--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Why should I copy this owl, this sea…" description: "\"Why should I copy this owl, this sea urchin? Why should I try to imitate nature? I might just as well try to trace a perfect circle.\" — Pablo Picasso" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b3/pablo-picasso-552_circles_why-should-i-copy-this-owl-this-sea-urch_1383275.jpg" --- # Why should I copy this owl, this sea urchin? Why should I… ![“Why should I copy this owl, this sea urchin? Why should I try to imitate nature? I might just as well try to trace a perfect circle.” quote by Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b3/pablo-picasso-552_circles_why-should-i-copy-this-owl-this-sea-urch_1383275.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b3/pablo-picasso-552_circles_why-should-i-copy-this-owl-this-sea-urch_1383275.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b3/pablo-picasso-552_circles_why-should-i-copy-this-owl-this-sea-urch_1383275.jpg) > “Why should I copy this owl, this sea urchin? Why should I try to imitate nature? I might just as well try to trace a perfect circle.” [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Imitating nature is futile; true art should pursue originality beyond natural forms. **In simple terms:** Avoid copying nature; create uniquely. Key Takeaway Pursue original expression. Themes originality creativity artistic integrity Mood reflective challenging Type artistic philosophical When to use this quote - painting - sculpture - design - writing Key Concepts aesthetic philosophy innovation Questions to Reflect On - How can you channel natural patterns into novel ideas? - What limits do you face when rejecting imitation? A Different Perspective Nature can inspire without being copied. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Circles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/circles/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Owl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/owl/) [Sea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sea/) ## Related quotes > [“To imitate nature involves the verb to do. To copy is merely to reflect something already there, inertly: Shakespeare's mirror is all that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-carlos-williams/to-imitate-nature-involves-the-verb-to-do-to-copy-is-merely-to/) [William Carlos Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-carlos-williams/) > [It is foolish to try to imitate the skills of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop/it-is-foolish-to-try-to-imitate-the-skills-of-others/) [Aesop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop/) > [Never try to imitate someone else, while you have your own agenda to work on. Being yourself is the best way you can control…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-lot/never-try-to-imitate-someone-else-while-you-have-your-own-agenda-to/) Lady Lot > [“Children are amazing beings and it is we who shall try to imitate them and not the other way around.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lone-dybkj-r/children-are-amazing-beings-and-it-is-we-who-shall-try-to-imitate/) Lone Dybkjær > [If what you want to do is make good art, decide whats good and try to imitate it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pinsky/if-what-you-want-to-do-is-make-good-art-decide-whats-good-and-try-to/) [Robert Pinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pinsky/) > [Laugh at those who try to Imitate you...Get ready to Laugh at they face,Especially when you out of sight out of mind...Cant copy that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frenchqueen/laugh-at-those-who-try-to-imitate-you-get-ready-to-laugh-at-they-face/) Frenchqueen > [When I'm composing a scene for the first time, I try to imitate my character. The less critical distance the better - particularly when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dee/when-i-m-composing-a-scene-for-the-first-time-i-try-to-imitate-my/) [Jonathan Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dee/) > [There's so many people out there who try to imitate what I do but I am the original,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paris-hilton/there-s-so-many-people-out-there-who-try-to-imitate-what-i-do-but-i/) [Paris Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paris-hilton/) > [I don't like to analyze what I do too much, but I certainly never meet a single person and say, 'You're the next character.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-lilley/i-don-t-like-to-analyze-what-i-do-too-much-but-i-certainly-never-meet/) [Chris Lilley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-lilley/) > [“Instead of accepting ourselves as we are, we try to imitate what we see around us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/instead-of-accepting-ourselves-as-we-are-we-try-to-imitate-what-we/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [My style statement is to be myself! Because if you try to imitate someone else, you will end up feeling uncomfortable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shraddha-kapoor/my-style-statement-is-to-be-myself-because-if-you-try-to-imitate/) [Shraddha Kapoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shraddha-kapoor/) > [Don't try to imitate other coaches. Be your own person with your own style and do your own thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubie-brown/don-t-try-to-imitate-other-coaches-be-your-own-person-with-your-own/) [Hubie Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubie-brown/) > [I imitate everyone except myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/i-imitate-everyone-except-myself/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [Color was not given to us in order that we should imitate Nature. It was given to us so that we can express our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/color-was-not-given-to-us-in-order-that-we-should-imitate-nature-it/) [Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/) > [Let art, then, imitate nature, find what she desires, and follow as she directs. For in invention nature is never last, education never first;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/let-art-then-imitate-nature-find-what-she-desires-and-follow-as-she/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) ## More by Pablo Picasso > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [When I haven't any blue I use red.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/when-i-haven-t-any-blue-i-use-red/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [The Parthenon is really only a farmyard over which someone put a roof; colonades and sculptures were added because there were people in Athens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/the-parthenon-is-really-only-a-farmyard-over-which-someone-put-a-roof/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [By amusing myself with all these games, all this nonsense, all these picture puzzles, I became famous... I am only a public entertainer who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/by-amusing-myself-with-all-these-games-all-this-nonsense-all-these/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [If I paint a hammer and sickle people may think it is a representation of Communism, but for me it is only a hammer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/if-i-paint-a-hammer-and-sickle-people-may-think-it-is-a/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [One never knows what one is going to do. One starts a painting and then it becomes something quite different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/one-never-knows-what-one-is-going-to-do-one-starts-a-painting-and/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [Now there is fame! Of all - hunger, misery, the incomprehension by the public - fame is by far the worst. It is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/now-there-is-fame-of-all-hunger-misery-the-incomprehension-by-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [It takes a long time to become young.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/it-takes-a-long-time-to-become-young/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [We all know that Art is not truth. Art is a lie that makes us realize truth at least the truth that is given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/we-all-know-that-art-is-not-truth-art-is-a-lie-that-makes-us-realize/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [You see these thick curtains shut out the daylight: artificial light suits me a great deal better; it's absolutely steady, and much more exciting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/you-see-these-thick-curtains-shut-out-the-daylight-artificial-light/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [The best calculation is the absence of calculation. Once you have attained a certain level of recognition, others generally figure that when you do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/the-best-calculation-is-the-absence-of-calculation-once-you-have/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [Action is the foundational key to all success. --Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/action-is-the-foundational-key-to-all-success-pablo-picasso/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [The earth doesn't have a housekeeper to do the dusting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/the-earth-doesn-t-have-a-housekeeper-to-do-the-dusting/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [God is really only another artist. He invented the giraffe, the elephant and the cat. He has no real style, He just goes on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/god-is-really-only-another-artist-he-invented-the-giraffe-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [A baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bankroll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, and the future worth living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/a-baby-will-make-love-stronger-days-shorter-nights-longer-bankroll/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Explore all 477 Pablo Picasso quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) ## More Artist quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [“People in coats and ties were milling around the Talley gallery, and on the wall were the minimally rendered still lifes by Giorgio Morandi,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/people-in-coats-and-ties-were-milling-around-the-talley-gallery-and/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) Taf Teh > [From as long as I can remember, I was always fond of drawing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-lucia/from-as-long-as-i-can-remember-i-was-always-fond-of-drawing/) [St. Lucia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-lucia/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [Designers shouldn’t design for museums any more than mummies should die for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-caplan/designers-shouldn-t-design-for-museums-any-more-than-mummies-should/) [Ralph Caplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-caplan/) > [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [I am not the avant-garde. I am the artist who comes after the advancing guard. I am more concerned with continuity of ideas and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-oliveira/i-am-not-the-avant-garde-i-am-the-artist-who-comes-after-the/) [Nathan Oliveira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-oliveira/) > [I am a horrible visual artist. I can't fix a car, sew, knit, cook, etc. Statistically, there is more I don't do than do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/i-am-a-horrible-visual-artist-i-can-t-fix-a-car-sew-knit-cook-etc/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) [Browse all 32,600 Artist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Why should I copy this owl, this sea urchin? Why should I try to imitate nature? 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