Architect Quote by Samuel Johnson
“The authour who imitates his predecessors only by furnishing himself with thoughts and elegances out of the same general magazine of literature, can with little more propriety be reproached as a plagiary, than the architect can be censured as a mean copier of Angelo or Wren, because he digs his marble out of the same quarry, squares his stones by the same art, and unites them in columns of the same orders.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: The Literary Magazine, 1751
An author who merely copies predecessors’ style and ideas is a plagiarist, akin to an architect copying another’s design.
In simple terms: Copying predecessors is plagiarism.
Key Takeaway
Value originality in creation.
Themes
literature
originality
plagiarism
Mood
reflective
critical
Type
literary
ethical
When to use this quote
- writing workshops
- academic integrity
- creative projects
Key Concepts
architect
quarry
style
elegance
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you differentiate influence from plagiarism?
- What standards define originality?
A Different Perspective
Some influence is inevitable in art.
