Greatness Quotes

Samuel understood at last why this being hated men and women so much: he hated them because they were so like himself, because the worst of the was mirrored in them. He was the source of all that was bad in men and women, but he had none of the greatness, and none of the grace, of which human beings were capable, so that by only by corrupting them was his own pain diminished, and thus his existence made more tolerable.

~ John Connolly

Suddenly summoned to witness something great and horrendous, we keep fighting not to reduce it to our own smallness.

~ John Updike

What makes an action positive or negative? Not how it looks, not whether it is big or small, but it is the positive or negative motivation that is behind it. No matter how many teachings that you have heard, to be motivated by ordinary concerns, such as a desire for greatness, fame or whatever, is not the way of the true Dharma.

~ Patrul Rinpoche

We didn't come to the world just to entertain, we came to play remarkable roles, and our reward is to see you doing more than us.

~ Michael Bassey Johnson

Observing and commenting, it is a piece of cake.Experiencing and sharing, that is a piece of work.

~ Toba Beta

To win, you have to believe you will win.

~ Lailah Gifty Akita

Let your fear drive you to evolve into greatness.

~ A.j. Darkholme

In a servant leadership culture we learn by choice or example that if we want to be great, we have to serve others respectfully.

~ Vern Dosch

Greatness in the making feels just like you feel right now. Time will soon tell.

~ Temitope Ibrahim

Success is not about how others feel about you,its about how you feel about yourself.

~ Krishna Saagar

What is great in man is that he is a bridge and not a goal.

~ Friedrich Nietzsche

dare greatly, think great.

~ Lailah Gifty Akita

Nothing great ever happens from thinking small.

~ Bryant Mcgill

Never again will I underestimate the greatness inside of me just because of the hate and limited thinking inside of others.

~ Steve Maraboli

Hatred, like a bush fire, ultimately consumes those who propagate it, leaving nothing but scorched, barren earth behind in their hearts. Love, the greatest of reckless endeavours, inspires men to greatness in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds... Maybe this book is just that, a reckless endeavour of the heart.

~ Stephen Lee

Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them.

~ William Shakespeare

Is it so bad, then, to be misunderstood? Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh. To be great is to be misunderstood.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Always be a first rate version of yourself and not a second rate version of someone else.

~ Judy Garland

Great men are not born great, they grow great . . .

~ Mario Puzo

I used to walk down the street like I was a fucking star... I want people to walk around delusional about how great they can be - and then to fight so hard for it every day that the lie becomes the truth.

~ Lady Gaga

To be great is to be misunderstood.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do. He may as well concern himself with his shadow on the wall. Speak what you think now in hard words, and to-morrow speak what to-morrow thinks in hard words again, though it contradict every thing you said to-day. — 'Ah, so you shall be sure to be misunderstood.' — Is it so bad, then, to be misunderstood? Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh. To be great is to be misunderstood.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Its hard to be a diamond in a rhinestone world.

~ Dolly Parton

Doing what needs to be done may not make you happy, but it will make you great.

~ George Bernard Shaw

Nothing is more simple than greatness; indeed, to be simple is to be great.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Greatness is a transitory experience. It is never consistent. It depends in part upon the myth-making imagination of humankind. The person who experiences greatness must have a feeling for the myth he is in. He must reflect what is projected upon him. And he must have a strong sense of the sardonic. This is what uncouples him from belief in his own pretensions. The sardonic is all that permits him to move within himself. Without this quality, even occasional greatness will destroy a man.

~ Frank Herbert

Not everybody can be famous but everybody can be great, because greatness is determined by service.

~ Martin Luther King Jr.

Those who have the ability to be grateful are the ones who have the ability to achieve greatness.

~ Steve Maraboli

I believe that the first test of a great man is his humility. I don't mean by humility, doubt of his power. But really great men have a curious feeling that the greatness is not of them, but through them. And they see something divine in every other man and are endlessly, foolishly, incredibly merciful.

~ John Ruskin

Here was buried Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of American Independence, of the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom, and Father of the University of Vir

~ Thomas Jefferson

Greatness is a property for which no man can receive credit too soon, it must be possessed long before it is acknowledged.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

People don't want to think. And the deeper they get into trouble, the less they want to think. But by some sort of instinct, they feel that they ought to and it makes them feel guilty. So they'll bless and follow anyone who gives them a justification for not thinking. Anyone who makes a virtue - a highly intellectual virtue - out of what they know to be their sin, their weakness and their guilt... They envy achievement, and their dream of greatness is a world where all men have become their acknowledged inferiors. They don't know that that dream is the infallible proof of mediocrity, because that sort of world is what the man of achievement would not be able to bear

~ Ayn Rand

If a man has any greatness in him, it comes to light, not in one flamboyant hour, but in the ledger of his daily work.

~ Beryl Markham

Mithorden: 'He was brilliant, yes, but ready to laugh at himself when he made mistakes. You may not believe it, but he made mistakes often.'Luthiel: 'Why?' She choked around her tears.Mithorden: 'Because he tried to do great things. Anyone can succeed at easy things. But the things Valkire tried were very difficult. He wanted to make things better for people of all races -- for he saw the good in them.

~ Robert Fanney

The firstsign of greatness is when a man does not attempt to look and actgreat. Before you can call yourself a man at all, Kipling assuresus, you must not look too good nor talk too wise.

~ Dale Carnegie

Enlightenment is the transforming process that makes one kind, happy, and compassionate to the world. Enlightenment is bringing greatness in our ordinary life. Enlightenment is bringing beauty in our words, actions, breath and thoughts. Enlightenment is unfolding our true divinity. Enlightenment is bringing sweetness in our relationships. Enlightenment is making friendship with the whole existence. Enlightenment is making the whole existence as the center of our heart.

~ Amit Ray

It's because I haven't courage,' said Samuel. 'I could never quite take the responsibility. When the Lord God did not call my name, I might have called his name - but I did not. There you have the difference between greatness and mediocrity. It's not an uncommon disease. But it's nice for a mediocre man to know that greatness must be the loneliest state in the world.''I'd think there are degrees of greatness,' Adam said.'I don't think so,' said Samuel. 'That would be like saying there is a little bigness. No. I believe when you come to that responsibility the hugeness and you are alone to make your choice. On one side you have warmth and companionship and sweet understanding, and on the other - cold, lonely greatness. There you make your choice. I'm glad I chose mediocrity, but how am I to say what reward might have come with the other? None of my children will be great either, except perhaps Tom. He's suffering over the choosing right now. It's a painful thing to watch. And somewhere in me I want him to say yes. Isn't that strange? A father to want his son condemned to greatness! What selfishness that must be.

~ John Steinbeck

Those touchy mediocrities who sit trembling lest someone's work prove greater than their own - they have no inkling of the loneliness that comes when you reach the top. The loneliness for an equal - for a mind to respect and an achievement to admire.

~ Ayn Rand

Some people are born with a fire inside them. The will to succeed. It isn’t a learned behavior. It’s just some unknown biological factor that makes them try harder.

~ J.a. Konrath

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted, for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things -- some celebrated, but more often men and women obscure in their labor -- who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

~ Barack Obama