"Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery"
About this Quote
“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” sounds like a warm compliment until you notice how carefully it avoids praising the imitator. Colton’s line isn’t really about generosity; it’s about power. The original creator gets to stay sovereign, the copycat gets demoted to evidence. In one neat turn, envy and opportunism are rebranded as admiration, letting the flattered party claim moral high ground while quietly enjoying the status boost that comes from being worth copying.
That’s why it works: it’s a social judo move. If someone steals your style, your joke, your method, you can either admit you feel threatened or offended - or you can announce you’re “flattered.” The word is a weapon disguised as grace. It denies the imitator the satisfaction of having rattled you, while also delegitimizing them as unoriginal. The sweetness masks the sting.
Colton was a moralizing English writer in an era that prized propriety, taste, and reputation, when authorship and originality were increasingly tied to personal identity and social rank. The aphorism fits that climate: it polices cultural hierarchy. You can’t stop the imitator, but you can narrate the situation so you remain the source and they remain the derivative.
The subtext is almost modern: in a crowded marketplace of attention, being copied is proof you’ve become a reference point. Flattery isn’t the point; dominance is.
That’s why it works: it’s a social judo move. If someone steals your style, your joke, your method, you can either admit you feel threatened or offended - or you can announce you’re “flattered.” The word is a weapon disguised as grace. It denies the imitator the satisfaction of having rattled you, while also delegitimizing them as unoriginal. The sweetness masks the sting.
Colton was a moralizing English writer in an era that prized propriety, taste, and reputation, when authorship and originality were increasingly tied to personal identity and social rank. The aphorism fits that climate: it polices cultural hierarchy. You can’t stop the imitator, but you can narrate the situation so you remain the source and they remain the derivative.
The subtext is almost modern: in a crowded marketplace of attention, being copied is proof you’ve become a reference point. Flattery isn’t the point; dominance is.
Quote Details
| Topic | Wisdom |
|---|---|
| Source | Lacon; or Many Things in Few Words , Charles Caleb Colton, 1820. Commonly cited as source of the line “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” |
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