you find him, and he turns out to be a thoroughly honest fellow; with no nonsense in him, which is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/take-winter-as-you-find-him-and-he-turns-out-to-be-a-thoroughly/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

> [The intellect has only one failing, which, to be sure, is a very considerable one. It has no conscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/the-intellect-has-only-one-failing-which-to-be-sure-is-a-very/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

[Explore all 471 James Russell Lowell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

## More Inspirational quotes

> [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [We talk to God--that is prayer; God talks to us--that is inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-emilie-cady/we-talk-to-god-that-is-prayer-god-talks-to-us-that-is-inspiration/)

[H. Emilie Cady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-emilie-cady/)

> [You cant be controlling in improv.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-walsh/you-cant-be-controlling-in-improv/)

[Matt Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-walsh/)

> [The man who can master his time can master nearly anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-man-who-can-master-his-time-can-master-nearly-anything/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Just understand that the good that you want is already here. All you have to do is get in harmony with it. And you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/just-understand-that-the-good-that-you-want-is-already-here-all-you/)

[Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/)

> [“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/if-you-want-to-build-a-ship-don-t-drum-up-the-men-to-gather-wood/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [Obviously, if you don't love life, you can't enjoy an oyster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-clark/obviously-if-you-don-t-love-life-you-can-t-enjoy-an-oyster/)

[Eleanor Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-clark/)

> [It's not the method, it's the mindset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-gilbert/it-s-not-the-method-it-s-the-mindset/)

[Andy Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-gilbert/)

> [It's a hard thing to describe. It's just this sense that you got something to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/it-s-a-hard-thing-to-describe-it-s-just-this-sense-that-you-got/)

[Jonah Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lehrer/)

> [Too much familiarity breeds contempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/too-much-familiarity-breeds-contempt/)

[Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

> [We never really perceive what color is physically!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-albers/we-never-really-perceive-what-color-is-physically/)

[Josef Albers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-albers/)

> [Politics is not an issue whether you like or dislike , but every citizen must involve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khem-veasna/politics-is-not-an-issue-whether-you-like-or-dislike-but-every/)

[Khem Veasna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khem-veasna/)

> [God reveals Himself through surprises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/god-reveals-himself-through-surprises/)

[Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/)

> [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/)

[Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/)

[Browse all 114,561 Inspirational quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Though old the thought and oft exprest, Tis his at last who says it best.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "James Russell Lowell"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/though-old-the-thought-and-oft-exprest-tis-his-at-last-who-says-it/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Inspirational"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/though-old-the-thought-and-oft-exprest-tis-his-at-last-who-says-it/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93c/james-russell-lowell-561_inspirational_though-old-the-thought-and-oft-exprest-t_2611415.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93c/james-russell-lowell-561_inspirational_though-old-the-thought-and-oft-exprest-t_2611415.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93c/james-russell-lowell-561_inspirational_though-old-the-thought-and-oft-exprest-t_2611415.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Though old the thought and oft exprest, Tis his at last who says it best.” — James Russell Lowell",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "James Russell Lowell",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Though old the thought and oft...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/though-old-the-thought-and-oft-exprest-tis-his-at-last-who-says-it/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/though-old-the-thought-and-oft-exprest-tis-his-at-last-who-says-it/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
