--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You have to know writing styles well…" description: "\"You have to know writing styles well before you can copy them - and then incorporate parts of them into your own style.\" — Josh Lieb" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf2/josh-lieb-19178_copies_you-have-to-know-writing-styles-well-bef_1298184.jpg" --- # You have to know writing styles well before you can copy… ![“You have to know writing styles well before you can copy them - and then incorporate parts of them into your own style.” quote by Josh Lieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf2/josh-lieb-19178_copies_you-have-to-know-writing-styles-well-bef_1298184.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf2/josh-lieb-19178_copies_you-have-to-know-writing-styles-well-bef_1298184.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf2/josh-lieb-19178_copies_you-have-to-know-writing-styles-well-bef_1298184.jpg) > “You have to know writing styles well before you can copy them - and then incorporate parts of them into your own style.” [Josh Lieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lieb/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Mastery of existing styles is required before blending them into a unique voice. **In simple terms:** Learn styles first, then create your own. Key Takeaway Study, then innovate. Themes creativity learning writing Mood reflective inquisitive Type instructional inspirational When to use this quote - writing workshops - editing drafts - genre experiments - author studies Key Concepts style analysis originality Questions to Reflect On - Which style influences you most? - How will you make it yours? A Different Perspective Copying without understanding leads to plagiarism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Style](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/style/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing style](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-style/) ## Related quotes > [Changing writing styles is like an actor taking on a different part.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/changing-writing-styles-is-like-an-actor-taking-on-a-different-part/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think I am the most impressed with writing styles that defy category, like Kharms or Selby, Breton or Jarry, where you become as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-think-i-am-the-most-impressed-with-writing-styles-that-defy/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [“Writing is an effort at truth telling, but each person’s version of truth and his or her means of conveying it are unique. Writers’…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/writing-is-an-effort-at-truth-telling-but-each-person-s-version-of/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [“One of the things I love about labeling myself as an author is that I can read books and call it "researching writing styles."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mankoff/one-of-the-things-i-love-about-labeling-myself-as-an-author-is-that-i/) Mike Mankoff > [“For all I know, writing comes out of a superior devotion to reading.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/for-all-i-know-writing-comes-out-of-a-superior-devotion-to-reading/) [Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/) > [I entered the literary world, really, from outside. My entire background has been in sciences; I was a biology major in college, then went…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/i-entered-the-literary-world-really-from-outside-my-entire-background/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [If you want to study writing, read Dickens. That's how to study writing, or Faulkner, or D.H. Lawrence, or John Keats. They can teach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-foote/if-you-want-to-study-writing-read-dickens-that-s-how-to-study-writing/) [Shelby Foote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-foote/) > [Know what makes a sentence more than a random list, practice constructing sentences and explaining what you have done, and you will know how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-fish/know-what-makes-a-sentence-more-than-a-random-list-practice/) [Stanley Fish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-fish/) > [My first interest in graffitti came when I was in grammar school, around '87 or '88 I was about twelve years old. I did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaws/my-first-interest-in-graffitti-came-when-i-was-in-grammar-school/) [KAWS](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaws/) > [You already know when I'm writing, so don't be surprised if it's short and dry, because I'm too hungry to write anything fat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-chopin/you-already-know-when-i-m-writing-so-don-t-be-surprised-if-it-s-short/) [Frederic Chopin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-chopin/) > [I think it's dangerous to think you know what you're writing. I usually don't know, and usually I just discover it in the course…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mcinerney/i-think-it-s-dangerous-to-think-you-know-what-you-re-writing-i/) [Jay McInerney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mcinerney/) > [What keeps me writing is that I can only know through writing. My major sense organ is apparently a pencil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-ryan/what-keeps-me-writing-is-that-i-can-only-know-through-writing-my/) [Kay Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-ryan/) > [One of the few things I know about writing is this: spend it all, shoot it, play it, lose it, all, right away, every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/one-of-the-few-things-i-know-about-writing-is-this-spend-it-all-shoot/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [I don't know about writing. It's quite lonely. You have to have a lot of patience with yourself. I don't know if I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-wilson/i-don-t-know-about-writing-it-s-quite-lonely-you-have-to-have-a-lot/) [Ruth Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-wilson/) > [If I don't know who I'm writing for, I make it up and pick somebody I'm writing for. That's really the only way to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-mazin/if-i-don-t-know-who-i-m-writing-for-i-make-it-up-and-pick-somebody-i/) [Craig Mazin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-mazin/) ## More by Josh Lieb > [I keep my TV writing and my book writing almost wholly separate. The audiences feel so different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lieb/i-keep-my-tv-writing-and-my-book-writing-almost-wholly-separate-the/) [Josh Lieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lieb/) > [The more you write, the faster you'll write, and the less you'll mind throwing stuff out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lieb/the-more-you-write-the-faster-you-ll-write-and-the-less-you-ll-mind/) [Josh Lieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lieb/) > [“Boys are idiots. Girls are idiots, too, of course, but boys are a special kind of idiot. A girl, for instance, will vote for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lieb/boys-are-idiots-girls-are-idiots-too-of-course-but-boys-are-a-special/) [Josh Lieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lieb/) > [It doesn't pay to be good at something unless you are the absolute best at it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lieb/it-doesn-t-pay-to-be-good-at-something-unless-you-are-the-absolute/) [Josh Lieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lieb/) > [Fahrenheit 451 is one of those books that is about how amazing books are and how amazing the people who write books are. Writers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lieb/fahrenheit-451-is-one-of-those-books-that-is-about-how-amazing-books/) [Josh Lieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lieb/) > [Gratitude can sometimes be as annoying as whininess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lieb/gratitude-can-sometimes-be-as-annoying-as-whininess/) [Josh Lieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lieb/) > [“What is evil?' you ask. To which I reply, 'Who are you, Friedrich Nietzsche?' To which you respond, 'Duh, wha? Me no understand.' Then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lieb/what-is-evil-you-ask-to-which-i-reply-who-are-you-friedrich-nietzsche/) [Josh Lieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lieb/) > [“Sunrises and sunsets are real jerks about putting things in perspective.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lieb/sunrises-and-sunsets-are-real-jerks-about-putting-things-in/) [Josh Lieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lieb/) > [“Moorehead is one of those sad people who go into teaching so they can be worshipped by the only people sadder than they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lieb/moorehead-is-one-of-those-sad-people-who-go-into-teaching-so-they-can/) [Josh Lieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lieb/) > [“According to the fortune-cookie logic most people live by, the best things in life are free. That's crap. I have a gold-plated robot that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lieb/according-to-the-fortune-cookie-logic-most-people-live-by-the-best/) [Josh Lieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lieb/) > [I read an awful lot in college - a lot of Dickens, a lot of 19th century American stuff, a lot of old mysteries.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lieb/i-read-an-awful-lot-in-college-a-lot-of-dickens-a-lot-of-19th-century/) [Josh Lieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lieb/) > [Important days don't look like anything special when they start. Invariably, the sun rises and people wake up. Coffee is swilled and eggs are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lieb/important-days-don-t-look-like-anything-special-when-they-start/) [Josh Lieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lieb/) > [If you want to do this - either write for TV, or write books - the first thing you have to do is write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lieb/if-you-want-to-do-this-either-write-for-tv-or-write-books-the-first/) [Josh Lieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lieb/) > [I have to start writing down things that happen, or I'll forget my life entirely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lieb/i-have-to-start-writing-down-things-that-happen-or-i-ll-forget-my/) [Josh Lieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lieb/) > [“and sunsets are real jerks about putting things in perspective.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lieb/and-sunsets-are-real-jerks-about-putting-things-in-perspective/) [Josh Lieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lieb/) [Explore all 33 Josh Lieb quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lieb/) ## More Copies quotes > [every being is unique.god neva creates carbon copies,he alys creates originals.he is truly a creator.he neva repeats.but man goes on living in imitation.we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-being-is-unique-god-neva-creates-carbon-copies-he-alys-creates/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My songs are like cheap Neil Young copies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-bachman/my-songs-are-like-cheap-neil-young-copies/) [Randy Bachman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-bachman/) > [In that part of the book of my memory before the which is little that can be read, there is a rubric, saying, Incipit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-alighieri/in-that-part-of-the-book-of-my-memory-before-the-which-is-little-that/) [Dante Alighieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-alighieri/) > [I remember being a kid and seeing the 'National Inquirer' at the grocery store checkout line. When somebody actually picked up a copy, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rashida-jones/i-remember-being-a-kid-and-seeing-the-national-inquirer-at-the/) [Rashida Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rashida-jones/) > [The idea is not to copy nature, but to give a feeling of nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piet-oudolf/the-idea-is-not-to-copy-nature-but-to-give-a-feeling-of-nature/) Piet Oudolf > [“When copies are free, you need to sell things that cannot be copied. Well, what can’t be copied? Trust, for instance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kelly/when-copies-are-free-you-need-to-sell-things-that-cannot-be-copied/) [Kevin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kelly/) > [Mr Witwould: "Pray, madam, do you pin up your hair with all your letters? I find I must keep copies." Mrs Millamant: "Only with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-congreve/mr-witwould-pray-madam-do-you-pin-up-your-hair-with-all-your-letters/) [William Congreve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-congreve/) > [There have to be at least two copies of a photograph, otherwise it’s not a photograph.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ruff/there-have-to-be-at-least-two-copies-of-a-photograph-otherwise-it-s/) [Thomas Ruff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ruff/) > [In market research I did at Microsoft Corp. in the early 1990s, I estimated that the 'Wall Street Journal' took in about 75 cents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/in-market-research-i-did-at-microsoft-corp-in-the-early-1990s-i/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) > [Guys like Todd Bridges never overcame being a child star. You can't have any big failures. I've always felt regular. I played organized ball…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bow-wow/guys-like-todd-bridges-never-overcame-being-a-child-star-you-can-t/) [Bow Wow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bow-wow/) > [It was only after I had been out of the art school that I actually copied a small Seurat, and I copied it in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bridget-riley/it-was-only-after-i-had-been-out-of-the-art-school-that-i-actually/) [Bridget Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bridget-riley/) > [We call ourselves creators and we just copy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauryn-hill/we-call-ourselves-creators-and-we-just-copy/) [Lauryn Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauryn-hill/) > [People have one of two extreme reactions to my book. They either throw it across the room, or they rush out and buy 10…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-hay/people-have-one-of-two-extreme-reactions-to-my-book-they-either-throw/) [Louise Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-hay/) > [A presentation copy...is a copy of a book whoch does not sell, sent you by the author, with his foolish autograph at the beginning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/a-presentation-copy-is-a-copy-of-a-book-whoch-does-not-sell-sent-you/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [We are all born originals, why is it so many of us die copies?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/we-are-all-born-originals-why-is-it-so-many-of-us-die-copies/) [Edward Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/) Browse all 971 Copies quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You have to know writing styles well before you can copy them - and then incorporate parts of them into your own style.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Josh Lieb" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lieb/you-have-to-know-writing-styles-well-before-you-can-copy-them-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Copies" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lieb/you-have-to-know-writing-styles-well-before-you-can-copy-them-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf2/josh-lieb-19178_copies_you-have-to-know-writing-styles-well-bef_1298184.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf2/josh-lieb-19178_copies_you-have-to-know-writing-styles-well-bef_1298184.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf2/josh-lieb-19178_copies_you-have-to-know-writing-styles-well-bef_1298184.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You have to know writing styles well before you can copy them - and then incorporate parts of them into your…” — Josh Lieb", "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": "Josh Lieb", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lieb/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You have to know writing styles...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lieb/you-have-to-know-writing-styles-well-before-you-can-copy-them-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lieb/you-have-to-know-writing-styles-well-before-you-can-copy-them-and/#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 } } ] } ```