The imitator dooms himself to hopeless mediocrity. — Ralph Waldo Emerson · Smartyfair

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The imitator dooms himself to hopeless mediocrity. — Ralph Waldo Emerson · Smartyfair

The imitator dooms himself to hopeless mediocrity.

Ralph Waldo Emerson1803–1882 · writer · 1800s USARalph Waldo Emerson was an American essayist and poet who encouraged people to trust their own minds and think for themselves.8 quotes

Source foundIndividuality

In plain words

Copying someone else is the surest way to never be great yourself.

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imitator
dooms
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mediocrity

Where these words come from

How sure this is: 95% sureThese words were traced back to where they first appeared. That source is listed below.
What turned up: Divinity College Address (1838).
Sources checked: en.wikiquote.orgChecked using claude-sonnet-5, 20 August 2026Sourced to Divinity College Address, 1838
gutenberg.orgChecked using claude-fable-5, 21 August 2026Divinity School Address (1838), in Miscellanies — exact sentence in primary text on Project Gutenberg ('Imitation cannot go above its model. The imitator dooms himself to hopeless mediocrity.')

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J.R.R. Tolkien

'Know thyself' was written over the portal of the antique world. Over the portal of the new world, 'Be thyself' shall be written.

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He who pursues fame at the risk of losing his self is not a scholar.