thought occurs to you
thought strikes you
thought comes to you

He called her a few days later, as if the same thought had occurred to him, too.

"And they always look at me as if the thought had never occurred to them."

For the first time a new thought occurred to me.

He had already turned away when a thought occurred to him.

Never before would such a thought have occurred to him.

He turned to go, and another thought occurred to him.

He was about to leave the line when a thought occurred.

The same thought had already occurred, long ago, to certain other members of the group.

I cannot believe the thought never occurred to him before.

He stood to leave, but then another thought occurred to him.