Quote by T.S. Eliot: “Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal.”

This provocative statement argues that true artistic originality isn't about entirely new creation, but about skillfully integrating and transforming existing influences. "Stealing" implies a deeper, more fundamental absorption and reinterpretation of sources, making them uniquely one's own, rather than mere copying.

Published after WWI, this essay collection was part of Eliot's broader effort to redefine literary criticism and modernism. It came at a time when artists were grappling with how to innovate while acknowledging tradition.

American-born British poet, essayist, publisher, playwright, literary critic, and editor. A central figure in modernism, he is best known for "The Waste Land" and "Four Quartets," receiving the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1948 for his outstanding contribution to poetry.