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Greatness Quotes

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Greatness Quotes

“We are accustomed to the artist scoundrel or specialist in vice, and unaccustomed to the creator in whom passion and reason and moral integrity hold in balance. But greatness of intellect and feeling, or soul and conduct - magnanimity, in short - does occur; it is not a myth for boy scouts, and its reality is important, if only to give us the true range of the term "human," which we so regularly define by its lower reaches.”

“Sometimes I have the feeling that you are not quite aware--and this honors you--of the historical greatness of your position, that you think too modestly about yourself. Everything you do is destined to be of historic significance. One day, your letters, your decisions, will belong to all mankind, like those of Wagner and Brahms.”

Thinking Sometimes Feelings Decision Mankind Position Greatness Honor One Day Letters Historical Significance About Yourself Destined Historic Wagner Brahms

Book:A Confidential Matter: The Letters of Richard Strauss and Stefan Zweig, 1931-1935

Source: A Confidential Matter: The Letters of Richard Strauss and Stefan Zweig, 1931-1935

“I have a sense of greatness, which comes from feeling that I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing on the planet - empowering people, especially women.”

People Feelings Greatness Planets Supposed To Be Empowering

Author:Oprah Winfrey

“Those who profess contempt for men, and put them on a level with beasts, yet wish to be admired and believed by men, and contradict themselves by their own feelings--their nature, which is stronger than all, convincing them of the greatness of man more forcibly than reason convinces them of his baseness.”

Men Reason Feelings Wish Levels Human Nature Greatness Stronger Beast Convince Contempt Convincing Baseness Greatness Of Man

Author:Blaise Pascal

“Only the rare expands our minds, only as we shudder in the face of a new force do our feelings increase. Therefore the extraordinary is always the measure of all greatness. And the creative element always remains the value superior to all others and the mind superior to our minds.”

Mind Feelings Faces Values Force Creativity Creative Greatness Elements Increase Remains Extraordinary Superiors

Author:Stefan Zweig

“Instead of feeling a poverty when we encounter a great man, let us treat the new comer like a travelling geologist, who passes through our estate, and shows us good slate, or limestone, or anthracite, in our brush pasture.”

Men Shows Feelings Poverty Greatness Travel Treats Encounters Great Men Estates Brushes Slate Pastures Geologist Limestone

Book:Essays (Annotated Edition)

Source: Essays (Annotated Edition)

“Immediately upon the fall, the mind of man shrank from its primitive greatness and expandedness, to an exceeding smallness and contractedness... Before, his soul was under the government of the noble principles of divine love, whereby it was enlarged to the comprehensiveness of all his fellow creatures and their welfare... [But] sin, like some powerful astringent, contracted his soul to the very small dimensions of selfishness, and God was forsaken, and man retired within himself, and became totally governed by narrow and selfish principles and feelings.”

“The person who experiences greatness must have a feeling for the myth he is in.”

Persons Feelings Greatness Myth Pretension Sardonic

Book:DUNE

Source: DUNE

“Human relations are built on feeling, not on reason or knowledge. And feeling is not an exact science; like all spiritual qualities, it has the vagueness of greatness about it.”

Love Humans Reason Feelings Spiritual Spirit Spirituality Quality Greatness Built Relation Human Relations Vagueness Exact Sciences

Author:Amelia Barr

“Passing my motorcycle theory test gave me a disproportionate feeling of greatness.”

Feelings Greatness Theory Tests Passing Passings Motorcycle

Author:James McAvoy

“I believe that the first test of a great man is his humility. I don't mean by humility, doubt of his power. But really great men have a curious feeling that the greatness is not of them, but through them. And they see something divine in every other man and are endlessly, foolishly, incredibly merciful.”

Men Firsts Believe Mean Feelings I Believe Doubt Greatness Humility Divine Tests Curious Great Men Really Great Merciful

Author:John Ruskin

“The person who experiences greatness must have a feeling for the myth he is in. He must reflect what is projected upon him. And he must have a strong sense of the sardonic. This is what uncouples him from belief in his own pretensions. The sardonic is all that permits him to move within himself. Without this quality, even occasional greatness will destroy a man.”

Men Persons Feelings Moving Belief Strong Quality Greatness Myth Thrive Permit Occasional Pretension Sardonic

Book:DUNE

Source: DUNE

“I was sorry to have my name mentioned as one of the great authors, because they have a sad habit of dying off. Chaucer is dead, Spencer is dead, so is Milton, so is Shakespeare, and I’m not feeling so well myself.”

Wells Feelings Names Dying Greatness Habit Sorry Milton Great Author Chaucer

Author:Mark Twain

“Hank, this is great." "Yes." He said it simply, openly. There was no flattered pleasure in his voice, and no modesty. This, she knew, was a tribute to her, the rarest one person could pay another: the tribute of feeling free to acknowledge one's own greatness, knowing that it is understood.”

Persons Said Feelings Voice Pleasure Pay Knowing Greatness Understood Acknowledge Modesty Tribute Flattered

Book:Atlas Shrugged

Source: Atlas Shrugged

“We three belong to the Middle Ages. We have this need of heroism, and there is no place for such feelings in modern life. That is our tragedy. Once I wanted to be a saint. It seemed the only absolute act left to do, for what is most powerful in me is the craving for purity, greatness.”

Needs Feelings Age Wanted Three Left Powerful Modern Middle Greatness Tragedy Absolutes Saint Purity Most Powerful Heroism Craving Middle Ages Modern Life

Author:Anais Nin

“You can never become a great man or woman until you have overcome anxiety, worry, and fear. It is impossible for an anxious person, a worried one, or a fearful one to perceive truth; all things are distorted and thrown out of their proper relations by such mental states, and those who are in them cannot read the thoughts of God.”

Source: The Science of Being Great: Personal Self-Help Book of Wallace D. Wattles (Unabridged): From one of The New Thought pioneers, author of The Science of Getting Rich, The Science of Being Well, How to Get What You Want, Hellfire Harrison, How to Promote Yourself and A New Christ

“All greatness affects different minds, each in its own particular kind, and the variations of testimony mark the truth of feeling.”

Mind Kind Different Feelings Greatness Particular Mark Testimony Variation Different Minds

Book:Woman in the 19th century, and kindred papers relating to the sphere, condition, and duties of woman

Source: Woman in the 19th century, and kindred papers relating to the sphere, condition, and duties of woman

“Greatness is a transitory experience. It is never consistent. It depends in part upon the myth-making imagination of humankind. The person who experiences greatness must have a feeling for the myth he or she is in. That person must reflect what is projected upon him or her.”

Persons Feelings Imagination Greatness Depends Myth Consistent Humankind Pretension Transitory Sardonic

Author:Frank Herbert

“I see no greatness in my self...I'm a simple-minded, child-like, insipid sort of moronic and kind of akward feeling adolescent.”

Kind Children Self Feelings Simple Greatness Hipster Insipid

Author:Neal Cassady

“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.”

Art Feelings Peace Greatness Higher Harmony Range Endeavor True Greatness Peace Harmony

Author:Albert Einstein

“We all felt the majesty of the body. In a very short period of time we had seen something that was bigger than each of us. A lot of people, even those who were not religious, were reverent and attributed the success to God. As we saw the artificial heart beat in Dr. Clark, the feeling was not aren't we great, but aren't we small.”

People Heart God Feelings Body Success Felt Religious Saws Greatness Periods Beats Bigger Artificial Drs Science And Religion Majesty Heart Beat

Author:William DeVries

“Humility: The realization of our dependence on God. I have always had strong feelings about that word regardless of what anyone's background might be. One of the common denominators of greatness is acknowledging that dependence. As power comes from Charity, power also comes from knowing who you are, a divine offspring of a divine being.”