Painterly two upright hand mirrors, one smooth and one distorted, on a blue-grey shelf.

Original artwork, not a still

The Lacon

Charles Caleb Colton

Imitation is the sincerest flattery.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

The saying treats imitation as a particularly convincing expression of admiration. Copying someone's example suggests finding something worth following in their behaviour or work. Where spoken praise might be merely polite, imitation appears to give that praise a practical form through another person's actions.

Context reviewed

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