I use that quote all the time ("Moses" says it in the animated film Prince of Egypt) because it seems to apply to life all the time: we learn something, then realize that what we once thought were truths were actually not.
In my reading I'm finding that life, and writing, and literature, constantly ask us to relearn and unlearn what we've learned before.
When we learn something new -- and I mean really learn it, not just hear about it, but think it through and apply it to ourselves -- it changes how we think, how we interpret what we read, and what and how we write.
So in a way, you might say that whatever we learn affects and influences what we produce, especially our writing.
For example: I heard that Prince of Egypt quote and adapted and used it for my own writing. That makes it as much a part of this blog as it is of that movie. Did I steal that Prince of Egypt quote? Should I have to pay for the right to use it? Or is it, now that I've used it, technically mine as well? Must I first change part of it to make it truly mine? Or is the change of context alone enough?
This is the kind of thing open source brings to the table. What are your opinions on the subject? What would you change from what I've said? What might you add?
P.S. Here's what made me think of the quote in the first place (more on that later)
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