Robertson Davies Quotes

When I teach writing, I have a mantra: 'Be a first-rate version of yourself, and not a second-rate version of another writer.'

Bernard Shaw said that when you copy yourself, you know you've got style. And I feel that if you can write like you write, then you are true to yourself. And it's not an easy thing to do - it's a disgustingly difficult thing to do.

My style is all to myself.

I've been telling my students, 'Imitate, imitate.' And they say, 'Well, what if I plagiarize, or what if I'm not original? I want to be myself.' And I always tell them, 'Your self will shine through'... If you allow yourself to feel deeply and honestly, what you say won't be like anyone else.

You need a strong sense of 'otherness' to be able to create in your life.

I thought I was clever enough to write as well as these people and I didn't realize that there is something called originality and your own voice.

Discover your own style. Don't try to repeat what has already been written - have the courage to do your own thing and don't be afraid to do something different.

I was a pretty good imitator of Roy Acuff, but then I found out they already had a Roy Acuff, so I started singin' like myself.

People said when I started, 'Why don't you just copy your father's style?' I had to be myself, singing my songs in my own way.

When you make stuff from the 'you' point of view, you really can't go wrong.

Don't try to guess what it is people want and give it to them. Don't ask for a show of hands. Try your best to write what you like, what you think your friends would like and what you think your father would like and then cross your fingers... The most valuable thing you have is your own voice.

I don't wanna be like everybody else, I don't wanna rap like everybody else.

You have to add something of yourself to the portrayal.

I like to tell my own story using my personality and my insight, the way I see things.

A lot of artists are aspiring to fill an archetype as opposed to being themselves. Even if they can't quite put their finger on it, fans can tell.

For me, the best way to be as an artist is to be completely yourself, letting that vulnerability come through.

Don't copy another writer's style, because that is not authentic, and that's how it will sound. You develop your style over your whole life and through countless influences. Don't impose something artificial.

The greatest fear people have is that of being themselves. They want to be 50 Cent or someone else. They do what everyone else does even if it doesn’t fit where and who they are. But you get nowhere that way; your energy is weak and no one pays attention to you. You’re running away from the one thing that you own – what makes you different. I lost that fear. And once I felt the power that I had by showing the world I didn’t care about being like other people, I could never go back.

What's the point of rap if you can't be yourself, huh?

I remember a distinct moment when it was my junior year of college, and the content I was making was changing and not really myself, and I tried to switch back to just putting me out there. I'm happy that happened really early in my career, because that was before I started doing podcasts or writing.

Great personal style is an extreme curiosity about yourself.

I don't want to look exactly the same in everything I do. And if I'm not identifiable, then that can be a blessing or a curse. But I'm fine with it. Because at the end of the day, I'm still working, and I'm enjoying what I do.

We're all going to keep telling love stories, we're all going to tell hero stories. It's all a question of what your own thumbprint, your own DNA, is, and what it brings to the table that makes it unique.

I want everyone to express themselves in a unique way.

I learned, when I look in the mirror and tell my story, that I should be myself and not peep whatever everybody is doing.