Are we really a better photographers?

There are some subjects that I keep returning to year after year and some how I come away with new angles that I never thought of before. This is a result of personal and professional growth, the photographs I make present I could not have made before. These changes come out of more life experience and visual growth. What I mean by visual growth is that I spend a lot of time looking at other photographers work on the web both professionals and hobbyists, by doing this I hope to fine tune my own image making. If the last image we make is no better than one we have made in the past are we really a better photographers?