Arrogance Quote by Bob Dylan
“Some people are called to be a good sailor. Some people have a calling to be a good tiller of the land. Some people are called to be a good friend. You have to be the best at whatever you are called at. Whatever you do. You ought to be the best at it – highly skilled. It's about confidence, not arrogance. You have to know that you're the best whether anybody else tells you that or not. And that you'll be around, in one way or another, longer than anybody else. Somewhere inside of you, you have to believe that.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: Creative Calling, 1970
Encourages mastering one's vocation with confidence, not arrogance, and believing in lasting impact.
In simple terms: Be the best at your calling, stay confident.
Key Takeaway
Pursue excellence and self‑belief.
Themes
self‑development
confidence
mastery
Mood
inspirational
thoughtful
Type
philosophical
motivational
When to use this quote
- career planning
- mentorship
- personal reflection
Key Concepts
skill acquisition
personal growth
identity formation
Questions to Reflect On
- What does mastery mean to you?
- How do you balance confidence with humility?
A Different Perspective
Overconfidence can blind one to growth opportunities.
![“Perhaps no order of mammals presents us with so extraordinary a series of gradations as this [step by step, from humans to apes to monkeys to lemurs] - leading us insensibly from the crown and summit of the animal creation down to creatures, from which there is but a step, as it seems, to the…” quote by Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f0b/thomas-huxley-1183_animal_perhaps-no-order-of-mammals-presents-us_3051.jpg)
