--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was a mimic when I was a child. I…" description: "\"I was a mimic when I was a child. I mimicked the teacher and made friends that way, actually. That was a very subversive activity, because I was a good..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30c/anna-deavere-smith-4847_activity_i-was-a-mimic-when-i-was-a-child-i-mimic_2519728.png" --- # I was a mimic when I was a child. I mimicked the teacher… ![“I was a mimic when I was a child. I mimicked the teacher and made friends that way, actually. That was a very subversive activity, because I was a goody-goody who never got in trouble. But if I went off in the corner and mimicked the teacher, people loved it.” quote by Anna Deavere Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30c/anna-deavere-smith-4847_activity_i-was-a-mimic-when-i-was-a-child-i-mimic_2519728.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30c/anna-deavere-smith-4847_activity_i-was-a-mimic-when-i-was-a-child-i-mimic_2519728.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30c/anna-deavere-smith-4847_activity_i-was-a-mimic-when-i-was-a-child-i-mimic_2519728.png) > “I was a mimic when I was a child. I mimicked the teacher and made friends that way, actually. That was a very subversive activity, because I was a goody-goody who never got in trouble. But if I went off in the corner and mimicked the teacher, people loved it.” [Anna Deavere Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-deavere-smith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Mimicry can be a subtle rebellion, allowing acceptance while challenging norms. **In simple terms:** Mimicry can be rebellious. Key Takeaway Use humor to question authority. Themes social behavior rebellion identity Mood playful critical Type inspirational reflective When to use this quote - classroom settings - workplace dynamics - online interactions Key Concepts imitation theory social conformity Questions to Reflect On - When does imitation become manipulation? - How can playful mimicry build trust? A Different Perspective Mimicry may be misread as insincere. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Activity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/activity/) [Actually](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actually/) [Because](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/because/) [Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child/) [Child Mimicked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child-mimicked-1237730/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Corner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corner/) [Corners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corners/) [Friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friends/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Got](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/got/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Loved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loved/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Mimic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mimic/) [Mimic Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mimic-child-1237731/) [Mimicked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mimicked-1082658/) [Mimicked Teacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mimicked-teacher-1237729/) [Never](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/never/) [Off](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/off/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Subversive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subversive/) [Teacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teacher/) [Trouble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trouble/) [Very](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/very/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Who](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/who/) ## Related quotes > [“We won’t let you die, Willa.” I mimicked, brushing off my boy-clothes and shoving my hair out of my face. “We’ll just teleport you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaymin-eve/we-won-t-let-you-die-willa-i-mimicked-brushing-off-my-boy-clothes-and/) [Jaymin Eve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaymin-eve/) > [I believe, as they say, that you can't be what you don't see, and since I saw a lot of smart women in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-longoria/i-believe-as-they-say-that-you-can-t-be-what-you-don-t-see-and-since/) [Eva Longoria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-longoria/) > [Nice,' I say, realizing only afterward that I've mimicked her, a bad habit of mine; I'm like one of those animals that imitates its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-bank/nice-i-say-realizing-only-afterward-that-i-ve-mimicked-her-a-bad/) [Melissa Bank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-bank/) > [“Competitors must be monitored, but never mimicked”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-mcqueen/competitors-must-be-monitored-but-never-mimicked/) [Rod McQueen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-mcqueen/) > [He had a head which statuaries loved to copy, and a foot the deformity of which the beggars in the streets mimicked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-b-macaulay/he-had-a-head-which-statuaries-loved-to-copy-and-a-foot-the-deformity/) [Thomas B. Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-b-macaulay/) > [“The taps mimicked the theme song to The X-Files.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-g-riddle/the-taps-mimicked-the-theme-song-to-the-x-files/) [A.G. Riddle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-g-riddle/) > [If it were true that children mimicked their teachers, you'd sure have a helluva lot more nuns running around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-milk/if-it-were-true-that-children-mimicked-their-teachers-you-d-sure-have/) [Harvey Milk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-milk/) > [People are confusing me with a good actor when I'm just a good mimic. When someone asks me to play a nun from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jemima-kirke/people-are-confusing-me-with-a-good-actor-when-i-m-just-a-good-mimic/) [Jemima Kirke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jemima-kirke/) > [Yoga is the most boring exercise. It's for people who are too lazy to get on the elliptical. Bikram, where they heat up the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noureen-dewulf/yoga-is-the-most-boring-exercise-it-s-for-people-who-are-too-lazy-to/) [Noureen DeWulf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noureen-dewulf/) > [“Everybody has a little bit of the sun and moon in them. Everybody has a little bit of man, woman, and animal in them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/everybody-has-a-little-bit-of-the-sun-and-moon-in-them-everybody-has-2/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [I'm a huge mimic. That's how I learned to sing. I listened to a lot of Freddy Mercury, obviously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-martel/i-m-a-huge-mimic-that-s-how-i-learned-to-sing-i-listened-to-a-lot-of/) [Marc Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-martel/) > [“~Never mimic. Be true to yourself. Never give up on your dreams or your heart.~”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-r-cone/never-mimic-be-true-to-yourself-never-give-up-on-your-dreams-or-your/) [Sheila R. Cone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-r-cone/) > [I got through with my ability to mimic others and make people laugh. I swaggered through life, but, in reality, I lived in fear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paddy-considine/i-got-through-with-my-ability-to-mimic-others-and-make-people-laugh-i/) [Paddy Considine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paddy-considine/) > [“The reason to copy your heroes and their style is so that you might somehow get a glimpse into their minds. That's what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/the-reason-to-copy-your-heroes-and-their-style-is-so-that-you-might/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [You try to go with something that's familiar to people and that way they can jump on board with what you're trying to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenan-thompson/you-try-to-go-with-something-that-s-familiar-to-people-and-that-way/) [Kenan Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenan-thompson/) ## More by Anna Deavere Smith > [I feel like my work has been my path to freedom from having grown up in a segregated environment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-deavere-smith/i-feel-like-my-work-has-been-my-path-to-freedom-from-having-grown-up/) [Anna Deavere Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-deavere-smith/) > [Identity is an assemblage of constellations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-deavere-smith/identity-is-an-assemblage-of-constellations/) [Anna Deavere Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-deavere-smith/) > [I think some of our most talented people are not going to pick the arts as a way that they're going to spend their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-deavere-smith/i-think-some-of-our-most-talented-people-are-not-going-to-pick-the/) [Anna Deavere Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-deavere-smith/) > [I mean, I think that - as an actress, in particular, I'm basically a fool, and I see the world upside down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-deavere-smith/i-mean-i-think-that-as-an-actress-in-particular-i-m-basically-a-fool/) [Anna Deavere Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-deavere-smith/) > [The American idea is as promising, imaginative, and full of the unexpected as the land itself. The land represents freedom - the frontier, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-deavere-smith/the-american-idea-is-as-promising-imaginative-and-full-of-the/) [Anna Deavere Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-deavere-smith/) > [I have never been in a violent movie or television show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-deavere-smith/i-have-never-been-in-a-violent-movie-or-television-show/) [Anna Deavere Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-deavere-smith/) > [Poverty makes it very difficult in an already competitive world for kids to get on a straight track where they can actually love learning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-deavere-smith/poverty-makes-it-very-difficult-in-an-already-competitive-world-for/) [Anna Deavere Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-deavere-smith/) > [Your desire to communicate must be bigger than your relationship with the chaotic and unfair realities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-deavere-smith/your-desire-to-communicate-must-be-bigger-than-your-relationship-with/) [Anna Deavere Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-deavere-smith/) > [Self-esteem does not come from surrounding yourself with people and things that seem to increase your value. Real self-esteem is an integration of an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-deavere-smith/self-esteem-does-not-come-from-surrounding-yourself-with-people-and/) [Anna Deavere Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-deavere-smith/) > [People realize that we're very good at sending people to war, but we're not good at taking care of them. And people are coming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-deavere-smith/people-realize-that-we-re-very-good-at-sending-people-to-war-but-we/) [Anna Deavere Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-deavere-smith/) > [I love studying how people are. Not just what they're saying, but how they are, what they're doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-deavere-smith/i-love-studying-how-people-are-not-just-what-they-re-saying-but-how/) [Anna Deavere Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-deavere-smith/) > [Many people are afraid to talk about race because it's so emotionally loaded. We don't have the vocabulary to talk about it. Every day,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-deavere-smith/many-people-are-afraid-to-talk-about-race-because-it-s-so-emotionally/) [Anna Deavere Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-deavere-smith/) > [Commit to finding the true nature of art. Go for that thing no one can teach you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-deavere-smith/commit-to-finding-the-true-nature-of-art-go-for-that-thing-no-one-can/) [Anna Deavere Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-deavere-smith/) > [I made a real specific decision when I came out of school and most artists were writing about home - if you were a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-deavere-smith/i-made-a-real-specific-decision-when-i-came-out-of-school-and-most/) [Anna Deavere Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-deavere-smith/) > [I think that art is supposed to be ahead of the times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-deavere-smith/i-think-that-art-is-supposed-to-be-ahead-of-the-times/) [Anna Deavere Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-deavere-smith/) [Explore all 106 Anna Deavere Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-deavere-smith/) ## More Activity quotes > [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [It must be assumed and established as a principle, that the right of private property must be regarded as sacred. Wherefore, the law ought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-leo-xiii/it-must-be-assumed-and-established-as-a-principle-that-the-right-of/) [Pope Leo XIII](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-leo-xiii/) > [Each man is capable of doing one thing well. If he attempts several, he will fail to achieve distinction in any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/each-man-is-capable-of-doing-one-thing-well-if-he-attempts-several-he/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [And also I think the rise of other, you could say, destinations for international jihadis mean that Pakistan isn't necessarily the place where people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/and-also-i-think-the-rise-of-other-you-could-say-destinations-for/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [To evoke in oneself a feeling one has once experienced, and having evoked it in oneself, then by means of movements, lines, colors, sounds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/to-evoke-in-oneself-a-feeling-one-has-once-experienced-and-having/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Fighting's fun, man. It's a great activity, it's a great sport.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-mitrione/fighting-s-fun-man-it-s-a-great-activity-it-s-a-great-sport/) [Matt Mitrione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-mitrione/) > [There were books everywhere in my house. Books were very present. I just loved books. I never understood reading as anything but a pleasurable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-lucas/there-were-books-everywhere-in-my-house-books-were-very-present-i/) [Lisa Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-lucas/) > [For war to man, like childbirth to women, is simplifying in its emotions and activities. All the real problems of life can be put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/for-war-to-man-like-childbirth-to-women-is-simplifying-in-its/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [The only activity a cynic will find contagious is yawning, that is, with other people, at other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/the-only-activity-a-cynic-will-find-contagious-is-yawning-that-is/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [For the longest time, neuroscientists were forced to be passive observers of brain activity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gero-miesenbock/for-the-longest-time-neuroscientists-were-forced-to-be-passive/) [Gero Miesenbock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gero-miesenbock/) > [Enjoyment is not a goal, it is a feeling that accompanies important ongoing activity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/enjoyment-is-not-a-goal-it-is-a-feeling-that-accompanies-important/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [Once an activity has been socialized, it is impossible to point out, by concrete example, how men in a free market could better conduct…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-read/once-an-activity-has-been-socialized-it-is-impossible-to-point-out-by/) [Leonard Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-read/) > [“Fun is not an activity, it is a state of mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/fun-is-not-an-activity-it-is-a-state-of-mind/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [I have to consider everything I eat; I consider every activity I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-kimball/i-have-to-consider-everything-i-eat-i-consider-every-activity-i-do/) [Charlie Kimball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-kimball/) > [Almost all good businesses engage in 'pain today, gain tomorrow' activities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/almost-all-good-businesses-engage-in-pain-today-gain-tomorrow/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) [Browse all 3,263 Activity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/activity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was a mimic when I was a child. 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