Imitation is the sincerest of flattery.

The line is commonly attributed to the English cleric and moralist Charles Caleb Colton and is associated with his aphoristic writings in the early 19th century. Colton published collections of maxims and observations aimed at social conduct, manners, and moral psychology—genres that circulated widely in Britain and America. The saying reflects a period fascinated by “character,” reputation, and social emulation, when copying another’s style or achievements could be read as both admiration and rivalry. In Colton’s milieu, imitation was a visible social practice (in dress, speech, and literary style), and epigrammatic judgments about it fit the tone of his popular moral reflections.

The aphorism reframes copying as a compliment: to imitate someone is to acknowledge their value, success, or authority as a model worth reproducing. It also carries an implicit social psychology—people emulate what they admire, envy, or aspire to become, so imitation signals the imitator’s recognition of the original’s prestige. At the same time, the line can be read ironically: “flattery” may be sincere, but it can still be self-interested, competitive, or even parasitic. The quote endures because it offers a neat moral consolation to those copied while remaining ambiguous about whether imitation is harmless admiration or a subtle form of appropriation.

1) "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery." 2) "Imitation is the sincerest flattery."