--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Imitation and custom are the spring of…" description: "\"“Imitation and custom are the spring of almost all human action. The cause of it is that men fight shy of all and any sort of reflection, and very prop..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/389/arthur-schopenhauer-226_nature-of-man_imitation-and-custom-are-the-spring-of-a_1552997.jpg" --- # Imitation and custom are the spring of almost all human… ![“Imitation and custom are the spring of almost all human action. The cause of it is that men fight shy of all and any sort of reflection, and very properly mistrust their own discernment. At the same time this remarkably strong imitative instinct in man is a proof of his kinship with apes.” quote by Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/389/arthur-schopenhauer-226_nature-of-man_imitation-and-custom-are-the-spring-of-a_1552997.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/389/arthur-schopenhauer-226_nature-of-man_imitation-and-custom-are-the-spring-of-a_1552997.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/389/arthur-schopenhauer-226_nature-of-man_imitation-and-custom-are-the-spring-of-a_1552997.jpg) > ““Imitation and custom are the spring of almost all human action. The cause of it is that men fight shy of all and any sort of reflection, and very properly mistrust their own discernment. At the same time this remarkably strong imitative instinct in man is a proof of his kinship with apes.”” [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People often copy others and follow habits because they avoid deep reflection and distrust their own judgment, revealing a primal imitation instinct linking humans to apes. **In simple terms:** Humans copy and follow habits to avoid thinking, showing a basic imitation instinct. Key Takeaway Question your habits and think independently. Themes conformity reflection human nature Mood reflective critical thoughtful Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - personal decision making - social media behavior - team dynamics - creative work Key Concepts philosophy psychology evolutionary biology Questions to Reflect On - What habits do you follow without questioning? - How does imitation affect your creativity? A Different Perspective Copying can limit innovation and personal growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) ## Related quotes > [“Imitation and custom are the spring of almost all human action. The cause of it is that men fight shy of all and any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/imitation-and-custom-are-the-spring-of-almost-all-human-action-the/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [People are imitative and imitation is bound to be unintelligent. They want to do exactly the things which others are doing. That destroys their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/people-are-imitative-and-imitation-is-bound-to-be-unintelligent-they/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The truth is that, just as in the other imitative arts one imitation is always of one thing, so in poetry the story, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-truth-is-that-just-as-in-the-other-imitative-arts-one-imitation/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [“..if I dont do something on the grand scale, it is that my genius is altogether imitative, and that I have nor recently encountered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/if-i-dont-do-something-on-the-grand-scale-it-is-that-my-genius-is/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [Flesh is burning you can smell it in the air. 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Broadly speaking, it is whatever by imitative action rouses interest or gives pleasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-what-is-drama-broadly-speaking-it-is-whatever-by-imitative-action/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I remember when first, Stripes, and then Animal House came out - which I was really proud of, even though it was kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-reitman/i-remember-when-first-stripes-and-then-animal-house-came-out-which-i/) [Ivan Reitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-reitman/) ## More by Arthur Schopenhauer > [Virtue is as little to be acquired by learning as genius; nay, the idea is barren, and is only to be employed as an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/virtue-is-as-little-to-be-acquired-by-learning-as-genius-nay-the-idea/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [“In accordance with such zeal, by reducing the external world to a matter of faith, he wanted merely to open a little door for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/in-accordance-with-such-zeal-by-reducing-the-external-world-to-a/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [That human life must be some kind of mistake is sufficiently proved by the simple observation that man is a compound of needs which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/that-human-life-must-be-some-kind-of-mistake-is-sufficiently-proved/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [“Imitation and custom are the spring of almost all human action. 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if you gave me a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-moore/obviously-i-don-t-play-the-same-way-as-peter-but-i-could-do-a/) [Gary Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-moore/) > [“Imitation and custom are the spring of almost all human action. The cause of it is that men fight shy of all and any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/imitation-and-custom-are-the-spring-of-almost-all-human-action-the/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [The method of not erring is sought by all the world. The logicians profess to guide it, the geometricians alone attain it, and apart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/the-method-of-not-erring-is-sought-by-all-the-world-the-logicians/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [We have lost the good old British spirit. Instead we have American journalism and black-shirted buffoons making a cheap imitation of ice-cream sellers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-mosley/we-have-lost-the-good-old-british-spirit-instead-we-have-american/) [Oswald Mosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-mosley/) > [It is not the imitation that makes sons; it is sonship that makes imitators.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/it-is-not-the-imitation-that-makes-sons-it-is-sonship-that-makes/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [“most expensive originals have cheap imitations.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elfriede-jelinek/most-expensive-originals-have-cheap-imitations/) [Elfriede Jelinek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elfriede-jelinek/) > [I said breathe. Not do a fish-out of-water imitation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/i-said-breathe-not-do-a-fish-out-of-water-imitation/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [“Don't envy what people have, emulate what they did to have it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-fargo/don-t-envy-what-people-have-emulate-what-they-did-to-have-it/) [Tim Fargo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-fargo/) > [Acquiring knowledge is a form of imitation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/acquiring-knowledge-is-a-form-of-imitation/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A tragedy is the imitation of an action that is serious and also, as having magnitude, complete in itself . . . with incidents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/a-tragedy-is-the-imitation-of-an-action-that-is-serious-and-also-as/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [It is not imitation that makes sons. It is sonship that make imitators.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/it-is-not-imitation-that-makes-sons-it-is-sonship-that-make-imitators/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [I propose not our enemies as an example for our general imitation, yet, as their navy is the best regulated of any in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-paul-jones/i-propose-not-our-enemies-as-an-example-for-our-general-imitation-yet/) [John Paul Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-paul-jones/) Browse all 737 Imitation quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Imitation and custom are the spring of almost all human action. The cause of it is that men fight shy of all and any sort of reflection, and very properly mistrust their own discernment. 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