A Quote by John W. Gardner

Some people may have greatness thrust upon them. Very few have excellence thrust upon them. They achieve it. They do not achieve it unwittingly, by “doin' what comes naturally”; and they don't stumble into it in the course of amusing themselves. All excellence involves discipline and tenacity of purpose.

John W. Gardner

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Achieve Amusing Course Discipline Excellence Few Greatness Involves May Naturally People Purpose Some Some People Stumble Tenacity Them Themselves Thrust Very

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John W. Gardner
American - Educator
October 8, 1912 - February 16, 2002

Some people have greatness thrust upon them. Very few have excellence thrust upon them.

John W. Gardner

All excellence involves discipline and tenacity of purpose.

John W. Gardner

Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.

William Shakespeare

I want to be known as 'The Big Shakespeare.' It was Shakespeare that said, 'Some men are born great, some achieve greatness, some have greatness thrust upon them.'

Shaquille O'Neal

To elevate the goals of humankind, to achieve high moral purpose, to realize major intended change, leaders must thrust themselves into the most intractable processes and structures of history and ultimately master them.

James MacGregor Burns

Some are born weird, some achieve it, others have weirdness thrust upon them.

Dick Francis

With due apologies to Shakespeare, some people are born writers, some people achieve it after a lot of hard work, some people have a writing career thrust upon them. I am in that last group.

Amish Tripathi

Some girls are apparently born with dates; some through much personal activity, achieve them; but others seem by necessity to have dates thrust upon them.

Bess Streeter Aldrich

In any democracy, there is always a tug-of-war between policies to achieve equality and policies to promote excellence. I am certain that Canada can achieve both equality and excellence.

John Turner

Greatness is not attainable, but in the pursuit of it, you can achieve excellence.

Vince Lombardi

Some are born leaders, some achieve leadership, and some have leadership thrust upon them. Which of these are you, or would you rather not bother?

Maurice Flanagan

Some women are born to be married, some achieve marriage, and others have marriage thrust upon them.

Myrtle Reed

Some people are born great and some have greatness thrust upon them

Monica Lewinsky

Some have greatness thrust upon them, but not lately.

Frank Dane

The thing about discipline is that people misunderstand the word discipline. People think discipline in the dog world is punishment. Discipline is how you achieve what you want to achieve in life. You have to be very focused, very disciplined, very consistent, very diligent. All of those things.

Cesar Millan

The value of work, and of always learning something new, and what it takes to achieve excellence. I really believe in those things that you have to dedicate yourself and spend time, that excellence is elusive. It's a little maddening, to try to have that level of discipline in your life, and I don't succeed all the time. But I do try.

Ben Affleck

A Quote by John W. Gardner

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