True Greatness Quotes:

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

- William Shakespeare

topic: Inspirational, Motivational, Success, Most Memorable, Mind Playing

True greatness is not measured by the headlines a person commands or the wealth he or she accumulates. The inner character of a person-the undergirding moral and spiritual values and commitments-is the true measure of lasting greatness.

- Billy Graham

topic: Spiritual, Character, Commitment, Spiritual Values, Character Of A Person

The man of true greatness never loses his child's heart.

- Mencius

topic: Children, Heart, Greatness, True Greatness

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

- J. C. Macaulay

topic: Greatness, Mark, Ability, True Greatness

True greatness consists in being great in little things.

- Charles Simmons

source: Charles Simmons (1852). “Laconic Manual and Brief Remarker”, p.315

topic: Greatness, Littles, Little Things, True Greatness

Integrity is the first step to true greatness. Men love to praise, but are slow to practice it. To maintain it in high places costs self-denial; in all places it is liable to opposition, but its end is glorious, and the universe will yet do it homage.

- Charles Simmons

source: Charles Simmons (1852). “Laconic Manual and Brief Remarker”, p.275

topic: Integrity, Greatness, Men, Homage, True Greatness

True greatness is devoting all my energy to becoming a servant and not getting upset when I am treated like one.

- Bill Gothard

topic: Greatness, Upset, Energy, True Greatness

True greatness, first of all, is a thing of the heart. It is alive with robust and generous sympathies. It is neither behind its age nor too far before it. It is up with its age, and ahead of it only just so far as to be able to lead its march. It cannot slumber, for activity is a necessity of its existence. It is no reservoir, but a fountain.

- Roswell Dwight Hitchcock

topic: Heart, Greatness, Age, True Greatness

Greatness lies not in being strong, but in the right use of strength.

- Henry Ward Beecher

topic: Inspirational, Strength, Success, Inspirational Stay Strong, Strength Of Will

True greatness consists in the use of a powerful understanding to enlighten oneself and others.

- Voltaire

topic: Powerful, Greatness, Understanding, True Greatness

To do one's best in the face of the commonplace struggles of life, and possibly in the face of failures, and to continue to endure and persevere with the ongoing difficulties of life - when those struggles and tasks contribute to the progress and happiness of others and the eternal salvation of one's self - this is true greatness.

- Howard W. Hunter

topic: Struggle, Greatness, Self, True Greatness

In humility alone lies true greatness, and knowledge and wisdom are profitable only in so far as our lives are governed by them.

- Nicholas of Cusa

topic: Lying, Humility, Greatness, True Greatness

True leadership is found in giving yourself in service to others, not in coaxing or inducing others to serve you.

- J. Oswald Sanders

source: J. Oswald Sanders (2008). “Spiritual Leadership, Spiritual Discipleship, Spiritual Maturity Set of 3 Sanders books”, p.16, Moody Publishers

topic: Giving, Service To Others, Found, Spiritual Leader, Spiritual Leadership

True greatness...always requires regular, consistent, small, and sometimes ordinary and mundane steps over a long period of time.

- Howard W. Hunter

topic: Greatness, Long, Ordinary, True Greatness

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

- Daniel J. Boorstin

source: "Book of Humorous Quotations" by Connie Robertson, (p. 29), 1998.

topic: Greatness, Achieve, Born, Most Memorable, Mind Playing

The contemporary form of true greatness lies in a civilization founded upon the spirituality of work.

- Simone Weil

source: "The Need for Roots: Prelude to a Declaration of Duties Towards Mankind".

topic: Lying, Greatness, Civilization, True Greatness

It is true greatness to have in one the frailty of a man and the security of a god.

- Seneca the Younger

topic: God, Greatness, Men, True Greatness

No one who has come to true greatness has not felt in some degree that his life belongs to the people, and what God has given them he gives it for mankind.

- Phillips Brooks

topic: Life, God, Greatness, True Greatness

Great men are true men, the men in whom nature has succeeded. They are not extraordinary - they are in the true order. It is the other species of men who are not what they ought to be.

- Henri Frederic Amiel

topic: Men, Greatness, Order, Greatness Of Man, True Greatness

Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another steppingstone to greatness.

- Oprah Winfrey

topic: Positive, Happiness, Success, Empowering Women, Inspirational Feminist

True greatness is measured by how much freedom you give to others, not by how much you can coerce others to do what you want.

- Larry Wall

topic: Inspiring, Greatness, Giving, Coerce, True Greatness

God alone is the judge of true greatness because He knows men's hearts.

- Mahatma Gandhi

source: Mahatma Gandhi, Anand T. Hingorani, Ganga Anand Hingorani (1985). “The Encyclopaedia of Gandhian Thoughts”

topic: Love, Heart, Greatness, True Greatness

True greatness, true leadership, is achieved not by reducing men to one's service but in giving oneself in selfless service to them.

- J. Oswald Sanders

topic: Men, Greatness, Giving, True Greatness, Selfless Service

True artists pursue greatness in craft in order to give the Lord the best fruit of the talent He has given them, not to build themselves up. They understand that true greatness is found in the heart of the servant.

- Charlie Peacock

topic: Heart, Artist, Greatness, True Artists, True Greatness

The soul's true greatness is in loving God and in humbling oneself in His presence, completely forgetting oneself and believing oneself to be nothing; because the Lord is great, but He is well-pleased only with the humble; He always opposes the proud.

- Mary Faustina Kowalska

topic: Believe, Humility, Humble, True Greatness

Making others happy, through kindness of speech and sincerity of right advice, is a sign of true greatness. To hurt another soul by sarcastic words, looks, or suggestions, is despicable.

- Paramahansa Yogananda

topic: Sarcastic, Hurt, Kindness, Despicable, Autobiography Of A Yogi

Giving consistent effort in the little things in day-to-day life leads to true greatness. Specifically, it is the thousands of little deeds and tasks of service and sacrifice that constitute the giving or losing of one's life for others and for the Lord. They include gaining a knowledge of our Father in Heaven and of the gospel. They also include bringing others into the faith and fellowship of his kingdom. These things do not usually receive the attention or the adulation of the world.... .

- Howard W. Hunter

topic: Father, Sacrifice, Greatness, True Greatness, Service And Sacrifice

It is not in the nature of true greatness to be exclusive and arrogant.

- Henry Ward Beecher

topic: Greatness, Arrogant, True Greatness

True greatness depends on total wisdom. The real lesson is to learn to love.

- L. Ron Hubbard

topic: Real, Greatness, Lessons, True Greatness

A solemn and religious regard to spiritual and eternal things is an indispensable element of all true greatness.

- Daniel Webster

source: "Dictionary of Burning Words of Brilliant Writers" by Josiah Hotchkiss Gilbert, (p. 292), 1895.

topic: Spiritual, Religious, Greatness, True Greatness

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.

- Simone Weil

source: Simone Weil (2003). “The Need for Roots: Prelude to a Declaration of Duties Towards Mankind”, p.94, Routledge

topic: Spiritual, Lying, Greatness, True Greatness

Life is made up of little things. It is very rarely that an occasion is offered for doing a great deal at once. True greatness consists in being great in little things.

- Charles Simmons

source: Charles Simmons (1852). “Laconic Manual and Brief Remarker”, p.315

topic: Life, Time, Greatness, True Greatness

True greatness is the most ready to recognize and most willing to obey those simple outward laws which have been sanctioned by the experience of mankind.

- James Anthony Froude

source: James Anthony Froude (1917). “Short Studies on Great Subjects”

topic: Simple, Greatness, Law, True Greatness

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

- Charles Sumner

source: Charles Sumner (1845). “The True Grandeur of Nations: An Oration Delivered Before the Authorities of the City of Boston, July 4, 1845”, p.82

topic: Greatness, Quality, Individual, True Greatness

True greatness merely refuses to change in the face of bad actions against one—and a truly great person loves his fellows because he understands them.

- L. Ron Hubbard

topic: Greatness, Faces, Action, Bad Actions, Persons Love

Let us remember, too, that greatness is not always a matter of the scale of one’s life, but of the quality of one’s life. True greatness is not always tied to the scope of our tasks, but to the quality of how we carry out our tasks whatever they are. In that attitude, let us give our time, ourselves, and our talents to the things that really matter now, things which will still matter a thousand years from now.

- Spencer W. Kimball

topic: Attitude, Greatness, Years, True Greatness

A man's true greatness lies in the consciousness of an honest purpose in life, founded on a just estimate of himself and everything else, on frequent self-examinations, and a steady obedience to the rule which he knows to be right, without troubling himself about what others may think or say, or whether they do or do not that which he thinks and says and does.

- Marcus Aurelius

topic: Lying, Greatness, Men, Self-examination, True Greatness

In art, and in the higher ranges of science, there is a feeling of harmony which underlies all endeavor. There is no true greatness in art or science without that sense of harmony.

- Albert Einstein

topic: Art, Peace, Greatness, Peace Harmony, True Greatness

Let your desire for truth transcend all minor considerations. Ignorance is invariably confident. The man of knowledge learns to realize his own needs. Be honest and severe in your self-appraisal. Learn the art of learning, and you are well on the way to achievement. True greatness is reflective, not assertive.

- Grenville Kleiser

topic: Art, Truth, Ignorance, Appraisal, Assertive

My personal interest in ordinary people is unlimited, but I am fascinated by the challenge of portraying true greatness adequately with my camera.

- Yousuf Karsh

source: Yousuf Karsh (1962). “In Search of Greatness: Reflections of Yousuf Karsh”, University of Toronto Press

topic: Greatness, People, Challenges, Portraying, True Greatness

He is the way, the truth, and the light, and no one can come back into the presence of our Father in heaven except through him. Christ is God the Son and possesses every virtue in its perfection. Therefore, the only measure of true greatness is how close a man can become like Jesus. That man is greatest who is most like Christ, and those who love him most will be most like him.

- Ezra Taft Benson

source: Ezra Taft Benson (1974). “God, family, country: our three great loyalties”

topic: Jesus, Father, Son, Father In Heaven, True Greatness

...the true greatness of a nation is founded on principles of humanity.

- Thomas Paine

source: Thomas Paine (2016). “THE AGE OF REASON - Investigation of True and Fabulous Theology (Including “The Life of Thomas Paine”): Deistic Critique of Bible and Christian Church”, p.285, e-artnow

topic: Greatness, Humanity, Principles, True Greatness

Always have com­plete faith in the indwelling God who takes care of everything. True greatness can only come from faith.

- Sathya Sai Baba

source: Source: souljourns.net

topic: Greatness, Care, Take Care, True Greatness

True greatness,true leadership,is found in giving yourself in service to others, not in coaxing or inducing others to serve you. True service is never without cost. Often it comes with a painful baptism of suffering. But the true spiritual leader is focused on the service he and she can render to God and other people, not on the residuals and perks of high office or holy title. We must aim to put more into life than we take out.

- J. Oswald Sanders

topic: Spiritual, Greatness, Office, Giving Yourself, True Greatness

A wholesome regard for the memory of the great men of long ago is the best assurance to a people of a continuation of great men to come, who shall be able to instruct, to lead, and to inspire. A people who worship at the shrine of true greatness will themselves be truly great.

- Calvin Coolidge

source: Calvin Coolidge (2001). “The Price of Freedom: Speeches and Addresses”, p.171, The Minerva Group, Inc.

topic: True Greatness

I never cease to wonder at my luck in having for my sister the woman who, more than any other woman in America, possesses all the qualities of true greatness.

- Dorothy Gish

topic: Greatness, America, Luck, True Greatness

[On Russia:] In every way, there is something gigantic about this people: ordinary dimensions have no applications whatever to it. I do not mean by this that true greatness and stability are never met with; but their boldness, their imaginativeness knows no bounds. With them everything is colossal rather than well-proportioned, audacious rather than well-considered, and if they do not attain their goals, it is because they exceed them.

- Madame de Stael

topic: Mean, Greatness, Russia, True Greatness

By "moral discipline," I mean self-discipline based on moral standards. Moral discipline is the consistent exercise of agency to choose the right because it is right, even when it is hard. It rejects the self-absorbed life in favor of developing character worthy of respect and true greatness through Christlike service.

- D. Todd Christofferson

source: FaceBook post by D Todd Christofferson from Feb 06, 2014

topic: Character, Mean, Exercise, True Greatness, Self Absorbed

True greatness means that, even if you forget what you've done for others, you never forget what others have done for you. It means always doing your utmost to repay debts of gratitude. Such people radiate integrity, depth of character, bigheartedness and charm.

- Josei Toda

topic: Gratitude, Integrity, Character, Debt Of Gratitude, True Greatness