Quotes about Greatness

Arrogance isn’t great.

“Anyone can get lucky. There’s no skill in being oblivious, and no one would consider that greatness. On the other hand, the person who perseveres through difficulties, who keeps going when others quit, who makes it to their destination through hard work and honesty? That’s admirable, because their survival was the result of fortitude and resilience, not birthright or circumstance. A person who overcame not just the external obstacles to success but mastered themselves and their emotions along the way? That’s much more impressive. The person who has been dealt a harder hand, understood it, but still triumphed? That’s greatness.”
Ryan Holiday, The Daily Stoic (Page 278)

“As you grow older you will find that your desires are never really fulfilled. In fulfillment there is always the shadow of frustration, and in your heart there is not a song but a cry. The desire to become—to become a great man, a great saint, a great this or that—has no end and therefore no fulfillment; its demand is ever for the ‘more,’ and such desire always breeds agony, misery, wars. But when one is free of all desire to become, there is a state of being whose action is totally different. It is. That which is has no time. It does not think in terms of fulfillment. Its very being is in its fulfillment.”
J. Krishnamurti, Think On These Things, via Sunbeams (Page 46)

Simone Biles Quote on Work Ethic and How Greatness Requires More Of You

“Everything I do is in the gym so I’m always in gym clothes.”
Simone Biles

Beyond the Quote (Day 370)

Gymnasts perform some of the most incredible feats humanly possible. The ability to hold an iron cross; to twist multiple times through the air as they leap from a high bar to a low bar; to flip multiple times on floor routines and to watch them stick insane landings—they truly are some of the most impressive athletes in the world. And you better believe that every flip, twist, and landing is hard earned—never given.

Charles De Gaulle Quote on Being Great Only If We Are Determined To Be So

“Nothing great will ever be achieved without great men, and men are great only if they are determined to be so.”
Charles De Gaulle

Beyond the Quote (322/365)

To be great, at the very least—as a bottom-line minimum requirement—you have to decide to be great. And you can’t just want to be great—it has to be a decision. Deciding and wanting are not one and the same. To decide is to have made up your mind. It means you’ve reviewed all of the alternative options and consequences in your head and you’ve come to a conclusion. It represents a clear starting point that can be followed with clear and aligning actions.

“What separates great players from all-time great players is their ability to self-assess, diagnose weaknesses, and turn those flaws into strengths.”
Kobe Bryant, Mamba Mentality (Page 197)

“For some people, I guess, it might be hard to stay sharp once you’ve reached the pinnacle. Not for me, though. It was never enough. I always wanted to be better, wanted more. I can’t really explain it, other than that I loved the game but had a very short memory. That fueled me until the day I hung up my sneakers.”
Kobe Bryant, Mamba Mentality (Page 125)

“I never felt outside pressure. I knew what I wanted to accomplish, and I knew how much work it took to achieve those goals. I then put in the work and trusted in it. Besides, the expectations I placed on myself were higher than what anyone expected from me.”
Kobe Bryant, Mamba Mentality (Page 98)

“The OG greats won’t hang around you if you don’t display the same passion as they do. They won’t share their time and memories with you if you don’t display the same effort and drive for excellence that they did. Even though I was only 17 when I became a Laker, I felt like a member of the family from day one. I think I was accepted so quickly because everyone saw how hard I worked, saw how badly I wanted to fulfill my destiny and return L.A. to its championship ways.”
Kobe Bryant, Mamba Mentality (Page 91)

“You have to work hard in the dark to shine in the light. Meaning: It takes a lot of work to be successful, and people will celebrate that success, will celebrate that flash and hype. Behind that hype, though, is dedication, focus, and seriousness—all of which outsiders will never see. If you stop being dedicated to the craft, the commercials and contracts will all fade away.”
Kobe Bryant, Mamba Mentality (Page 59)

“There’s a fine balance between obsessing about your craft and being there for your family. It’s akin to walking a tightrope. Your legs are shaky and you’re trying to find your center. Whenever you lean too far in one direction, you correct your course and end up overleaning in the other direction. So, you correct by leaning the other way again. That’s the dance. You can’t achieve greatness by walking a straight line.”
Kobe Bryant, Mamba Mentality (Page 33)

“Greatness isn’t easy to achieve. It requires a lot of time, a lot of sacrifices. It requires a lot of tough choices. It requires your loved ones to sacrifice, too, so you have to have an understanding circle of family and friends. People don’t always understand just how much effort from how many people goes into one person chasing a dream to be great.”
Kobe Bryant, Mamba Mentality (Page 33)

“If you really want to be great at something, you have to truly care about it. If you want to be great in a particular area, you have to obsess over it. A lot of people say they want to be great, but they’re not willing to make the sacrifices necessary to achieve greatness. They have other concerns, whether important or not, and they spread themselves out. That’s totally fine. After all, greatness is not for everybody.”
Kobe Bryant, Mamba Mentality (Page 33)

The Mamba Mentality [Book]

By: Kobe Bryant

From this Book: 24 Quotes

Book Overview: In the wake of his retirement from professional basketball, Kobe “The Black Mamba” Bryant decided to share his vast knowledge and understanding of the game to take readers on an unprecedented journey to the core of the legendary “Mamba mentality.” Citing an obligation and an opportunity to teach young players, hardcore fans, and devoted students of the game how to play it “the right way,” The Mamba Mentality takes us inside the mind of one of the most intelligent, analytical, and creative basketball players ever. In his own words, Bryant reveals his famously detailed approach and the steps he took to prepare mentally and physically to not just succeed at the game, but to excel. Readers will learn how Bryant studied an opponent, how he channeled his passion for the game, how he played through injuries. They’ll also get fascinating granular detail as he breaks down specific plays and match-ups from throughout his career.

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Post(s) Inspired by This Book:

24 Motivating Kobe Bryant Quotes from The Mamba Mentality on Work Ethic, Mindset, and Greatness
Kobe Bryant Quote on Keeping Calm and Centered in Basketball and in Life (Beyond the Quote 226/365)
Kobe Bryant Quote on Work Ethic and How He Stuck To His Routine Even On The Busiest Days (Beyond the Quote 217/365)

Kevin Kelly Quote on Creating and How To Take Creations from Being “Good” to “Great”

“To make something good, just do it. To make something great, just re-do it, re-do it, re-do it. The secret to making fine things is in remaking them.”
Kevin Kelly, Blog

Beyond the Quote (210/365)

The rough draft is never as good as the final copy. The first rendition is never as smooth as the final production. The initial prototype never functions as well as the end-stage product. In each of these cases, what’s the difference between the former and the latter? The re-doing. Re-doing doesn’t have to mean starting from scratch with each of your creations either—although it could be that. Rather, it’s more of an emphasis on constant and never-ending refinement.

“I believe it’s true that the difference between great people and everyone else is that great people create their lives actively, while everyone else is created by their lives, passively waiting to see where life takes them next. The difference between the two is the difference between living fully and just existing. The difference between the two is living intentionally and living by accident.”
Michael Gerber, The E-Myth Revisited (Page 139)

“Great people have a vision of their lives that they practice emulating each and every day. They go to work on their lives, not just in their lives. Their lives are spent living out the vision they have of their future, in the present. They compare what they’ve done with what they intended to do. And where there’s a disparity between the two, they don’t wait very long to make up the difference.”
Michael Gerber, The E-Myth Revisited (Page 139)

“The best way to get the attention and respect of exceptional people is to do exceptional work. Like attracts like.”
James Clear, Blog

“Patience is for the long term; speed is for the short term. The pressure that build between the two produces the diamond.” ~ Gary Vaynerchuk, Crushing It

Seth Godin Quote on Making The Decision To Excel

“The universal truth is beyond question – the only people who excel are those who have decided to do so.” ~ Seth Godin

Beyond the Quote (36/365)

Excelling is optional. And so is the opposite. The path of least resistance is the path most people decide to follow. Why wouldn’t that be the case? Naturally, we are lazy creatures. We’re wired to conserve energy—both by expending less (moving less) and storing more (fat on your body)—so that we don’t starve to death if we can’t get more food. These were critical adaptations that were made over the course of our existence as humans that kept us alive during harsh periods of existence.