Tarrasch said about Steinitz that 'this little man has taught us all to play', however he was careful to pick and choose which of Steinitz' ideas to play in practice...
An Interesting Historical Comment
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Maybe Tarrasch was more dogmatic in his writings than in his games. He certainly sounds authoritative in "Das Schachspiel", but then again this style of writing seems to be a feature of German scholastic literature of that time in general.
Maybe we tend to pigeonhole people and not allow them depth as well as breadth. Maybe we tend to be dogmatic in our own viewpoints.
Tarrasch didn't like Lasker and they had some drag-out arguments. Tarrasch believed in the beauty of a move and looked for the most artistic ideas. Lasker believed in the practicality of a move and saw beauty in pragmatism. They just couldn't agree. But for a dogmatist, Tarrasch was more open to artistic possibilities than to pragmatic opportunities.
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Tarrasch's name is usually associated with Dogmatism.
The 3rd all Russian championship took place in Kiev in 1903. It was won by M.I. Tchigorin. At a party during the event, Tchigorin was asked to comment on some of his contemporaries. After praising Steinitz and juxtaposing Steintiz' scientific approach to his own artistic approach, Tchigorin said this about Tarrasch.
Tarrasch – He is a follower of Steinitz, however he is more flexible, less persisting in the once-and-for-all mastered dogmas. And he is therefore a more dangerous opponent in practical play.
I found Tchigorin's perspective rather refreshing and worth repeating.