It's not plagiarism when you steal from yourself

... is it?

During my Seminary career I have occasionally written something in a research paper that I thought was really good - a particularly apt analogy, or a penetrating bit of insight, or some such writing. Now, 18 months later I am taking another class, and darned if it doesn't come back to memory, when the topics for the current coursework overlap with the original class for which I wrote the piece!

So what to do? Rack my brain for new & equally stunning arguments? Or take an already proven concept (per a prof's favorable grading) and simply re-apply it in a new setting?

Technology enables this kind of idea recycling. I can remember a key phrase from an old paper, search for it electronically in my Seminary documents folder, snag the pertinent text, rework the phrasing to fit the current topic, and drop it into the new paper. Voilà! Sparkling, clever, pertinent (and original!) text, with far less effort. :)

It was an original insight with me, so.. it still is original work, right? Just applied in a new setting! Kind of like learning a skill (say... home winemaking), winning some awards for it, giving it up for several years due to changing circumstances, and then getting back to it again using the old tricks you learned the first time by trial & error.

So, it's the 3 Rs simply applied to writing: reduce (effort), reuse (ideas), recycle (phrases). I mean, what's the point of a well-phrased, hard-thought insight if you can't reuse it? After all, versatility and persistence are proofs of an analogy's vigor.

(that last is original with me, btw..)