--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Imitation both unconscious and conscious…" description: "\"Imitation both unconscious and conscious is par excellence the educational method of the family. It is plain that a considerable part of the adaptation..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/617/elsie-clews-parsons-71248_adaptation_imitation-both-unconscious-and-conscious_2395485.png" --- # Imitation both unconscious and conscious is par excellence… ![“Imitation both unconscious and conscious is par excellence the educational method of the family. It is plain that a considerable part of the adaptation of living beings to their environment, i.e., of beings that are born plastic, is passed on from generation to generation through imitation. Were…” quote by Elsie Clews Parsons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/617/elsie-clews-parsons-71248_adaptation_imitation-both-unconscious-and-conscious_2395485.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/617/elsie-clews-parsons-71248_adaptation_imitation-both-unconscious-and-conscious_2395485.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/617/elsie-clews-parsons-71248_adaptation_imitation-both-unconscious-and-conscious_2395485.png) > “Imitation both unconscious and conscious is par excellence the educational method of the family. It is plain that a considerable part of the adaptation of living beings to their environment, i.e., of beings that are born plastic, is passed on from generation to generation through imitation. Were this not so, much if not all of the road traversed by one generation would have to be travelled by the next generation from the very beginning and without short-cuts. Consequently there would be little chance for the novel adaptation, the propitious individual variation, that constitutes progress.” [Elsie Clews Parsons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elsie-clews-parsons/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Imitation transmits cultural and adaptive knowledge across generations, enabling progress without reinventing basics. **In simple terms:** Learning by copying passes on adaptations. Key Takeaway Leverage imitation for efficient learning. Themes culture learning adaptation progress Mood reflective analytical Type educational philosophical When to use this quote - education - skill acquisition - parenting - organizational training Key Concepts social learning theory intergenerational transmission behavioral copying Questions to Reflect On - When does imitation hinder innovation? - How can we balance copying with creativity? A Different Perspective May limit originality if over‑relied upon. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adaptation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adaptation/) [Adaptation Propitious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adaptation-propitious-5981991/) [Birth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birth/) [Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/born/) [Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) [Conscious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscious/) [Cutting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cutting/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Educational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/educational/) [Educational Method](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/educational-method-2314374/) [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Excellence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excellence/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Generation Imitation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generation-imitation-5981990/) [Generations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generations/) [Growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growth/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Imitation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imitation/) [Imitation Unconscious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imitation-unconscious-4880041/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Method](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/method/) [Next](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/next/) [Next generation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/next-generation/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Plastic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plastic/) [Progress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/progress/) [Short cuts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/short-cuts/) [Unconscious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unconscious/) [Variation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/variation/) [Would be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would-be/) ## Related quotes > [Imitation is for the most part so unconscious that its effects are almost unheeded, but its influence is not the less permanent on that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/imitation-is-for-the-most-part-so-unconscious-that-its-effects-are/) [Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/) > [An educational method that shall have liberty as its basis must intervene to help the child to a conquest of liberty. 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And this makes most leaders today realize that populist illusions can't be sustained before they collapse into stagnation and leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-henrique-cardoso/globalization-is-a-reality-and-this-makes-most-leaders-today-realize/) [Fernando Henrique Cardoso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-henrique-cardoso/) > [There are no short cuts. If you want to do something special, there's a serious price to pay. There's no way around it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-thibodeau/there-are-no-short-cuts-if-you-want-to-do-something-special-there-s-a/) [Tom Thibodeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-thibodeau/) > [Good people are found not changed. Recently I read a headline that said, 'We don't teach people to be nice. 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In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-helgeland/working-on-an-adaptation-is-not-as-satisfying-because-it-s-not-your/) [Brian Helgeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-helgeland/) [Browse all 476 Adaptation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adaptation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Imitation both unconscious and conscious is par excellence the educational method of the family. It is plain that a considerable part of the adaptation of living beings to their environment, i.e., of beings that are born plastic, is passed on from generation to generation through imitation. Were this not so, much if not all of the road traversed by one generation would have to be travelled by the next generation from the very beginning and without short-cuts. 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