--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Mediocre men wait for opportunity to come…" description: "\"Mediocre men wait for opportunity to come to them. Strong, able, alert men go after opportunity.\" — B. C. Forbes" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e6/b-c-forbes-2124_able_mediocre-men-wait-for-opportunity-to-com_2234012.jpg" --- # Mediocre men wait for opportunity to come to them. Strong… ![“Mediocre men wait for opportunity to come to them. Strong, able, alert men go after opportunity.” quote by B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e6/b-c-forbes-2124_able_mediocre-men-wait-for-opportunity-to-com_2234012.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e6/b-c-forbes-2124_able_mediocre-men-wait-for-opportunity-to-com_2234012.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e6/b-c-forbes-2124_able_mediocre-men-wait-for-opportunity-to-com_2234012.jpg) > “Mediocre men wait for opportunity to come to them. Strong, able, alert men go after opportunity.” [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Contrasts passive waiting with proactive pursuit, urging individuals to actively seek and create opportunities. **In simple terms:** Don’t wait; go after chances. Key Takeaway Take initiative. Themes initiative opportunity proactivity self‑reliance Mood determined inspirational pragmatic Type advice philosophical motivational When to use this quote - job search - networking - skill building - business startups Key Concepts entrepreneurship career development personal growth Questions to Reflect On - What opportunity will you create this week? - How do you evaluate risks? A Different Perspective Not all opportunities are equally beneficial; discernment needed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Able](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) [Alert Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alert-men-5036162/) [Greatness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatness/) [Mediocre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mediocre/) [Mediocre Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mediocre-men-308390/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Men Opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-opportunity-3140764/) [Men Wait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-wait-1302418/) [Opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunity/) [Opportunity Come](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunity-come-555738/) [Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strong/) [Waiting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waiting/) ## Related quotes > [Mediocre men often have the most acquired knowledge. It is in the darker. It is in the darker regions of science that great men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-bernard/mediocre-men-often-have-the-most-acquired-knowledge-it-is-in-the/) [Claude Bernard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-bernard/) > [Tragic paradox of freedom: the mediocre men who alone make its exercise possible cannot guarantee its duration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emile-m-cioran/tragic-paradox-of-freedom-the-mediocre-men-who-alone-make-its/) [Emile M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emile-m-cioran/) > [Mediocre men sometimes fear great office, and when they do not aim at it, or when they refuse it, all that is to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/mediocre-men-sometimes-fear-great-office-and-when-they-do-not-aim-at/) [Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/) > [“Major Major had been born too late and too mediocre. Some men are born mediocre, some men achieve mediocrity, and some men have mediocrity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/major-major-had-been-born-too-late-and-too-mediocre-some-men-are-born/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) > [If you're an extraordinarily gifted woman, the door is open. What women are fighting for is the right to be as mediocre as men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-hartigan/if-you-re-an-extraordinarily-gifted-woman-the-door-is-open-what-women/) [Grace Hartigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-hartigan/) > [Women want mediocre men, and men are working hard to be as mediocre as possible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/women-want-mediocre-men-and-men-are-working-hard-to-be-as-mediocre-as/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [Professors of literature, who for the most part are genteel but mediocre men, can make but a poor defense of their profession, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvor-winters/professors-of-literature-who-for-the-most-part-are-genteel-but/) [Yvor Winters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvor-winters/) > [A generation ago there were a thousand men to every opportunity, while today there are a thousand opportunities to every man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford-ii/a-generation-ago-there-were-a-thousand-men-to-every-opportunity-while/) [Henry Ford II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford-ii/) > [The office of government is not to confer happiness, but to give men the opportunity to work out happiness for themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ellery-channing/the-office-of-government-is-not-to-confer-happiness-but-to-give-men/) [William Ellery Channing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ellery-channing/) > [Young black men had an opportunity to make money that they had never made before, so why not be flashy? I'm not mad at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/styles-p/young-black-men-had-an-opportunity-to-make-money-that-they-had-never/) [Styles P](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/styles-p/) > [The world does not owe men a living, but business, if it is to fulfill its ideal, owes men an opportunity to earn a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-d-young/the-world-does-not-owe-men-a-living-but-business-if-it-is-to-fulfill/) [Owen D. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-d-young/) > [Great men wait for the right moment to abandon caution. The rest of us abandon it when impatience becomes too much for us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/great-men-wait-for-the-right-moment-to-abandon-caution-the-rest-of-us/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [It is men who wait to be selected, and not those who seek, from whom we may expect the most efficient service.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulysses-s-grant/it-is-men-who-wait-to-be-selected-and-not-those-who-seek-from-whom-we/) [Ulysses S. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulysses-s-grant/) > [I would rather play with 10 men than wait for a player who is late for the bus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-mourinho/i-would-rather-play-with-10-men-than-wait-for-a-player-who-is-late/) [Jose Mourinho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-mourinho/) > [Time and tide will wait for no man, saith the adage. But all men have to wait for time and tide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/time-and-tide-will-wait-for-no-man-saith-the-adage-but-all-men-have/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) ## More by B. C. Forbes > [Our future and our fate lie in our wills more than in our hands, for our hands are but the instruments of our wills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/our-future-and-our-fate-lie-in-our-wills-more-than-in-our-hands-for/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [What one thing does the world need most today-apart, that is, from the all-inclusive thing we call righteousness? Aren't you inclined to agree that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/what-one-thing-does-the-world-need-most-today-apart-that-is-from-the/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [Are soft-hearted people handicapped in business? You have heard a businessman say of someone else, He's all right, but he's too soft-hearted… To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/are-soft-hearted-people-handicapped-in-business-you-have-heard-a/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [Search and you will find that at the base and birth of every great business organization was an enthusiast, man consumed with earnestness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/search-and-you-will-find-that-at-the-base-and-birth-of-every-great/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [A big business man was telling Henry Ford about a coach driver of super-expertness with his whip. The driver was telling how he could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/a-big-business-man-was-telling-henry-ford-about-a-coach-driver-of/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [Better to be occasionally cheated than perpetually suspicious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/better-to-be-occasionally-cheated-than-perpetually-suspicious/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [Honesty pays dividends both in dollars and in peace of mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/honesty-pays-dividends-both-in-dollars-and-in-peace-of-mind/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [Timing is everything. Tell me how a young man spends his evenings and I will tell you how far he is likely to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/timing-is-everything-tell-me-how-a-young-man-spends-his-evenings-and/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [To succeed, we must have the will to succeed, we must have stamina, determination, backbone, perseverance, self-reliance, and faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/to-succeed-we-must-have-the-will-to-succeed-we-must-have-stamina/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [There are two brands of discontent: the brand that merely fosters greed and snarling and back-biting, and the brand that inspires greater and greater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/there-are-two-brands-of-discontent-the-brand-that-merely-fosters/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [Which class is happiest, the rich, the middle class or the poor? A very successful executive of a large organization touches upon this vital…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/which-class-is-happiest-the-rich-the-middle-class-or-the-poor-a-very/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [Are your desires purely selfish? Do your tastes run to a grand home, automobiles, fine clothes, an abundance of amusements, and so forth? If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/are-your-desires-purely-selfish-do-your-tastes-run-to-a-grand-home/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [When you delve deep enough, you find that practically every great fortune and great enterprise in America have sprung from the courageous enterprise of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/when-you-delve-deep-enough-you-find-that-practically-every-great/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [It can be set down as a broad, general principle that we cannot indulge in idleness and abundance during both the first and second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/it-can-be-set-down-as-a-broad-general-principle-that-we-cannot/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [The Christmas spirit brings home to us-or should bring home to us-the profound Biblical truth that it is more blessed to give than to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/the-christmas-spirit-brings-home-to-us-or-should-bring-home-to-us-the/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) [Explore all 184 B. C. Forbes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) ## More Able quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/) [Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/) > [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/) [Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/) > [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/) [Greg Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-perry/) > [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/) [Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/) > [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) [Browse all 17,257 Able quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Mediocre men wait for opportunity to come to them. Strong, able, alert men go after opportunity.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "B. C. Forbes" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/mediocre-men-wait-for-opportunity-to-come-to-them-strong-able-alert/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Able" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/mediocre-men-wait-for-opportunity-to-come-to-them-strong-able-alert/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e6/b-c-forbes-2124_able_mediocre-men-wait-for-opportunity-to-com_2234012.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e6/b-c-forbes-2124_able_mediocre-men-wait-for-opportunity-to-com_2234012.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e6/b-c-forbes-2124_able_mediocre-men-wait-for-opportunity-to-com_2234012.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Mediocre men wait for opportunity to come to them. Strong, able, alert men go after opportunity.” — B. C. Forbes", "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": "B. C. Forbes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Mediocre men wait for opportunity to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/mediocre-men-wait-for-opportunity-to-come-to-them-strong-able-alert/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/mediocre-men-wait-for-opportunity-to-come-to-them-strong-able-alert/#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 } } ] } ```