--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He who makes great demands upon himself…" description: "\"He who makes great demands upon himself is naturally inclined to make great demands on others.\" — Andre Gide" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f2/andre-gide-790_demand_he-who-makes-great-demands-upon-himself_1853096.png" --- # He who makes great demands upon himself is naturally… ![“He who makes great demands upon himself is naturally inclined to make great demands on others.” quote by Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f2/andre-gide-790_demand_he-who-makes-great-demands-upon-himself_1853096.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f2/andre-gide-790_demand_he-who-makes-great-demands-upon-himself_1853096.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f2/andre-gide-790_demand_he-who-makes-great-demands-upon-himself_1853096.png) > “He who makes great demands upon himself is naturally inclined to make great demands on others.” [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Demanding high standards of oneself tends to extend those expectations to others. **In simple terms:** High self‑expectations affect how we treat others. Key Takeaway Set realistic expectations for yourself and others. Themes self‑expectation leadership relationships Mood thoughtful serious Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - team management - personal development - coaching - conflict resolution Key Concepts psychology ethics Questions to Reflect On - Do you balance personal standards with empathy? - How do you adjust expectations for different people? A Different Perspective Excessive demands can cause burnout or resentment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Demand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demand/) [Demands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demands/) [Demands Naturally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demands-naturally-1335545/) [Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [Great Demands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-demands-2152524/) [Greatness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatness/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Make Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-great/) [Naturally Inclined](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/naturally-inclined-2445641/) ## Related quotes > [The writing I do makes great demands on translators.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-g-sebald/the-writing-i-do-makes-great-demands-on-translators/) [W. G. Sebald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-g-sebald/) > [If the role demands it, then naturally I will remove my clothes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-andress/if-the-role-demands-it-then-naturally-i-will-remove-my-clothes/) [Ursula Andress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-andress/) > [I've tried to take roles with great demands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annette-bening/i-ve-tried-to-take-roles-with-great-demands/) [Annette Bening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annette-bening/) > [We distinguish the excellent man from the common man by saying that the former is the one who makes great demands on himself, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/we-distinguish-the-excellent-man-from-the-common-man-by-saying-that/) [Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/) > [What thwarts us and demands of us the greatest effort is also what can teach us most.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/what-thwarts-us-and-demands-of-us-the-greatest-effort-is-also-what/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [I guess I've always just been naturally inclined to tell stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wyck-godfrey/i-guess-i-ve-always-just-been-naturally-inclined-to-tell-stories/) [Wyck Godfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wyck-godfrey/) > [I'm naturally inclined to have sex with every beautiful woman I see. But that doesn't mean it's the right thing to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/i-m-naturally-inclined-to-have-sex-with-every-beautiful-woman-i-see/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [I have been naturally inclined towards mountains, trees, flowers, and rivers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruskin-bond/i-have-been-naturally-inclined-towards-mountains-trees-flowers-and/) [Ruskin Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruskin-bond/) > [At my age, you are naturally inclined towards teaching.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-levine/at-my-age-you-are-naturally-inclined-towards-teaching/) [James Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-levine/) > [We also call upon the king to hand over power to the political parties and for the political parties to shoulder their responsibility and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-adam-ereli/we-also-call-upon-the-king-to-hand-over-power-to-the-political/) [Joseph Adam Ereli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-adam-ereli/) > [Might does not make right, but right demands that those who hold to it should defend it with all their might.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-alexander-leighton/might-does-not-make-right-but-right-demands-that-those-who-hold-to-it/) [Joseph Alexander Leighton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-alexander-leighton/) > [Patience is a most necessary qualification for business; many a man would rather you heard his story than granted his request. One must seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-vaughan/patience-is-a-most-necessary-qualification-for-business-many-a-man/) [Bill Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-vaughan/) > [“The vision of life is not a "discovery"; it's a "work" and whatever position you occupy demands work. Your life may not be built…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/the-vision-of-life-is-not-a-discovery-it-s-a-work-and-whatever/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [She was seriously in love, but she never made demands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/she-was-seriously-in-love-but-she-never-made-demands/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [The best are led to make greater demands upon themselves. As for those who succumb, they did not deserve to survive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-best-are-led-to-make-greater-demands-upon-themselves-as-for-those/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) ## More by Andre Gide > [Without mysticism man can achieve nothing great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/without-mysticism-man-can-achieve-nothing-great/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [“The things one feels are different about oneself are the things that are rare, that give each person their value - and these are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/the-things-one-feels-are-different-about-oneself-are-the-things-that/) [André Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [I believe that in every circumstance I have been able to see rather clearly the most advantageous course I could follow, which is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/i-believe-that-in-every-circumstance-i-have-been-able-to-see-rather/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [Know thyself. A maxim as pernicious as it is ugly. Whoever studies himself arrest his own development. A caterpillar who seeks to know himself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/know-thyself-a-maxim-as-pernicious-as-it-is-ugly-whoever-studies/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [“There is a germ of revolt lying in the spirit of inquiry and critical curiosity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/there-is-a-germ-of-revolt-lying-in-the-spirit-of-inquiry-and-critical/) [André Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [Oh, would that my mind could let fall its dead ideas, as the tree does its withered leaves!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/oh-would-that-my-mind-could-let-fall-its-dead-ideas-as-the-tree-does/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [God lies ahead. I convince myself and constantly repeat to myself that: He depends on us. It is through us that God is achieved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/god-lies-ahead-i-convince-myself-and-constantly-repeat-to-myself-that/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [“Welcome everything that comes to you, but do not long for anything else.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/welcome-everything-that-comes-to-you-but-do-not-long-for-anything-else/) [André Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [There are many things that seem impossible only so long as one does not attempt them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/there-are-many-things-that-seem-impossible-only-so-long-as-one-does/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [Envying another man's happiness is madness; you wouldn't know what to do with it if you had it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/envying-another-man-s-happiness-is-madness-you-wouldn-t-know-what-to/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [So long as we live among men, let us cherish humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/so-long-as-we-live-among-men-let-us-cherish-humanity/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [It is one of life's laws that as soon as one door closes another opens. But the tragedy is we look at the closed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/it-is-one-of-life-s-laws-that-as-soon-as-one-door-closes-another/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [“What would a narrative of happiness be like? All that can be described is what prepares it, and then what destroys it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/what-would-a-narrative-of-happiness-be-like-all-that-can-be-described/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [It is with noble sentiments that bad literature gets written.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/it-is-with-noble-sentiments-that-bad-literature-gets-written/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [“C'est dans l'extraordinaire que je me sens le plus naturel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/c-est-dans-l-extraordinaire-que-je-me-sens-le-plus-naturel/) [André Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) [Explore all 304 Andre Gide quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) ## More Demand quotes > [Our times demand the declaration of the world's resources as the common heritage of all people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/our-times-demand-the-declaration-of-the-world-s-resources-as-the/) [Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/) > [Parents who are stressed or disturbed will have more difficulty in meeting their children's needs. Parents who have little support--from friends, relatives, neighbors, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-kamerman/parents-who-are-stressed-or-disturbed-will-have-more-difficulty-in/) [Sheila Kamerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-kamerman/) > [If a person does not listen to the demands of their own spiritual and heart life and insists on a certain program, you're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/if-a-person-does-not-listen-to-the-demands-of-their-own-spiritual-and/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [Empires fall, ids explode, great symphonies are written, and behind all of it is a single instinct that demands satisfaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/empires-fall-ids-explode-great-symphonies-are-written-and-behind-all/) [Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/) > [My dogs can't do anything--and what a relief. I don't make any demands of them, and I don't try to shape them or their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-chua/my-dogs-can-t-do-anything-and-what-a-relief-i-don-t-make-any-demands/) [Amy Chua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-chua/) > [The trouble is. . .that everybody sneers at restrictions and demands freedom, till something annoying happens; then they demand angrily what has become of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/the-trouble-is-that-everybody-sneers-at-restrictions-and-demands/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [You be greater than your feelings. I don't demand this of you - life does. Otherwise you'll be washed away by feelings. You'll be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/you-be-greater-than-your-feelings-i-don-t-demand-this-of-you-life/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [Christianity does not oppose debauchery and uncontrollable passions and the like as much as it opposes... flat mediocrity, this nauseating atmosphere, this homey, civil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/christianity-does-not-oppose-debauchery-and-uncontrollable-passions/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [It is an interesting law of romance that a truly strong woman will choose a strong man who disagrees with her over a weak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-is-an-interesting-law-of-romance-that-a-truly-strong-woman-will/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [If we get better our customers will demand we get bigger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-truett-cathy/if-we-get-better-our-customers-will-demand-we-get-bigger/) [S. Truett Cathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-truett-cathy/) > [If our faith in God is not the veriest sham, it demands, and will produce, the abandonment sometimes, the subordination always, of external helps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-maclaren/if-our-faith-in-god-is-not-the-veriest-sham-it-demands-and-will/) [Alexander MacLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-maclaren/) > [Money should be ones demand and command one should not become slave of money..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/money-should-be-ones-demand-and-command-one-should-not-become-slave/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [There was no mistake in us making abortion legal and available on demand. That was what we call progress. Just like it was no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/there-was-no-mistake-in-us-making-abortion-legal-and-available-on/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) > [Most enjoyable activities are not natural; they demand an effort that initially one is reluctant to make. But once the interaction starts to provide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/most-enjoyable-activities-are-not-natural-they-demand-an-effort-that/) [Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/) > [Azerbaijan unleashed the war, and was defeated in that war; Azerbaijan asked for truce (including from the Commander of Karabakh's forces) and later started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serzh-sargsyan/azerbaijan-unleashed-the-war-and-was-defeated-in-that-war-azerbaijan/) [Serzh Sargsyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serzh-sargsyan/) [Browse all 3,809 Demand quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demand/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "He who makes great demands upon himself is naturally inclined to make great demands on others.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Andre Gide" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/he-who-makes-great-demands-upon-himself-is-naturally-inclined-to-make/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Demand" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/he-who-makes-great-demands-upon-himself-is-naturally-inclined-to-make/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f2/andre-gide-790_demand_he-who-makes-great-demands-upon-himself_1853096.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f2/andre-gide-790_demand_he-who-makes-great-demands-upon-himself_1853096.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f2/andre-gide-790_demand_he-who-makes-great-demands-upon-himself_1853096.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“He who makes great demands upon himself is naturally inclined to make great demands on others.” — Andre Gide", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Andre Gide", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "He who makes great demands upon...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/he-who-makes-great-demands-upon-himself-is-naturally-inclined-to-make/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/he-who-makes-great-demands-upon-himself-is-naturally-inclined-to-make/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```