Quotes About Greatness

The errors of great men are venerable because they are more fruitful than the truths of little men.

I have touch'd the highest point of all my greatness, And from that full meridian of my glory I haste now to my setting.

Man's attitude toward great qualities in others is often the same as toward high mountains - he admires them but he prefers to walk around them.

The great man is he that does not lose his child-heart.

The defects of great men are the consolation of the dunces.

We are very near to greatness: one step and we are safe; can we not take the leap?

I want to be great, or nothing. I won't be a commonplace dauber, so I don't intend to try any more.

One can build the Empire State Building, discipline the Prussian army, make a state hierarchy mightier than God, yet fail to overcome the unaccountable superiority of certain human biengs.

Only great men may have great faults.

Not a day passes over the earth, but men and women of no note do great deeds, speak great words and suffer noble sorrows.

Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some hire public relations officers.

Great men too often have greater faults than little men can find room for.

If I am a great man, then a good many of the great men of history are frauds.

The perfection preached in the Gospels never yet built up an Empire. Every man of action has a strong dose of optimism, pride, hardness and cunning. But all these things will be forgiven him, indeed they will be regarded as high qualities, if he can make of them the means to achieve great ends.

When you're as great as I am, it's hard to be humble.

There's a pinch of the madman in every great man.

No man ever yet became great by imitation.

It is the prerogative of great men only to have great defects.

The nearer we come to great men the more clearly we see that they are only men. They rarely seem great to their valets.

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

Nothing liberates our greatness like the desire to help, the desire to serve.

Don't be so humble. You're not that great.

I believe the first test of a truly great man is his humility.

My height doesn't define my skill set. To be a great quarterback, you have to have great leadership, great attention to detail and a relentless competitive nature - and I try to bring that on a daily basis.