--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Our failure to copy our heroes is where…" description: "\"“Our failure to copy our heroes is where we discover where our own thing lives. That is how we evolve.”\" — Austin Kleon" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e80/austin-kleon-1835_failure_our-failure-to-copy-our-heroes-is-where_473711.png" --- # Our failure to copy our heroes is where we discover where… ![“Our failure to copy our heroes is where we discover where our own thing lives. That is how we evolve.” quote by Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e80/austin-kleon-1835_failure_our-failure-to-copy-our-heroes-is-where_473711.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e80/austin-kleon-1835_failure_our-failure-to-copy-our-heroes-is-where_473711.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e80/austin-kleon-1835_failure_our-failure-to-copy-our-heroes-is-where_473711.png) > ““Our failure to copy our heroes is where we discover where our own thing lives. That is how we evolve.”” [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Copying heroes reveals gaps in our own abilities, prompting personal evolution and originality. **In simple terms:** Imitating others shows where we need to develop our own style. Key Takeaway Identify gaps and create your unique voice. Themes creativity self‑discovery evolution Mood inspirational reflective Type philosophical creative When to use this quote - artistic practice - writing exercises - skill development Key Concepts imitation originality personal growth Questions to Reflect On - What unique element can you add to what you admire? - How does failure guide your creative path? A Different Perspective Copying can lead to plagiarism if not reflective. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Copy Heroes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/copy-heroes-2563852/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Failure Copy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure-copy-4089308/) [Hero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hero/) [Heroes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heroes/) [Heroes Discover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heroes-discover-1104831/) [Lives Evolve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lives-evolve-1706366/) ## Related quotes > [“A wonderful flaw about human beings is that we’re incapable of making perfect copies. Our failure to copy our heroes is where we discover…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/a-wonderful-flaw-about-human-beings-is-that-we-re-incapable-of-making/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“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/) > [I think our first heroes with whom we discover flaws are our parents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taika-waititi/i-think-our-first-heroes-with-whom-we-discover-flaws-are-our-parents/) [Taika Waititi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taika-waititi/) > [What we become as our lives evolve depends on the quality of our experiences here and now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/what-we-become-as-our-lives-evolve-depends-on-the-quality-of-our/) [Ken Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-robinson/) > [“Nobody is born with a style or a voice. We don't come out of the womb knowing who we are. In the beginning, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/nobody-is-born-with-a-style-or-a-voice-we-don-t-come-out-of-the-womb/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [Heroes became heroes flaws and all gives us hope. "You mean I don't have to be perfect to fulfill my Dream, to make a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-mcwilliams/heroes-became-heroes-flaws-and-all-gives-us-hope-you-mean-i-don-t/) [Peter McWilliams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-mcwilliams/) > [In terms of people who we call heroes - and I don't tend to like that term, and firefighters don't consider themselves heroes -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-spencer/in-terms-of-people-who-we-call-heroes-and-i-don-t-tend-to-like-that/) [Jesse Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-spencer/) > [Actually my biggest heroes were the R&B singers like Jackie Wilson and Bobby Bland and people like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-j-thomas/actually-my-biggest-heroes-were-the-r-b-singers-like-jackie-wilson/) [B. J. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-j-thomas/) > [“Hero love?” I was puzzled. “You know. The kind of love you have for someone you want to be like: Marines, astronauts, cowboys, teachers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leland-dirks/hero-love-i-was-puzzled-you-know-the-kind-of-love-you-have-for/) [Leland Dirks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leland-dirks/) > [My hero is Jesus, he is the one who gives me hope in this dark world we are living in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cooper/my-hero-is-jesus-he-is-the-one-who-gives-me-hope-in-this-dark-world/) [John Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cooper/) > [I have a private theory, Sir, that there are no heroes and no monsters in this world. Only children should be allowed to use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-de-vigny/i-have-a-private-theory-sir-that-there-are-no-heroes-and-no-monsters/) [Alfred de Vigny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-de-vigny/) > [I believe in a world where there are no heroes, and I've read and know humanity a lot. There are moments that I admire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/i-believe-in-a-world-where-there-are-no-heroes-and-i-ve-read-and-know/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > ['Sex and The City' was made to correct the myth that if you were single at a certain age, you were a leper. Its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-patrick-king/sex-and-the-city-was-made-to-correct-the-myth-that-if-you-were-single/) [Michael Patrick King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-patrick-king/) > [“Forgotten hero was never the real hero, real hero can not be forgotten.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/forgotten-hero-was-never-the-real-hero-real-hero-can-not-be-forgotten/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [Teachers are heroes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-best/teachers-are-heroes/) [Charles Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-best/) ## More by Austin Kleon > [“The thing is, you can cut off a couple passions and only focus on one, but after a while, you’ll start to feel phantom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/the-thing-is-you-can-cut-off-a-couple-passions-and-only-focus-on-one/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [Don't think of your website as a self-promotion machine, think of it as a self-invention machine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/don-t-think-of-your-website-as-a-self-promotion-machine-think-of-it/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“We want you to take from us. We want you, at first, to steal from us, because you can’t steal. You will take what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/we-want-you-to-take-from-us-we-want-you-at-first-to-steal-from-us/) [austin kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“Validation is for parking.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/validation-is-for-parking/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“If you want fans, you have to be a fan first. If you want to be accepted by a community, you have to first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/if-you-want-fans-you-have-to-be-a-fan-first-if-you-want-to-be/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“Social media sites are the perfect place to share daily updates. 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(It’s the only way to get work done.)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/be-boring-it-s-the-only-way-to-get-work-done/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [It sounds a little extreme, but in this day and age, if your work isn't online, it doesn't exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/it-sounds-a-little-extreme-but-in-this-day-and-age-if-your-work-isn-t/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“Don't wait until you know who you are to get started. If I'd waited to know who I was or what I was about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/don-t-wait-until-you-know-who-you-are-to-get-started-if-i-d-waited-to/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [Your brain gets too comfortable in your everyday surroundings. You need to make it uncomfortable. You need to spend some time in another land,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/your-brain-gets-too-comfortable-in-your-everyday-surroundings-you/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [Nothing is more paralyzing than the idea of limitless possibilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/nothing-is-more-paralyzing-than-the-idea-of-limitless-possibilities/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“Whenever Picasso learned how to do something, he abandoned it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/whenever-picasso-learned-how-to-do-something-he-abandoned-it/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“The writer Jonathan Lethem has said that when people call something “original,” nine out of ten times they just don’t know the references or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/the-writer-jonathan-lethem-has-said-that-when-people-call-something/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“Stock and flow” is an economic concept that writer Robin Sloan has adapted into a metaphor for media: “Flow is the feed. It’s the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/stock-and-flow-is-an-economic-concept-that-writer-robin-sloan-has/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) [Explore all 204 Austin Kleon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) ## More Failure quotes > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [Failures happen. You can't cry over them. You just take it in your stride because you know that you have done your best... Sometimes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-dutta/failures-happen-you-can-t-cry-over-them-you-just-take-it-in-your/) [Divya Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-dutta/) > [No one is completely unhappy at the failure of his best friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/groucho-marx/no-one-is-completely-unhappy-at-the-failure-of-his-best-friend/) [Groucho Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/groucho-marx/) > [“Rhiannon's Law #28: If you're going to fuck up, be sure to fuck up good and proper. Nothing makes failure acceptable, so you might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/rhiannon-s-law-28-if-you-re-going-to-fuck-up-be-sure-to-fuck-up-good/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Failure is a part of life and you have to learn to deal with it. Failure is something that is part of life's cycle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/failure-is-a-part-of-life-and-you-have-to-learn-to-deal-with-it/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [First action was a mistake. What about the second? third? fourth and fifth?...Mehn you are bad...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/first-action-was-a-mistake-what-about-the-second-third-fourth-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [God's love never fail :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-s-love-never-fail/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don’t you just hate nights like that, when you think over every mistake you’ve made, every hurt you’ve received, every bit of meanness you’ve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlaine-harris/don-t-you-just-hate-nights-like-that-when-you-think-over-every/) [Charlaine Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlaine-harris/) > [“Our failure to understand another being's inner reality doesn't make that reality any less real, or any less valuable to that being. (p.255)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-schulz/our-failure-to-understand-another-being-s-inner-reality-doesn-t-make/) [Kathryn Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-schulz/) > [I hope that the Palestinians don't make the mistake of unleashing a new intifada. They've tried it twice before, and the consequences were bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-segev/i-hope-that-the-palestinians-don-t-make-the-mistake-of-unleashing-a/) [Tom Segev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-segev/) > [Don't take too much comfort in the fact that you're successful today because tomorrow could bring failure. 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