“Thought is subversive and revolutionary, destructive and terrible, Thought is merciless to privilege, established institutions, and comfortable habit. Thought is great and swift and free.”
Greatness is not reserved for a select few. These quotes explore what it takes to do exceptional work, live with purpose, and push past mediocrity — not through talent alone, but through persistence, vision, and the refusal to settle.
“If the Great Way perishes there will morality and duty. When cleverness and knowledge arise great lies will flourish. When relatives fall out with one another there will be filial duty and love. When states are in confusion there will be faithful servants.”
“Thought is subversive and revolutionary, destructive and terrible, Thought is merciless to privilege, established institutions, and comfortable habit. Thought is great and swift and free.”
“Character, in great and little things, means carrying through what you feel able to do.”
“Great minds are to make others great. Their superiority is to be used, not to break the multitude to intellectual vassalage, not to establish over them a spiritual tyranny, but to rouse them from lethargy, and to aid them to judge for themselves.”
“They never fail who die in a great cause.”
“The great thing about the United States and the historically magnetic effect it has had on a lot of people like me is its generosity, to put it simply.”
“A lot of companies have chosen to downsize, and maybe that was the right thing for them. We chose a different path. Our belief was that if we kept putting great products in front of customers, they would continue to open their wallets.”
“I call upon the scientific community in our country, those who gave us nuclear weapons, to turn their great talents now to the cause of mankind and world peace: to give us the means of rendering these nuclear weapons impotent and obsolete.”
“The infinitely little have a pride infinitely great.”
“There may be a great fire in our hearts, yet no one ever comes to warm himself at it, and the passers-by see only a wisp of smoke.”
“You ask me if I keep a notebook to record my great ideas. I've only ever had one.”
“Mankind is made great or little by its own will.”
“Confidence is that feeling by which the mind embarks in great and honorable courses with a sure hope and trust in itself.”
“The great secret of success is to go through life as a man who never gets used up.”
“What's right about America is that although we have a mess of problems, we have great capacity - intellect and resources - to do some thing about them.”
“There are no great limits to growth because there are no limits of human intelligence, imagination, and wonder.”