--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That is why the analogy of stealing does…" description: "\"That is why the analogy of stealing does not work. With a thief, we want to know how much money he or she stole, and from whom? With the artist it is n..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c34/lukas-foss-18490_analogies_that-is-why-the-analogy-of-stealing-does_93553.jpg" --- # That is why the analogy of stealing does not work. With a… ![“That is why the analogy of stealing does not work. With a thief, we want to know how much money he or she stole, and from whom? With the artist it is not how much he or she took from whom, but what the artist did with it.” quote by Lukas Foss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c34/lukas-foss-18490_analogies_that-is-why-the-analogy-of-stealing-does_93553.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c34/lukas-foss-18490_analogies_that-is-why-the-analogy-of-stealing-does_93553.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c34/lukas-foss-18490_analogies_that-is-why-the-analogy-of-stealing-does_93553.jpg) > “That is why the analogy of stealing does not work. With a thief, we want to know how much money he or she stole, and from whom? With the artist it is not how much he or she took from whom, but what the artist did with it.” [Lukas Foss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lukas-foss/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The comparison to theft fails because artistic creation is measured by transformation, not by the amount taken. **In simple terms:** Art transforms borrowed material. Key Takeaway Value lies in reimagining, not stealing. Themes creativity originality transformation ownership ethics Mood thoughtful analytical Type aphor observation When to use this quote - critic evaluating a work - artist discussing influence - debate on plagiarism Key Concepts artistic process cultural remix intellectual property Practical Applications - art education - creative workshops Questions to Reflect On - How does context change the moral weight of borrowing? - When does inspiration become exploitation? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Analogies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/analogies/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Thieves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thieves/) ## Related quotes > [That is why the analogy of stealing does not work. With a thief, we want to know how much money he stole, and from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lukas-foss/that-is-why-the-analogy-of-stealing-does-not-work-with-a-thief-we-2/) [Lukas Foss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lukas-foss/) > [I've always gone to see all kinds of shows and stole what I could, as we all do. We see an artist and hear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brenda-lee/i-ve-always-gone-to-see-all-kinds-of-shows-and-stole-what-i-could-as/) [Brenda Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brenda-lee/) > [The real achievement in discoveries... is seeing an analogy where no one saw one before... The essence of discovery is that unlikely marriage of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-real-achievement-in-discoveries-is-seeing-an-analogy-where-no-one/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [There is then no analogy whatever between the operations of the Chess-Player, and those of the calculating machine of Mr. Babbage , and if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/there-is-then-no-analogy-whatever-between-the-operations-of-the-chess/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [In my photographic work I'm generally attracted to places that contain memories, history, atmospheres and stories. I'm interested in the places where people have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kenna/in-my-photographic-work-i-m-generally-attracted-to-places-that/) [Michael Kenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kenna/) > [Apt analogies are among the most formidable weapons of the rhetorician.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/apt-analogies-are-among-the-most-formidable-weapons-of-the-rhetorician/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [Imagination runs out. But it makes sense, right? We probably just imagine things based on what we already know, and we run out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/imagination-runs-out-but-it-makes-sense-right-we-probably-just/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [E-books are impervious to analogy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/e-books-are-impervious-to-analogy/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [His lessons were chock-full of analogies for a variety of musical situations. Those little things were my favorites. 'No . . . that's too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manny-laureano/his-lessons-were-chock-full-of-analogies-for-a-variety-of-musical/) Manny Laureano > [The nude does not simply represent the body, but relates it, by analogy, to all structures that have become part of our imaginative experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-clark/the-nude-does-not-simply-represent-the-body-but-relates-it-by-analogy/) [Kenneth Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-clark/) > [For some people, getting pregnant is as easy as catching cold." And there certainly was an analogy there: Colds and babies were both caused…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/for-some-people-getting-pregnant-is-as-easy-as-catching-cold-and/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Calvin: Today for show and tell, I've brought a tiny miracle of nature: a single snowflake! I think we might all learn a lesson…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/calvin-today-for-show-and-tell-i-ve-brought-a-tiny-miracle-of-nature/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) > [Historical analogy is the last refuge of people who can't grasp the current situation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/historical-analogy-is-the-last-refuge-of-people-who-can-t-grasp-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ Kanye \[West\] just says the funniest analogies that are so random. I should start keeping a book - in 20 years, I'll have a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-kardashian/kanye-west-just-says-the-funniest-analogies-that-are-so-random-i/) [Kim Kardashian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-kardashian/) > [I always use the analogy that when you go to a jeans store and put on a new pair of jeans, it's a pair…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bana/i-always-use-the-analogy-that-when-you-go-to-a-jeans-store-and-put-on/) [Eric Bana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bana/) ## More by Lukas Foss > [It is the element I miss in electronic music - no performance, no loving immersion. Maybe that is why I was never particularly drawn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lukas-foss/it-is-the-element-i-miss-in-electronic-music-no-performance-no-loving/) [Lukas Foss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lukas-foss/) > [Since age seven, I've been composing and have never stopped composing, yet, the creative process is as elusive to me as it has ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lukas-foss/since-age-seven-i-ve-been-composing-and-have-never-stopped-composing/) [Lukas Foss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lukas-foss/) > [In the nineteenth century the more grandiose word inspiration began to replace the word idea in the arts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lukas-foss/in-the-nineteenth-century-the-more-grandiose-word-inspiration-began/) [Lukas Foss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lukas-foss/) > [If one uses music that one does not really love, then one will not succeed in making it one's own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lukas-foss/if-one-uses-music-that-one-does-not-really-love-then-one-will-not/) [Lukas Foss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lukas-foss/) > [I still do not know where the notes will come from when I accept a commission for a new work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lukas-foss/i-still-do-not-know-where-the-notes-will-come-from-when-i-accept-a/) [Lukas Foss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lukas-foss/) > [Yes, influences are enriching, and they can be found in every work of art, even the most original.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lukas-foss/yes-influences-are-enriching-and-they-can-be-found-in-every-work-of/) [Lukas Foss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lukas-foss/) > [Boulez's only concern is with power. He lost the leadership of the avant-guard more than ten years ago to Stockhausen. Now others have moved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lukas-foss/boulez-s-only-concern-is-with-power-he-lost-the-leadership-of-the/) [Lukas Foss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lukas-foss/) > [My students frequently ask what their next project should be. My advice: immerse yourself in the music you love and you will find what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lukas-foss/my-students-frequently-ask-what-their-next-project-should-be-my/) [Lukas Foss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lukas-foss/) > [As I sit down and start to work, I often panic. I stare at the empty piece of music paper. How can I say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lukas-foss/as-i-sit-down-and-start-to-work-i-often-panic-i-stare-at-the-empty/) [Lukas Foss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lukas-foss/) > [To understand Mozart's contradictory qualities would indeed be to understand genius.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lukas-foss/to-understand-mozart-s-contradictory-qualities-would-indeed-be-to/) [Lukas Foss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lukas-foss/) > [To come to grips with creativity, I must ask creative, adventurous questions - the kind which, in all likelihood, cannot be answered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lukas-foss/to-come-to-grips-with-creativity-i-must-ask-creative-adventurous/) [Lukas Foss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lukas-foss/) > [Composing is like making love to the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lukas-foss/composing-is-like-making-love-to-the-future/) [Lukas Foss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lukas-foss/) > [Most people think an artist tries to be original, but originality is the last thing that develops in the artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lukas-foss/most-people-think-an-artist-tries-to-be-original-but-originality-is/) [Lukas Foss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lukas-foss/) > [I don't dare postulate about science, but I know that it takes both emotion and intellect in order for art to happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lukas-foss/i-don-t-dare-postulate-about-science-but-i-know-that-it-takes-both/) [Lukas Foss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lukas-foss/) > [Truth is a big concept.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lukas-foss/truth-is-a-big-concept/) [Lukas Foss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lukas-foss/) [Explore all 34 Lukas Foss quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lukas-foss/) ## More Analogies quotes > [I always use the analogy that when you go to a jeans store and put on a new pair of jeans, it's a pair…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bana/i-always-use-the-analogy-that-when-you-go-to-a-jeans-store-and-put-on/) [Eric Bana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bana/) > [ Kanye \[West\] just says the funniest analogies that are so random. I should start keeping a book - in 20 years, I'll have a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-kardashian/kanye-west-just-says-the-funniest-analogies-that-are-so-random-i/) [Kim Kardashian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-kardashian/) > [Historical analogy is the last refuge of people who can't grasp the current situation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/historical-analogy-is-the-last-refuge-of-people-who-can-t-grasp-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Calvin: Today for show and tell, I've brought a tiny miracle of nature: a single snowflake! I think we might all learn a lesson…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/calvin-today-for-show-and-tell-i-ve-brought-a-tiny-miracle-of-nature/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) > [For some people, getting pregnant is as easy as catching cold." And there certainly was an analogy there: Colds and babies were both caused…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/for-some-people-getting-pregnant-is-as-easy-as-catching-cold-and/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [The nude does not simply represent the body, but relates it, by analogy, to all structures that have become part of our imaginative experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-clark/the-nude-does-not-simply-represent-the-body-but-relates-it-by-analogy/) [Kenneth Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-clark/) > [His lessons were chock-full of analogies for a variety of musical situations. Those little things were my favorites. 'No . . . that's too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manny-laureano/his-lessons-were-chock-full-of-analogies-for-a-variety-of-musical/) Manny Laureano > [E-books are impervious to analogy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/e-books-are-impervious-to-analogy/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [Imagination runs out. But it makes sense, right? We probably just imagine things based on what we already know, and we run out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/imagination-runs-out-but-it-makes-sense-right-we-probably-just/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [Apt analogies are among the most formidable weapons of the rhetorician.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/apt-analogies-are-among-the-most-formidable-weapons-of-the-rhetorician/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [In my photographic work I'm generally attracted to places that contain memories, history, atmospheres and stories. I'm interested in the places where people have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kenna/in-my-photographic-work-i-m-generally-attracted-to-places-that/) [Michael Kenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kenna/) > [There is then no analogy whatever between the operations of the Chess-Player, and those of the calculating machine of Mr. Babbage , and if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/there-is-then-no-analogy-whatever-between-the-operations-of-the-chess/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [The real achievement in discoveries... is seeing an analogy where no one saw one before... The essence of discovery is that unlikely marriage of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-real-achievement-in-discoveries-is-seeing-an-analogy-where-no-one/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [The expressive techniques of painting are capable of conveying an analogy but not an impossible photograph of a moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edouard-vuillard/the-expressive-techniques-of-painting-are-capable-of-conveying-an/) [Edouard Vuillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edouard-vuillard/) > [For any true stickler, you see, the sight of the plural word “Book’s” with an apostrophe in it will trigger a ghastly private emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/for-any-true-stickler-you-see-the-sight-of-the-plural-word-book-s/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) [Browse all 311 Analogies quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/analogies/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "That is why the analogy of stealing does not work. 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