The quote below, via The Daily Stoic, reminded me of the story Warren Buffett often tells about how Ben Graham used the process of mimicking the traits of those he admired, and avoiding the traits of those he disliked, to improve himself as a young man.
“Then what makes a beautiful human being? Isn’t it the presence of human excellence? Young friend, if you wish to be beautiful, then work diligently at human excellence. And what is that? Observe those whom you praise without prejudice. The just or the unjust? The just. The even-tempered or the undisciplined? The even-tempered. The self-controlled or the uncontrolled? The self-controlled. In making yourself that kind of person, you will become beautiful—but to the extent you ignore these qualities, you’ll be ugly, even if you use every trick in the book to appear beautiful.” —Epictetus