Vol. 06 · Misquoted ·Book ·102 of 348
"Good artists copy, great artists steal. — Picasso"
They never said that.
What people say
"Good artists copy, great artists steal. — Picasso"
What was actually said
Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal. — T.S. Eliot, "Philip Massinger" (1920). T.S. Eliot — The Sacred Wood (1920)
Why it stuck
There is no documented instance of Picasso saying this. Eliot's earlier line — much more careful, distinguishing imitation from absorption — drifts into Picasso's mouth around the 1980s.
Steve Jobs popularised the Picasso version in a 1996 PBS interview.
Know another line by heart?
Play the duel and see how many you can spot. Or browse the whole shelf.