Success is dangerous. One begins to copy oneself, and to copy oneself is more dangerous than to copy others. It leads to sterility.

Picasso warns that acclaim can become an artistic trap. Once an artist is rewarded for a particular style, the temptation is to repeat what has already worked—effectively turning one’s own past innovations into a formula. For Picasso, this is worse than borrowing from others because it replaces curiosity and risk with self-imitation, producing work that is technically competent but creatively “sterile.” The remark reflects a modernist ethic of continual reinvention: genuine vitality in art comes from experimentation and change, even at the cost of misunderstanding or failure. It also helps explain Picasso’s own restless shifts across periods and styles, as he resisted becoming a brand of himself.

1) “Success is dangerous. One begins to copy oneself. And to copy oneself is more dangerous than to copy others. It leads to sterility.”
2) “Success is dangerous; you start copying yourself, and copying yourself is more dangerous than copying others—it leads to sterility.”
3) “Success is dangerous. You begin to imitate yourself; and to imitate yourself is more dangerous than to imitate others. It leads to sterility.”