Ellen DeGeneres Quotes

It's hard work to find your own voice and not to copycat anything.

We all have idols. Play like anyone you care about but try to be yourself while you're doing so.

I've never really tried to copy anyone; I like to have my own style.

There were times in my career when I would try to write songs like Bob Dylan... Artists get hooked up in that. To be a follower, you lose.

I couldn't imitate anyone if I wanted to.

It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation.

I'd rather do my own performance than copy someone else's.

I like to create something that's unique and kind of true to myself and authentic and everything. I don't really like to mirror myself after different artists.

In terms of my actual acting, I don't really like to to copy anyone or replicate anything that I've seen.

The more you see somebody else's version of something, the harder it is to make it your own.

I used to watch everybody's stuff, but I found I would get slightly influenced by the other comics. I try to avoid it now.

If you can't imitate him, don't copy him.

I didn't want to feel like I was mimicking or copying someone else's performance, whether it's subconscious or not.

You can't copy anybody and end with anything. If you copy, it means you're working without any real feeling.

I think that my father would find it so confusing that people want to imitate him. Not because he didn't have confidence in who he was, but because he never imitated anybody. He was his own person.

I feel like it's important, especially at young age, to find exactly what it is that makes your style so important as opposed to just trying to fit into the iconic styles of performers out there.

Future's not everybody. The people who are taking my style are like my babies. I've got a tribe of kids that want to be like me... But I understand why people want to imitate the things I do. They're dope. It comes naturally to me. My fans can expect greatness. If I wasn't me, I would want to be me.

Posterity weaves no garlands for imitators.

We call ourselves creators and we just copy.

No man was ever great by imitation.

I realized that I could try to sound like Waylon Jennings, or I could try to be like Waylon Jennings... but it's impossible to do both.

No one can write like Vallejo and not sound like a fraud. He's just too much himself and not you.

To copy others is necessary, but to copy oneself is pathetic.

There are many teachers who could ruin you. Before you know it you could be a pale copy of this teacher or that teacher. You have to evolve on your own.

The biggest compliment I get is that I don't sound like anybody else. I think I value that as the highest compliment.