--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It takes no effort to be ordinary…" description: "\"It takes no effort to be ordinary. Ordinary is not even a challenge. You can do nothing and be ordinary.\" — Bernard Hopkins" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33c/bernard-hopkins-2692_can-do_it-takes-no-effort-to-be-ordinary-ordina_2070752.jpg" --- # It takes no effort to be ordinary. Ordinary is not even a… ![“It takes no effort to be ordinary. Ordinary is not even a challenge. You can do nothing and be ordinary.” quote by Bernard Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33c/bernard-hopkins-2692_can-do_it-takes-no-effort-to-be-ordinary-ordina_2070752.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33c/bernard-hopkins-2692_can-do_it-takes-no-effort-to-be-ordinary-ordina_2070752.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33c/bernard-hopkins-2692_can-do_it-takes-no-effort-to-be-ordinary-ordina_2070752.jpg) > “It takes no effort to be ordinary. Ordinary is not even a challenge. You can do nothing and be ordinary.” [Bernard Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-hopkins/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Ordinary effort yields ordinary results; striving for excellence requires purposeful effort and challenge. **In simple terms:** Being ordinary is easy; greatness needs effort. Key Takeaway Push beyond comfort to achieve more. Themes effort excellence challenge Mood motivational determined Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - career advancement - skill training - creative pursuits Key Concepts personal development goal setting Questions to Reflect On - What challenge will you set for yourself? - How does effort shape your identity? A Different Perspective Not everyone seeks greatness; some value simplicity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Challenges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenges/) [Effort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effort/) [Hard work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-work/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) ## Related quotes > [“We shouldn’t be ordinary; we should challenge ourselves and not just think inside the box. We should dare to be different and get out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlena-jackson/we-shouldn-t-be-ordinary-we-should-challenge-ourselves-and-not-just/) [Charlena Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlena-jackson/) > [...I think finding that room to make pictures that don't jump off the wall as, or detonate as dramatic, either in lighting or in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-sultan/i-think-finding-that-room-to-make-pictures-that-don-t-jump-off-the/) [Larry Sultan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-sultan/) > [“There's nothing ordinary about you. Nothing ordinary at all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-alire-s-enz/there-s-nothing-ordinary-about-you-nothing-ordinary-at-all/) [Benjamin Alire Sáenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/) > [You see yourself as very average, ordinary. And there is nothing ordinary about you, Rachel." (Something Borrowed)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/you-see-yourself-as-very-average-ordinary-and-there-is-nothing/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [You dont need to worry if people call you ordinary -- only if you are ordinary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/you-dont-need-to-worry-if-people-call-you-ordinary-only-if-you-are/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Do not try to be special. If you are simply ordinary, more ordinary than others, you will become extraordinary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaggi-vasudev/do-not-try-to-be-special-if-you-are-simply-ordinary-more-ordinary/) [Jaggi Vasudev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaggi-vasudev/) > [Music can be a distraction and an escape. Sometimes a welcome escape. You need it. But music can also serve a very important social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/music-can-be-a-distraction-and-an-escape-sometimes-a-welcome-escape/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [Most people can do extraordinary things if they have the confidence or take the risks. Yet most people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-adams/most-people-can-do-extraordinary-things-if-they-have-the-confidence/) [Phillip Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-adams/) > [The average ordinary citizen can do a lot of different things when it comes to the climate crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-bender/the-average-ordinary-citizen-can-do-a-lot-of-different-things-when-it/) [Lawrence Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-bender/) > [For war to man, like childbirth to women, is simplifying in its emotions and activities. All the real problems of life can be put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/for-war-to-man-like-childbirth-to-women-is-simplifying-in-its/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [ Music \[is\] the third rail of life. You grabbed it to shock yourself out of the dull drag of hours. To feel something. To… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/music-is-the-third-rail-of-life-you-grabbed-it-to-shock-yourself-out/) [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) > [My dream is to play ordinary characters. I have no interest in playing a pretty girl or an NRI girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sobhita-dhulipala/my-dream-is-to-play-ordinary-characters-i-have-no-interest-in-playing/) [Sobhita Dhulipala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sobhita-dhulipala/) > [When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked "What is a hero?" ...My answer was that a hero is someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/when-the-first-superman-movie-came-out-i-was-frequently-asked-what-is/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [Before you've seen it, and when you first see it, it is the greatest thing; afterwards, it is ordinary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/before-you-ve-seen-it-and-when-you-first-see-it-it-is-the-greatest/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [We could form a government of national unity fighting corruption. The ordinary Afghan is sick and tired of it, because it's she or he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashraf-ghani/we-could-form-a-government-of-national-unity-fighting-corruption-the/) [Ashraf Ghani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashraf-ghani/) ## More by Bernard Hopkins > [I avoid processed food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-hopkins/i-avoid-processed-food/) [Bernard Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-hopkins/) > [Ninety-nine percent of getting over a problem is mental.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-hopkins/ninety-nine-percent-of-getting-over-a-problem-is-mental/) [Bernard Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-hopkins/) > [I always not only want push the envelope in my career but I also have an itch for going against the grain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-hopkins/i-always-not-only-want-push-the-envelope-in-my-career-but-i-also-have/) [Bernard Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-hopkins/) > [I must destroy everybody that comes in front of me. I must execute them and I must do it in grand style. I must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-hopkins/i-must-destroy-everybody-that-comes-in-front-of-me-i-must-execute/) [Bernard Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-hopkins/) > [I don't rest in my business interests, I don't rest being a husband, I don't rest being a father, and I don't rest doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-hopkins/i-don-t-rest-in-my-business-interests-i-don-t-rest-being-a-husband-i/) [Bernard Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-hopkins/) > [We want to give you the roses when you're dead. That's how human beings think. I try not to think like a human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-hopkins/we-want-to-give-you-the-roses-when-you-re-dead-that-s-how-human/) [Bernard Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-hopkins/) > [I'm the guy still driving a Nissan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-hopkins/i-m-the-guy-still-driving-a-nissan/) [Bernard Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-hopkins/) > [Tavoris Cloud might actually be hungrier than me. How often do you hear a fighter say that his opponent is hungrier than he is?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-hopkins/tavoris-cloud-might-actually-be-hungrier-than-me-how-often-do-you/) [Bernard Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-hopkins/) > [I am an old man, I just happen to be an old man that can fight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-hopkins/i-am-an-old-man-i-just-happen-to-be-an-old-man-that-can-fight/) [Bernard Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-hopkins/) > [There's more to life than having things: a Rolls-Royce, a big house, bling bling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-hopkins/there-s-more-to-life-than-having-things-a-rolls-royce-a-big-house/) [Bernard Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-hopkins/) > [I do much less sparring and always with the purpose of working on something in particular.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-hopkins/i-do-much-less-sparring-and-always-with-the-purpose-of-working-on/) [Bernard Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-hopkins/) > [If your car takes 95 and you put 87 in it, it's gonna run sluggish, right? A lot of people don't realize what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-hopkins/if-your-car-takes-95-and-you-put-87-in-it-it-s-gonna-run-sluggish/) [Bernard Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-hopkins/) > [You look at De La Hoya, and you think that he is an actor or a singer. I'd like to rearrange a couple of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-hopkins/you-look-at-de-la-hoya-and-you-think-that-he-is-an-actor-or-a-singer/) [Bernard Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-hopkins/) > [The streets was basically my parents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-hopkins/the-streets-was-basically-my-parents/) [Bernard Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-hopkins/) > [Money is great, but history is something that you can never get rid of and act like it didn't happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-hopkins/money-is-great-but-history-is-something-that-you-can-never-get-rid-of/) [Bernard Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-hopkins/) [Explore all 154 Bernard Hopkins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-hopkins/) ## More Can do quotes > [Changes before your eyes, things you can do and things you can't. My attitude is always let it keep rolling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terrence-malick/changes-before-your-eyes-things-you-can-do-and-things-you-can-t-my/) [Terrence Malick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terrence-malick/) > [The happy medium is television. And if you find a good suitor, you can do it for years. With movies, you roll the dice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-campbell/the-happy-medium-is-television-and-if-you-find-a-good-suitor-you-can/) [Bruce Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-campbell/) > [If I had a million dollars, I just wouldn't just completely set back. I'd have to get out there and show my face to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muddy-waters/if-i-had-a-million-dollars-i-just-wouldn-t-just-completely-set-back-i/) [Muddy Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muddy-waters/) > [Anybody can be Prince Charming one day a year, with the dinner and the flowers and all that. But you know what impresses me?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-howard/anybody-can-be-prince-charming-one-day-a-year-with-the-dinner-and-the/) [Ryan Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-howard/) > [And if the mind thinks with a believing attitude one can do amazing things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/and-if-the-mind-thinks-with-a-believing-attitude-one-can-do-amazing/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [The amount of things you can do with a kettlebell is unsurpassed by any other training equipment - dumbbells, resistance machines, free weights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laird-hamilton/the-amount-of-things-you-can-do-with-a-kettlebell-is-unsurpassed-by/) [Laird Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laird-hamilton/) > [It's nice when you've done enough movies that you can do your own anthology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lithgow/it-s-nice-when-you-ve-done-enough-movies-that-you-can-do-your-own/) [John Lithgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lithgow/) > [If people don't have their own vision, all they can do is 'sign-up' for someone else's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-senge/if-people-don-t-have-their-own-vision-all-they-can-do-is-sign-up-for/) [Peter Senge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-senge/) > [The one thing that flies in the face of all human history and experience, is that the government can do a superior job than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cook/the-one-thing-that-flies-in-the-face-of-all-human-history-and/) [James Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cook/) > [...what I can do is offer myself, wholehearted and present, to walk with the people I love through the fear and the mess. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/what-i-can-do-is-offer-myself-wholehearted-and-present-to-walk-with/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [Whether that's speaking up in your job or asking for a promotion or saying, 'I think I can do that.' Using your voice in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-shriver/whether-that-s-speaking-up-in-your-job-or-asking-for-a-promotion-or/) [Maria Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-shriver/) > [The average ordinary citizen can do a lot of different things when it comes to the climate crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-bender/the-average-ordinary-citizen-can-do-a-lot-of-different-things-when-it/) [Lawrence Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-bender/) > [A professional is a man who can do his job when he doesn't feel like it. An amateur is a man who can't do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agate/a-professional-is-a-man-who-can-do-his-job-when-he-doesn-t-feel-like/) [James Agate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agate/) > [The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, as it pleases him, for he can do all things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/the-lord-gives-and-the-lord-takes-away-as-it-pleases-him-for-he-can/) [Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/) > [I'm not an educated man. I only know what I'm told, and I'm not told that much; I have no frame of reference for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-james-keenan/i-m-not-an-educated-man-i-only-know-what-i-m-told-and-i-m-not-told/) [Maynard James Keenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-james-keenan/) Browse all 5,673 Can do quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It takes no effort to be ordinary. Ordinary is not even a challenge. 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