--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The only way you can get good, unless…" description: "\"The only way you can get good, unless you're a genius, is to copy. That's the best thing. Just steal.\" — Ritchie Blackmore" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f2/ritchie-blackmore-11353_copies_the-only-way-you-can-get-good-unless-you_1601186.png" --- # The only way you can get good, unless you're a genius, is… ![“The only way you can get good, unless you're a genius, is to copy. That's the best thing. Just steal.” quote by Ritchie Blackmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f2/ritchie-blackmore-11353_copies_the-only-way-you-can-get-good-unless-you_1601186.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f2/ritchie-blackmore-11353_copies_the-only-way-you-can-get-good-unless-you_1601186.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f2/ritchie-blackmore-11353_copies_the-only-way-you-can-get-good-unless-you_1601186.png) > “The only way you can get good, unless you're a genius, is to copy. That's the best thing. Just steal.” [Ritchie Blackmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritchie-blackmore/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Improvement comes from emulating others; copying is a valid learning method. **In simple terms:** Copying helps you become better. Key Takeaway Study masters to develop skill. Themes learning imitation skill development creativity Mood instructive pragmatic Type educational motivational When to use this quote - music practice - artistic training - career growth Key Concepts deliberate practice cognitive apprenticeship Questions to Reflect On - When does imitation become plagiarism? - How to balance copying with originality? A Different Perspective Copying can stifle original expression. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genius/) ## Related quotes > [I think if you steal well, you're a genius. If you copy badly, you're a hack.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-proops/i-think-if-you-steal-well-you-re-a-genius-if-you-copy-badly-you-re-a/) [Greg Proops](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-proops/) > [Someone has to really like you to go out there and physically get your CD. Shout out to everybody who actually paid for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginuwine/someone-has-to-really-like-you-to-go-out-there-and-physically-get/) [Ginuwine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginuwine/) > [If you want to learn something, just steal it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-guthrie/if-you-want-to-learn-something-just-steal-it/) [Woody Guthrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-guthrie/) > [We'd basically just steal BMX tricks and try to do 'em on motorcycles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carey-hart/we-d-basically-just-steal-bmx-tricks-and-try-to-do-em-on-motorcycles/) [Carey Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carey-hart/) > [Somebody told me long ago that in acting, it's okay to steal, just steal from the best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-fillion/somebody-told-me-long-ago-that-in-acting-it-s-okay-to-steal-just/) [Nathan Fillion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-fillion/) > [I always credit; I never just steal something. I'm very much a product of everything that I've read and seen and heard or listened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moyra-davey/i-always-credit-i-never-just-steal-something-i-m-very-much-a-product/) [Moyra Davey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moyra-davey/) > [I'm very protective of my material. And you have to be, because it's very easy for people just to steal jokes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-millican/i-m-very-protective-of-my-material-and-you-have-to-be-because-it-s/) [Sarah Millican](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-millican/) > [I came back like a rushing wind just to get what you steal to me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cath-chatto/i-came-back-like-a-rushing-wind-just-to-get-what-you-steal-to-me/) [Cath Chatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cath-chatto/) > [We don't have to love it. We just have to steal it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-korman/we-don-t-have-to-love-it-we-just-have-to-steal-it/) [Gordon Korman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-korman/) > [If you want something, and you want it, you shouldn't just go and steal it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lavar-ball/if-you-want-something-and-you-want-it-you-shouldn-t-just-go-and-steal/) [LaVar Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lavar-ball/) > [You cant just 'steal' anyone from anybody...They were probably already prepared to leave, you're just the excuse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-cant-just-steal-anyone-from-anybody-they-were-probably-already/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The underground always has the best ideas. Sometimes those underground artists transcend and make it to the mainstream, but most of the time, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-abstract/the-underground-always-has-the-best-ideas-sometimes-those-underground/) [Kevin Abstract](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-abstract/) > [“You don't have to reinvent the wheel... just steal the hubcaps.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-p-naughton/you-don-t-have-to-reinvent-the-wheel-just-steal-the-hubcaps/) [Michael P. Naughton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-p-naughton/) > [If you're just starting off as an artist, steal as much inspiration from everything you like, as much as you can. Take from books,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukimi-nagano/if-you-re-just-starting-off-as-an-artist-steal-as-much-inspiration/) [Yukimi Nagano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukimi-nagano/) > [I used to copy looks from fashion ads in my mother's 'Cosmopolitan' magazines and steal her eye shadows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffree-star/i-used-to-copy-looks-from-fashion-ads-in-my-mother-s-cosmopolitan/) [Jeffree Star](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffree-star/) ## More by Ritchie Blackmore > [I can turn on some jazz guitarist, and he won't do a thing for me, if he's not playing electrically. But Jeff Beck's great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritchie-blackmore/i-can-turn-on-some-jazz-guitarist-and-he-won-t-do-a-thing-for-me-if/) [Ritchie Blackmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritchie-blackmore/) > [I have never met one person who likes Grand Funk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritchie-blackmore/i-have-never-met-one-person-who-likes-grand-funk/) [Ritchie Blackmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritchie-blackmore/) > [Ian Gillan, Roger Glover and I wanted to be a hard rock band - we wanted to play rock and roll only.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritchie-blackmore/ian-gillan-roger-glover-and-i-wanted-to-be-a-hard-rock-band-we-wanted/) [Ritchie Blackmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritchie-blackmore/) > [Combing my hair doesn't make me a better musician.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritchie-blackmore/combing-my-hair-doesn-t-make-me-a-better-musician/) [Ritchie Blackmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritchie-blackmore/) > [Stevie Ray Vaughan was very intense. Maybe that's what caught everybody's attention. As a player, he didn't do anything amazing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritchie-blackmore/stevie-ray-vaughan-was-very-intense-maybe-that-s-what-caught/) [Ritchie Blackmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritchie-blackmore/) > [I was impressed by Hendrix. Not so much by his playing, as his attitude - he wasn't a great player, but everything else about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritchie-blackmore/i-was-impressed-by-hendrix-not-so-much-by-his-playing-as-his-attitude/) [Ritchie Blackmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritchie-blackmore/) > [I'm definitely not a guy that comes in the dressing room saying, "Hey, everybody, what a wonderful life." I'm usually brooding about something I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritchie-blackmore/i-m-definitely-not-a-guy-that-comes-in-the-dressing-room-saying-hey/) [Ritchie Blackmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritchie-blackmore/) > [Most guitar players get a name because the band that they're in has become popular. That doesn't mean that they're particularly good, whereas conversely,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritchie-blackmore/most-guitar-players-get-a-name-because-the-band-that-they-re-in-has/) [Ritchie Blackmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritchie-blackmore/) > [I had given up the guitar between '75 and '78. I completely lost interest. I was sick of hearing other guitar players and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritchie-blackmore/i-had-given-up-the-guitar-between-75-and-78-i-completely-lost/) [Ritchie Blackmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritchie-blackmore/) > [I criticize my own work pretty harshly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritchie-blackmore/i-criticize-my-own-work-pretty-harshly/) [Ritchie Blackmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritchie-blackmore/) > [... Jeff Beck is my idol .. sometimes he finds notes that I just do not have on my guitar. Frank Zappa's another one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritchie-blackmore/jeff-beck-is-my-idol-sometimes-he-finds-notes-that-i-just-do-not-have/) [Ritchie Blackmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritchie-blackmore/) > [I'm not good enough, technically, to be a classic musician. I lack discipline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritchie-blackmore/i-m-not-good-enough-technically-to-be-a-classic-musician-i-lack/) [Ritchie Blackmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritchie-blackmore/) > [Learning to play with a big amplifier is like trying to control an elephant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritchie-blackmore/learning-to-play-with-a-big-amplifier-is-like-trying-to-control-an/) [Ritchie Blackmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritchie-blackmore/) > [If you can play well in the studio, you can play well on stage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritchie-blackmore/if-you-can-play-well-in-the-studio-you-can-play-well-on-stage/) [Ritchie Blackmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritchie-blackmore/) > [I'm very moved by Renaissance music, but I still love to play hard rock - though only if it's sophisticated and has some thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritchie-blackmore/i-m-very-moved-by-renaissance-music-but-i-still-love-to-play-hard/) [Ritchie Blackmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritchie-blackmore/) [Explore all 60 Ritchie Blackmore quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritchie-blackmore/) ## 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": "The only way you can get good, unless you're a genius, is to copy. 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