He who studies to imitate the poet Pindar, O Julius, relies on
artificial wings fastened on with wax, and read more

He who studies to imitate the poet Pindar, O Julius, relies on
artificial wings fastened on with wax, and is sure to give his
name to a glassy sea.
[Lat., Pindarum quisquis studet aemulari,
Iule ceratis ope Daedalea
Nititur pennis, vitreo daturus
Nomina ponto.]

Posterity weaves no garlands for imitators.

Posterity weaves no garlands for imitators.

One who imitates what is bad always goes beyond his model; while one who imitates what is good always comes read more

One who imitates what is bad always goes beyond his model; while one who imitates what is good always comes up short of it.

No man ever yet became great by imitation.

No man ever yet became great by imitation.

I used to make original snowmen, but it was time consuming, hard work. So I said, heck, this is crazy! read more

I used to make original snowmen, but it was time consuming, hard work. So I said, heck, this is crazy! Now I crank out crude imitations of what's already popular! It takes no time or thought, and most people don't care about the difference, anyway! And what good is originality if you can't crank it out?

An imitative creature is man; whoever is foremost, leads the
herd.
[Ger., Der Mensch ist ein nachahmendes Geschopf.
read more

An imitative creature is man; whoever is foremost, leads the
herd.
[Ger., Der Mensch ist ein nachahmendes Geschopf.
Und wer Vorderste ist, fuhrt die Heerde.]

Imitation, if noble and general, insures the best hope of originality.

Imitation, if noble and general, insures the best hope of originality.

He who imitates what is evil always goes beyond the example that
is set; on the contrary, he who read more

He who imitates what is evil always goes beyond the example that
is set; on the contrary, he who imitates what is good always
falls short.
[It., L'imitazione del male supera sempre l'esempio; comme per il
contrario, l'imitazione del bene e sempre inferiore.]

Paradoxically though it may seem, it is none the less true that
life imitates art far more than art read more

Paradoxically though it may seem, it is none the less true that
life imitates art far more than art imitates life.