--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Greatness is telling the truth & being…" description: "\"Greatness is telling the truth & being courageous in pursuit of justice. The worst thing you could tell young people is to be successful but become wel..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f34/cornel-west-708_being-successful_greatness-is-telling-the-truth-being-cou_2464784.jpg" --- # Greatness is telling the truth & being courageous in… ![“Greatness is telling the truth & being courageous in pursuit of justice. The worst thing you could tell young people is to be successful but become well-adjusted to an unjust status quo as opposed to being great & being maladjusted to an unjust status quo.” quote by Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f34/cornel-west-708_being-successful_greatness-is-telling-the-truth-being-cou_2464784.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f34/cornel-west-708_being-successful_greatness-is-telling-the-truth-being-cou_2464784.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f34/cornel-west-708_being-successful_greatness-is-telling-the-truth-being-cou_2464784.jpg) > “Greatness is telling the truth & being courageous in pursuit of justice. The worst thing you could tell young people is to be successful but become well-adjusted to an unjust status quo as opposed to being great & being maladjusted to an unjust status quo.” [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Greatness requires truth‑telling and courage to challenge unjust systems, rather than comfortable conformity. **In simple terms:** Being great means confronting injustice. Key Takeaway Speak truth, act courageously. Themes justice truth courage greatness Mood determined serious Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - activism - education - community organizing - policy advocacy Key Concepts Moral integrity social responsibility ethical leadership Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance personal safety with confronting injustice? - What does “maladjusted” mean to you? A Different Perspective Courage alone may not change entrenched power structures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Being successful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-successful/) [Courageous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courageous/) [Greatness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatness/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Pursuit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pursuit/) [Pursuit of justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pursuit-of-justice/) [Social justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-justice/) [Status quo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/status-quo/) [Successful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successful/) [Telling the truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/telling-the-truth/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Worst things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worst-things/) [Young people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-people/) ## Related quotes > [We have a history of gender and racial bias on our court that continues to undermine the system. 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