Top 1200 Greatness Quotes & Sayings

The sage never strives for greatness, and can therefore accomplish greatness.

If you want the secondary greatness of recognized talent, focus first on primary greatness of character.

If you admire greatness in another human being, it is your own greatness you are seeing.

The foundation of greatness is honoring the small things of the present moment, instead of pursuing the idea of greatness.

Greatness isn't something you should always be chasing. There's greatness within all of us, and I think that's what we forget.

It is a mistake to imagine that potentially great men are rare. It is the conditions that permit the promise of greatness to be fulfilled that are rare. What is so difficult to achieve is the cultural background that permits potential greatness to be converted into actual greatness.

It is the nature of man to rise to greatness if greatness is expected of him.

The great arises out of small things that are honored and cared for. Everybody's life really consists of small things. Greatness is a mental abstraction and a favorite fantasy of the ego. The paradox is that the foundation for greatness is the honoring of small things of the present moment instead of pursuing the idea of greatness.

Most people define greatness through wealth and popularity and position in the corner office. But what I call everyday greatness comes from character and contribution.

I don't believe in greatness that is bestowed as a rare gift to a few lucky ones. Rather, I think all people have greatness inside them. It is just a matter of persistence--sticking to what you have envisioned until it is reality. I have a deep conviction that everyone, including you, has been given exactly the right set of gifts to fulfill some magnificent purpose in life. Greatness must simply be chosen. And if you choose it, it will happen.

The task of leadership is not to put greatness into humanity, but to elicit it, for the greatness is already there.

The man who is anybody and who does anything is surely going to be criticized, vilified, and misunderstood. This is a part of the penalty for greatness, and every great man understands it; and understands, too, that it is no proof of greatness. The final proof of greatness lies in being able to endure contumely without resentment.

If any man seeks for greatness, let him forget greatness and ask for truth, and he will find both.

The greatness of action includes immoral as well as moral greatness--Cortes and Napoleon, as well as Luther and Washington.

You have GREATNESS within you, and responsibility to manifest that greatness!

Reverence for greatness dies out, and is succeeded by base envy of greatness.

There is no such thing as a little country. The greatness of a people is no more determined by their numbers than the greatness of a man is by his height.

...greatness sympathises with greatness, and littleness shrinks into itself.

Goodness makes greatness truly valuable, and greatness make goodness much more serviceable.

The true greatness of nations is in those qualities which constitute the greatness of the individual.

You treat people with greatness and greatness will come back to you.

If you expect greatness, greatness shouldn't surprise you.

Do you recall, from your childhood on, how very much this life of yours has longed for greatness? I see it now, how from the vantage point of greatness it longs for even greater greatness. That is why it does not let up being difficult, but that is also why it will not cease to grow.

There are only two sorts of greatness: true greatness, which is of a spiritual order, and the old, old lie of world conquest. Conquest is an ersatz greatness.

When I was a boy, I would read those postcards and know exactly why my father was doing what he was doing: he was taking a stab at greatness, that is, if greatness is simply another word for doing something different from what you were already doing--or maybe greatness is the thing we want to have so that other people will want to have us, or maybe greatness is merely the grail for our unhappy, striving selves, the thing we think we need but don't and can't get anyway.

Everyone has the power for greatness, not for fame but greatness, because greatness is determined by service.

The task of leadership is not to put greatness into people, but to elicit it, for the greatness is there already.

The world's idea of greatness is to rule, but Christian greatness consists in serving.

Upstart greatness is everywhere less respected than ancient greatness.

The greatness of a man is measured by the way he treats the little man. Compassion for the weak is a sign of greatness.

Honesty is not only "the first step toward greatness," - it is greatness itself.

I know the greatness of Christianity; it is a past greatness.. I live in 1924, and the Christian venture is done.

What is ambition but desire of greatness? And what is greatness but extent of power?

We shall never resolve the enigma of the relation between the negative foundations of greatness and that greatness itself.

Of what is great one must either be silent or speak with greatness. With greatness--that means cynically and with innocence.

Greatness is not born from one success. Greatness is born from persevering through the countless failed attempts that preceded.

One of the marks of true greatness is the ability to develop greatness in others.

What is greatness? Greatness is when you have found out that you are not great, but everything else is.

Success is never on discount! Greatness is never on sale! Greatness is never half off! It's all or nothing! It's all day, every day! Greatness is never on discount!

Do not confuse notoriety and fame with greatness. . . . For you see, greatness is a measure of one's spirit, not a result of one's rank in human affairs.

I can't tell you what it's like to be in Europe, for example, to be talking about the greatness of America. But the true greatness of America are the people.

The greatness of a man is measured by the way he treats the little man. Compassion for the weak is a sign of greatness

America's greatness is not found in the size of its government. America's greatness resides in the hearts and the minds of the people.

I believe in highlighting the 'greatness' that I see in every single woman that I come across. There is such beauty in variety. It may not always be evident, when you look at a woman, where her greatness lies. But the truth is that the greatness of women is reflected in the very essence of who we are.

I'm convinced that the greatness that matters more is the greatness people achieve through helping each other, through collaborating, more than the greatness that's achieved by grabbing all you can or getting all you can or building all you can.

Greatness of Soul seems therefore to be as it were a crowning ornament of the virtues; it enhances their greatness, and it cannot exist without them. Hence it is hard to be truly great-souled, for greatness of soul is impossible without moral nobility.

Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness, it turns out, is largely a matter of conscious choice, and discipline.

Run away from greatness and greatness will follow you.

Greatness is never appreciated in youth, called pride in midlife, dismissed in old age, and reconsidered in death. Because we cannot tolerate greatness in our midst, we do all we can do destroy it.

We are distracted from our greatness because are greatness is what scares us. Right where you are…God is.

Don't complain about what you don't have. Use what you've got. To do less than your best is a sin. Every single one of us has the power for greatness, because greatness is determined by service-to yourself and to others.

God ordains that beggars should beg for greatness, as for all else, when greatness shines out of them, and they don't know it.

The test of leadership is not to put greatness into humanity, but to elicit it, for the greatness is already there.

The first step toward greatness is to be honest, says the proverb; but the proverb fails to state the case strong enough. Honesty is not only "the first step toward greatness," - it is greatness itself.

I believe Georgia should aspire to nothing less than greatness And I believe greatness is within our grasp.

A good character today is shaped by greatness, greatness in vision, greatness in courage, greatness in insight, greatness in purpose and devotion.

Great men have been characterized by the greatness of their mistakes as well as by the greatness of their achievements.

I believe Georgia should aspire to nothing less than greatness. And I believe greatness is within our grasp.

Greatness, in order to gain recognition, must all too often consent to ape greatness.

The left think they've got a monopoly on this silly idea that we are a nation of immigrants, America's greatness is traceable to its immigrants. I'm sorry. I don't buy that as a stand-alone idea anyway because really what they're trying to say with that is that America's greatness is due to America's diversity, and that has not a thing to do with it. American Greatness is because of the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and our country.