--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The more you see somebody else's version…" description: "\"The more you see somebody else's version of something, the harder it is to make it your own.\" — Ethan Slater" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/223/ethan-slater-14945_more_the-more-you-see-somebody-else-s-version_1757189.jpg" --- # The more you see somebody else's version of something, the… ![“The more you see somebody else's version of something, the harder it is to make it your own.” quote by Ethan Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/223/ethan-slater-14945_more_the-more-you-see-somebody-else-s-version_1757189.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/223/ethan-slater-14945_more_the-more-you-see-somebody-else-s-version_1757189.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/223/ethan-slater-14945_more_the-more-you-see-somebody-else-s-version_1757189.jpg) > “The more you see somebody else's version of something, the harder it is to make it your own.” [Ethan Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-slater/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Seeing others’ ideas makes originality harder, requiring deeper personal input. **In simple terms:** Originality is challenged by existing versions. Key Takeaway Seek unique perspective. Themes creativity originality influence Mood contemplative inspired Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - writing - design - product development - teaching Key Concepts intellectual property innovation Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance influence and originality? - What steps help you claim ownership of ideas? A Different Perspective Too much focus on uniqueness can ignore useful inspiration. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [And apologies, once postponed, become harder and harder to make, and finally impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/and-apologies-once-postponed-become-harder-and-harder-to-make-and/) [Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) > [And yes, it is harder to make movies because budgets are getting smaller, and the companies stocks are down. The only good news on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-bruckheimer/and-yes-it-is-harder-to-make-movies-because-budgets-are-getting/) [Jerry Bruckheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-bruckheimer/) > [Ultimately, if you don't have an interest in what you do, it will be so much harder to make money from it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theo-paphitis/ultimately-if-you-don-t-have-an-interest-in-what-you-do-it-will-be-so/) [Theo Paphitis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theo-paphitis/) > [It's harder to make money when you're not a machine in a massive apparatus designed only to make money, but artists will figure it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-baumann/it-s-harder-to-make-money-when-you-re-not-a-machine-in-a-massive/) [Ken Baumann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-baumann/) > [It can seem harder to make the cut than to get into contention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-lowry/it-can-seem-harder-to-make-the-cut-than-to-get-into-contention/) [Shane Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-lowry/) > [Every time you make a bad choice, it becomes harder to make a good one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/every-time-you-make-a-bad-choice-it-becomes-harder-to-make-a-good-one/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [It's so much harder to make a living off improv. Improv is so rarified and for such a specific audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-braunohler/it-s-so-much-harder-to-make-a-living-off-improv-improv-is-so-rarified/) [Kurt Braunohler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-braunohler/) > [It's so much harder to make the NBA than people think it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-boeheim/it-s-so-much-harder-to-make-the-nba-than-people-think-it-is/) [Jim Boeheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-boeheim/) > [It's harder and harder to make a well-done romantic comedy these days because the conventions have been so played out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-fox/it-s-harder-and-harder-to-make-a-well-done-romantic-comedy-these-days/) [Dana Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-fox/) > [The harder it is to make a wine the easier it is to drink.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-harder-it-is-to-make-a-wine-the-easier-it-is-to-drink/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [That it's a lot harder to make a keyboard sound not-cheesy than a guitar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-casablancas/that-it-s-a-lot-harder-to-make-a-keyboard-sound-not-cheesy-than-a/) [Julian Casablancas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-casablancas/) > [It's harder to make something good when you can't curse all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/it-s-harder-to-make-something-good-when-you-can-t-curse-all-the-time/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [I always tell people that it's so much harder to make a happy song than a sad one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristian-bush/i-always-tell-people-that-it-s-so-much-harder-to-make-a-happy-song/) [Kristian Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristian-bush/) > [Work It Harder Make It Better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daft-punk/work-it-harder-make-it-better/) [Daft Punk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daft-punk/) > [It's harder to make the glass than break the glass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-harder-to-make-the-glass-than-break-the-glass/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Ethan Slater > [One of my favorite pieces of fan mail was a gift that I got. It was a jar filled with handwritten nice thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-slater/one-of-my-favorite-pieces-of-fan-mail-was-a-gift-that-i-got-it-was-a/) [Ethan Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-slater/) > [I grew up with SpongeBob - it came out in 1999, right before I turned 7. So it's been a part of my life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-slater/i-grew-up-with-spongebob-it-came-out-in-1999-right-before-i-turned-7/) [Ethan Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-slater/) > [I've gotten to meet Sara Bareilles a couple of times. I'm just a such a massive fan of hers, from her albums to 'Waitress'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-slater/i-ve-gotten-to-meet-sara-bareilles-a-couple-of-times-i-m-just-a-such/) [Ethan Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-slater/) > [Making my Broadway debut was, in and of itself, just a dream come true. I've wanted to be on Broadway forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-slater/making-my-broadway-debut-was-in-and-of-itself-just-a-dream-come-true/) [Ethan Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-slater/) > [There's a social element of me that's pretty reserved. High school was when I was starting to come out of my shell because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-slater/there-s-a-social-element-of-me-that-s-pretty-reserved-high-school-was/) [Ethan Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-slater/) > [Playing SpongeBob is freeing. There is something intrinsically about him that people identify with no matter their age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-slater/playing-spongebob-is-freeing-there-is-something-intrinsically-about/) [Ethan Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-slater/) > [I've always loved the Marx brothers and Charlie Chaplin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-slater/i-ve-always-loved-the-marx-brothers-and-charlie-chaplin/) [Ethan Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-slater/) > [I've always been somebody who sort of throws himself, you could say, obsessively into whatever thing I'm passionate about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-slater/i-ve-always-been-somebody-who-sort-of-throws-himself-you-could-say/) [Ethan Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-slater/) > [The whole cast and creative team were definitely aware of the 'This is the death of Broadway!' kind of thing about 'SpongeBob,' but we've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-slater/the-whole-cast-and-creative-team-were-definitely-aware-of-the-this-is/) [Ethan Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-slater/) > [One of the things I've found about SpongeBob's movement style is that, in addition to being animated and sort of stretching and squeezing, he's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-slater/one-of-the-things-i-ve-found-about-spongebob-s-movement-style-is-that/) [Ethan Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-slater/) > [When the show starts, I am in my SpongeBob stance, and I walk like SpongeBob, and the first step that I take, I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-slater/when-the-show-starts-i-am-in-my-spongebob-stance-and-i-walk-like/) [Ethan Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-slater/) > [My mother passed away when I was seven. She had a piano in the house that she was teaching my sisters how to play.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-slater/my-mother-passed-away-when-i-was-seven-she-had-a-piano-in-the-house/) [Ethan Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-slater/) > [Wrestling is a small, intimate sport.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-slater/wrestling-is-a-small-intimate-sport/) [Ethan Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-slater/) > [We're all sort of aware what 'SpongeBob the Musical' could be in the hands of the wrong people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-slater/we-re-all-sort-of-aware-what-spongebob-the-musical-could-be-in-the/) [Ethan Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-slater/) > [I think I'm a little less naive than SpongeBob can sometimes seem to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-slater/i-think-i-m-a-little-less-naive-than-spongebob-can-sometimes-seem-to/) [Ethan Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-slater/) [Explore all 44 Ethan Slater quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-slater/) ## More Harder quotes > [Some people give you that motivation to work harder simply to get the hell away from wherever they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dane-cook/some-people-give-you-that-motivation-to-work-harder-simply-to-get-the/) [Dane Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dane-cook/) > [It's a lot harder to play football when you haven't got the ball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-gray/it-s-a-lot-harder-to-play-football-when-you-haven-t-got-the-ball/) [Andy Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-gray/) > [Politics only makes the difficult challenge of marriage even harder, with the demands of the job and the public spotlight it casts on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mckinnon/politics-only-makes-the-difficult-challenge-of-marriage-even-harder/) [Mark McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mckinnon/) > [We've all seen talented young players who get to a certain level but there comes a point where that talent will only take you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-gatland/we-ve-all-seen-talented-young-players-who-get-to-a-certain-level-but/) [Warren Gatland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-gatland/) > [Forgive me for noting that conservatives seem to believe that the rich will work harder if we give them more, and the poor will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-j-dionne/forgive-me-for-noting-that-conservatives-seem-to-believe-that-the/) [E. J. Dionne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-j-dionne/) > [Fossil fuels, including oil, are running out and supplies are getting harder to find. If we do nothing, prices will continue to rise and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-powell/fossil-fuels-including-oil-are-running-out-and-supplies-are-getting/) [Lucy Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-powell/) > [Kids, if anything, are harder to write for because they are a more discerning audience. They will not stay with you if you go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/kids-if-anything-are-harder-to-write-for-because-they-are-a-more/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [It is easy to take a photograph, but it is harder to make a masterpiece in photography than in any other art medium.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/it-is-easy-to-take-a-photograph-but-it-is-harder-to-make-a/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [Harder to get in than out, like so little else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/harder-to-get-in-than-out-like-so-little-else/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [A hardback's harder at Christmas time because that's a good hardback buying time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/a-hardback-s-harder-at-christmas-time-because-that-s-a-good-hardback/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Indifference is harder to fight than hostility, and there is nothing that kills an agitation like having everybody admit that it is fundamentally right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crystal-eastman/indifference-is-harder-to-fight-than-hostility-and-there-is-nothing/) [Crystal Eastman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crystal-eastman/) > [There's nothing harder than making a mellow, clean record. It's really scary. I can see why people would never want to do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ty-segall/there-s-nothing-harder-than-making-a-mellow-clean-record-it-s-really/) [Ty Segall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ty-segall/) > [I met Tyler Perry and we did 'House of Payne' and a movie. We've done a couple other films since then, but it all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-gross/i-met-tyler-perry-and-we-did-house-of-payne-and-a-movie-we-ve-done-a/) [Lance Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-gross/) > [God puts you where God needs you. You are where you are supposed to be. The job you are doing may not be any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kushner/god-puts-you-where-god-needs-you-you-are-where-you-are-supposed-to-be/) [Lawrence Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kushner/) > [What is needed, however, isn't just that people working together be nice to each other. It is discipline. Discipline is hard--harder than trustworthiness and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/what-is-needed-however-isn-t-just-that-people-working-together-be/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) Browse all 3,695 Harder quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The more you see somebody else's version of something, the harder it is to make it your own.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ethan Slater" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-slater/the-more-you-see-somebody-else-s-version-of-something-the-harder-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Harder" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-slater/the-more-you-see-somebody-else-s-version-of-something-the-harder-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/223/ethan-slater-14945_more_the-more-you-see-somebody-else-s-version_1757189.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/223/ethan-slater-14945_more_the-more-you-see-somebody-else-s-version_1757189.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/223/ethan-slater-14945_more_the-more-you-see-somebody-else-s-version_1757189.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The more you see somebody else's version of something, the harder it is to make it your own.” — Ethan Slater", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ethan Slater", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-slater/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The more you see somebody else's...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-slater/the-more-you-see-somebody-else-s-version-of-something-the-harder-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-slater/the-more-you-see-somebody-else-s-version-of-something-the-harder-it/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```