I would advise him who wishes to imitate well, to look closely
into life and manners, and thereby to read more

I would advise him who wishes to imitate well, to look closely
into life and manners, and thereby to learn to express them with
truth.
[Lat., Respicere exemplar vitae morumque jubebo
Doctum imitatorem, et veras hinc ducere voces.]

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

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

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 is at least 50 percent of the creative process

Imitation is at least 50 percent of the creative process

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.]

Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.

Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.

Insist on yourself; never imitate.

Insist on yourself; never imitate.

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?

Imitation is the sincerest form of television.

Imitation is the sincerest form of television.