101+ Greatness Quotes To Push You To Be Your Best Self

Georgia Stone
Dec 12, 2023 By Georgia Stone
Originally Published on Feb 10, 2021
Find true greatness quotes here.

Greatness consists of having a genuine desire and a good purpose, it is not a one time battle, but a lifelong habit.

Being great is not about ego or selfishness, but the ability to believe in yourself. It comes from chasing your aspirations with consistency to get you closer to your dreams.

Greatness is achieved when you reach heights you once only dreamt of. To achieve greatness, the ideal time to start is right now. Using ambition, desire and drive, along with these 101 greatness inspirational quotes, we believe that you can inspire greatness yourself.

So, what are you waiting for? Inspire greatness in yourself and others with these achieving greatness quotes to live by! For more powerful quotes, check out these 'Women Who Run With The Wolves' quotes and worth quotes that will boost your motivation.

Inspirational Quotes About Greatness

You can be the change and inspire greatness. Have no fear of greatness, it doesn't matter how many times you have failed, it is all about how many times you have got back up.

Believe in yourself and never give up; this is how you will walk the path to greatness to achieve it. Have a look at some famous greatness inspirational quotes from great personalities to inspire greatness in you!

This list includes the best quote ever about greatness, from William Shakespeare: "Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them.” Check it out!

1. “Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them.”

― William Shakespeare, 'Twelfth Night'.

2. “Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.”

― Albert Einstein.

3. "You can't cost-cut your way to greatness."

- Ruth Porat.

4. “To be great is to be misunderstood.”

― Ralph Waldo Emerson, 'Self-Reliance And Other Essays'.

5. “Great leaders can see the greatness in others when they can’t see it themselves and lead them to their highest potential they don’t even know.”

― Roy T. Bennett, 'The Light In The Heart'.

6."Great men are not born great, they grow great"

― Mario Puzo.

7. “Success isn’t always about greatness. It’s about consistency. Consistent hard work leads to success. Greatness will come.”

— Dwayne Johnson.

8.  “The price of greatness is responsibility.”

— Winston Churchill.

9. “To achieve greatness one should live as if they will never die.”

—François de La Rochefoucauld.

10. “You must expect great things of yourself before you can do them.”

—Michael Jordan.

11. “Great thoughts speak only to the thoughtful mind, but great actions speak to all mankind.”

—Theodore Roosevelt.

12. “You were designed for accomplishment, engineered for success, and endowed with the seeds of greatness.”

—Zig Ziglar.

13.  “No man is truly great who is great only in his lifetime. The test of greatness is the page of history.”

—William Hazlitt.

14. "Discover the traits that makes you great and develop those to become all you can be."

— Demond Jackson.

15. "The seeds of greatness are ideas you learn from people who've been great in their service to others."

- Denis Waitley

16. "Greatness is attainable. Greatness is multiple small achievements built over a period of time."

— Lee David Daniels

17. "Nothing can hold you back from your great desires, dreams and aspirations as fear of failure."

—Donald Allen, 'The Art Of Goal Setting For Beginners'.

18. "Overcome your fear of failure, so it doesn't stop you from achieving greatness."

—Matthew Turner, 'The Successful Mistake'.

19. “Don’t let yesterday take up too much of today.”

– Will Rogers.

20. "We become what we expect to become. Greatness can be achieved only if we expect it from ourselves and from others!"

—James Ericson.

21. "It is a rough road that leads to the heights of greatness."

—Lucius Annaeus Seneca.

22. "'Desiderata' is one good example of a poem which will provide you with inspiration to achieve greatness in life. "

—Ashley Rosebloom.

23. “Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another stepping stone to greatness.”

— Oprah Winfrey.

24. “Big dreams create the magic that stir men’s souls to greatness.”

—Bill McCartney.

25. “If we cannot see the possibility of greatness, how can we dream it?”

—Lee Strasberg.

26. "It is a rough road that leads to the heights of greatness."

—Lucius Annaeus Seneca.

27. "There is no greatness where there is no simplicity, goodness and truth."

—Leo Tolstoy.

28. "The greatness of art is not to find what is common but what is unique."

—Isaac Bashevis Singer.

29. "The contemporary form of true greatness lies in a civilization founded on the spirituality of work."

—Simone Weil.

30. "True greatness consists in being great in little things."

—Charles Simmons.

Being Afraid Of Failure And Striving For Greatness Quotes

If achieving your dreams was an easy task, everybody would do it. Inspire greatness within yourself with these powerful quotes. Why not have a look at this list of the best strive for greatness quotes to overcome failure, inspire greatness and achieve personal greatness?

31. “Failure is success if we learn from it.”

— Malcolm Forbes.

32.  “It's failure that gives you the proper perspective on success.”

– Ellen DeGeneres.

33. “Those who dare to fail miserably can achieve greatly.”

– John F. Kennedy.

34. "When we give ourselves permission to fail, we, at the same time, give ourselves permission to excel."

– Eloise Ristad.

35. "Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor."

– Truman Capote.

36. "You have to be able to accept failure to get better."

– Lebron James.

37. "Failure is an option here. If things are not failing, you’re not innovating enough."

– Elon Musk.

38. “Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough.”

Og Mandino.

39. "You are not the only one who has failed. Many others have lost. In fact, some of them have managed to do great things because of their share of failures and losses."

– Jeffrey Lehman.

40. "I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work."

– Thomas A. Edison.

41. "Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit."

— Napoleon Hill.

42. "Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently."

— Henry Ford.

43. "In a world that’s changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is to not taking risks."

— Mark Zuckerberg.

44. "Victory has a hundred fathers, but failure is an orphan."

— John F. Kennedy.

45. “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better.”

– Samuel Beckett.

46. "In any case, you must not confuse a single failure with a final defeat."

—F. Scott Fitzgerald.

47. "If you set your goals ridiculously high and it’s a failure, you will fail above everyone else’s success."

—James Cameron.

48. “There is no failure except in no longer trying.”

―Elbert Hubbard.

49. "You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don’t try."

—Beverly Sills.

50. "There is no failure. Only feedback."

—Robert Allen.

51. "To achieve great things we must live as if we were never going to die."

—Marquis de Vauvenargues.

52. "If at first you don’t succeed, get a bigger hammer."

—Alan Lewis.

Famous Inspirational Quotes On Never Giving Up

If you want to inspire greatness in your own life, you should read this list of uplifting and powerful quotes. Listed here are some best inspirational quotes that will encourage you to stay strong, achieve your goals and dream of greatness.

These quotes were spoken by people who were destined for greatness and did not quit.

It is hard to define greatness, but the most important thing to know is to never give up on your goals, if you want to reach greatness. Here are a few famous greatness quotes for those who expect greatness in their life.

53. “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”

―Nelson Mandela.

54. “Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.”

―Dale Carnegie.

55. “If you fall behind, run faster. Never give up, never surrender, and rise up against the odds.”

Jesse Jackson.

56. “Successful men and women keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don’t quit.”

―Conrad Hilton.

57. “Giving up is the only sure way to fail.”

― Gena Showalter.

58. “Winners never quit, and quitters never win.”

―Vince Lombardi.

59. “It’s perseverance that’s the key. It’s persevering for long enough to achieve your potential.”

– Lynn Davies.

60. “It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.”

– Albert Einstein.

61. “People do not decide to become extraordinary. They decide to accomplish extraordinary things.”

—Edmund Hillary.

62. “Don’t brood. Get on with living and loving. You don’t have forever.”

– Leo Buscaglia.

63. “Don’t close the book when bad things happen in your life! Just turn the page and start a new chapter!”

– LaToya Jackson.

64. “It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop.”

– Confucius.

65. “You’re a fighter. Look at everything you’ve overcome. Don’t give up now.”

– Olivia Benson.

66. “I was taught the way of progress is neither swift nor easy.”

– Marie Curie.

67. “No one has the power to shatter your dreams unless you give it to them.”

– Maeve Greyson.

68. “There’s nothing I can really do but keep going out there and swinging.”

– Freddie Freeman.

69. “Nothing could be worse than the fear that one had given up too soon, and left one unexpended effort that might have saved the world.”

Jane Addams.

70. “Never stop trying. Never stop believing. Never give up. Your day will come.”

– Mandy Hale.

71. “In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins - not through strength but by perseverance.”

– H. Jackson Brown.

72. “To be a champ, you have to believe in yourself when nobody else will.”

– Sugar Ray Robinson.

73. "It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed."

―Theodore Roosevelt.

74.  “There is no substitute for hard work. Never give up. Never stop believing. Never stop fighting.”

— Hope Hicks.

75. “Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent.”

— Marilyn Vos Savant.

76. “Survival can be summed up in three words — never give up. That’s the heart of it, really. Just keep trying.”

– Bear Grylls.

Inspirational Quotes About Achieving Success

Success. We all want it in some way, either in our professional or personal life. In order to achieve it, you need a mindset of greatness. Here we have listed some quotations on greatness from people who have walked the path of success.  

77. “For success, attitude is equally as important as ability.”

– Harry F. Banks.

78. "Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it."

- Henry David Thoreau.

79. “The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes.”

– Benjamin Disraeli.

80. “I attribute my success to this: I never gave or took any excuse.”

– Florence Nightingale.

81. "Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning."

Benjamin Franklin.

82. “Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.”

– Stephen King.

83. “The best revenge is massive success.”

– Frank Sinatra.

84. “Action is the foundational key to all success.”

– Pablo Picasso.

85. “Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.”

— Albert Einstein.

86. “If people did not do silly things, nothing intelligent would ever get done.”

– Ludwig Wittgenstein.

87. “Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day-in and day-out.”

– Robert Collier.

88. “What seems to us as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise.”

– Oscar Wilde.

Powerful Greatness Quotes About Seizing Opportunities

Opportunities are everywhere, we just have to take efforts and seize the opportunity. These inspirational quotes will inspire you and push your confidence to dive in for every opportunity like it is the last one.

89. “Jumping at several small opportunities may get us there more quickly than waiting for one big one to come along.”

— Hugh Allen.

90. “Great moments are born from great opportunity.”

Herb Brooks.

91. “We will never be able to recognize opportunities if we first don’t recognize all that we have and all that we’ve been given.”

— Joel Osteen.

92. "Opportunities don't happen. You create them."

— Chris Grosser.

93. If a window of opportunity appears, don't pull down the shade.

— Tom Peters.

94. If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door.

— Milton Berle.

95. “If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you are not sure you can do it, say yes — then learn how to do it later.”

— Richard Branson.

96. "The reward for work well done is the opportunity to do more."

Jonas Salk.

97. “Success is where preparation and opportunity meet.”

— Bobby Unser.

98. “Mediocrity will never do. You are capable of something better.”

—Gordon B. Hinckley.

99. "It has been a difficult road this year, but still I look at every day as a new opportunity."

— Michael Chang.

100. "The secret of success is to be ready when your opportunity comes."

— Benjamin Disraeli.

101. "You can only become great at that thing you’re willing to sacrifice for."

-Maya Angelou.

At Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly quotes for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for famous quotes that inspire greatness, then why not take a look at these [you are beautiful quotes], or tribe quotes for more inspirational quotes?

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Written by Georgia Stone

Bachelor of Arts specializing in French with Film Studies, Bachelor of Arts (Year Abroad) specializing in Literature, History, Language, Media, and Art

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Georgia StoneBachelor of Arts specializing in French with Film Studies, Bachelor of Arts (Year Abroad) specializing in Literature, History, Language, Media, and Art

Georgia is an experienced Content Manager with a degree in French and Film Studies from King's College London and Bachelors degree from Université Paris-Sorbonne. Her passion for exploring the world and experiencing different cultures was sparked during her childhood in Switzerland and her year abroad in Paris. In her spare time, Georgia enjoys using London's excellent travel connections to explore further afield.

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