--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Make no little plans; they have no magic…" description: "\"“Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood. —Daniel Burnham”\" — Erik Larson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c0/erik-larson-1710_inspirational_make-no-little-plans-they-have-no-magic_2427684.png" --- # Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men’s… ![“Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood. —Daniel Burnham” quote by Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c0/erik-larson-1710_inspirational_make-no-little-plans-they-have-no-magic_2427684.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c0/erik-larson-1710_inspirational_make-no-little-plans-they-have-no-magic_2427684.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c0/erik-larson-1710_inspirational_make-no-little-plans-they-have-no-magic_2427684.png) > ““Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood. —Daniel Burnham”” [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Grand visions require bold, ambitious plans that inspire and mobilize people. **In simple terms:** Big plans inspire people. Key Takeaway Think big, act boldly. Themes vision inspiration leadership Mood energetic determined Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - city development projects - entrepreneurial ventures - political campaigns - community initiatives Key Concepts urban planning grand design motivation Questions to Reflect On - What bold plan could you pursue? - How do you balance ambition with feasibility? A Different Perspective Overly grand plans can ignore practical constraints and resources. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) ## Related quotes > [“An artist, he paints with lakes and wooded slopes, with lawns and banks and forest-covered hills." — Daniel Burnham talking about Frederick Law Olmstead”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/an-artist-he-paints-with-lakes-and-wooded-slopes-with-lawns-and-banks/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [“Burnham’s frequent admonition: “Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood.” Burnham”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/burnham-s-frequent-admonition-make-no-little-plans-they-have-no-magic/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/make-no-little-plans-they-have-no-magic-to-stir-men-s-blood/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Make no small plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-burnham/make-no-small-plans-they-have-no-magic-to-stir-men-s-blood/) [Daniel Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-burnham/) > [Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood and probably themselves will not be realized.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-burnham/make-no-little-plans-they-have-no-magic-to-stir-men-s-blood-and/) [Daniel Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-burnham/) > [“Make no little plans,” he urged. “They have no magic to stir men’s blood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-nasht/make-no-little-plans-he-urged-they-have-no-magic-to-stir-men-s-blood/) Simon Nasht > [“I will be on the look out for you, my dear girl," he wrote. "You must expect to give yourself up when you come."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/i-will-be-on-the-look-out-for-you-my-dear-girl-he-wrote-you-must/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [“I find it all infinitely sad, but at the same time so entrancing, that I often feel as if it would be the part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/i-find-it-all-infinitely-sad-but-at-the-same-time-so-entrancing-that/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [Bo Burnham is great, he's a genius.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-gass/bo-burnham-is-great-he-s-a-genius/) [Kyle Gass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-gass/) > [“Congress displayed contempt for the city's residents, yet it retained a fondness for buildings and parks. In 1900, the centennial of the federal government's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-m-schrag/congress-displayed-contempt-for-the-city-s-residents-yet-it-retained/) Zachary M. Schrag > [“Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood and probably themselves will not be realized. Make big plans; aim high…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-miller/make-no-little-plans-they-have-no-magic-to-stir-men-s-blood-and-2/) [Dan Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-miller/) > [Do not make small goals because they do not have the magic to stir men's souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-w-kimball/do-not-make-small-goals-because-they-do-not-have-the-magic-to-stir/) [Spencer W. Kimball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-w-kimball/) > [Big dreams create the magic that stir men's souls to greatness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mccartney/big-dreams-create-the-magic-that-stir-men-s-souls-to-greatness/) [Bill McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mccartney/) > [“Make no small plans; they have no magic to stir men’s souls. President Spencer W. Kimball”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-catherine-thomas/make-no-small-plans-they-have-no-magic-to-stir-men-s-souls-president/) M. Catherine Thomas > [“Make no small plans. They have no magic to stir men's souls.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-w-kimball/make-no-small-plans-they-have-no-magic-to-stir-men-s-souls/) [Spencer W. Kimball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-w-kimball/) ## More by Erik Larson > [I've heard from the movie marketplace that James Cameron did such a killer job with 'Titanic' that it's almost impossible to do anything better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/i-ve-heard-from-the-movie-marketplace-that-james-cameron-did-such-a/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [As a rule, I am very skeptical of tying books to anniversaries. I don't think readers care. I also feel that it just about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/as-a-rule-i-am-very-skeptical-of-tying-books-to-anniversaries-i-don-t/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [“look as if they had been plucked from the Palace of Versailles or a Jacobean mansion—that you were aboard a ship being propelled far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/look-as-if-they-had-been-plucked-from-the-palace-of-versailles-or-a/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [That's what I love about history - nuance. I don't believe in unalloyed heroes. Everyone's got warts, and everyone's got a surprise side.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/that-s-what-i-love-about-history-nuance-i-don-t-believe-in-unalloyed/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [“Holmes was charming and gracious, but something about him made Belknap uneasy. He could not have defined it. Indeed, for the next several decades…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/holmes-was-charming-and-gracious-but-something-about-him-made-belknap/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [. . . why some men choose to fill their brief allotment of time engaging the impossible, others in the manufacture of sorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/why-some-men-choose-to-fill-their-brief-allotment-of-time-engaging/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [“At present," he said, "I am responsible for conveying my associates to a place called Chicago. I understand it is somewhere in the hinterland.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/at-present-he-said-i-am-responsible-for-conveying-my-associates-to-a/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [I knew from an online search that the Wisconsin State Historical Society, on the vast University of Wisconsin campus, held the papers of Sigrid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/i-knew-from-an-online-search-that-the-wisconsin-state-historical/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [Dodd continued to hope that the murders would so outrage the German public that the regime would fall, but as the days passed he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/dodd-continued-to-hope-that-the-murders-would-so-outrage-the-german/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [I envy other writers who claim to have a backlog of books they'd like to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/i-envy-other-writers-who-claim-to-have-a-backlog-of-books-they-d-like/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [Trying to find ideas is the hardest part of my job. You'd think it would be the most fun. Just sitting around reading whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/trying-to-find-ideas-is-the-hardest-part-of-my-job-you-d-think-it/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [“Her blind endorsement of Hitler’s regime first faded to a kind of sympathetic skepticism, but as summer approached,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/her-blind-endorsement-of-hitler-s-regime-first-faded-to-a-kind-of/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [“Perhaps, Herr Ditzen, it is less important where one lives than how one lives.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/perhaps-herr-ditzen-it-is-less-important-where-one-lives-than-how-one/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [I figured, correctly, that Berlin in February was not a destination coveted by tourists. I found good airfares on Lufthansa, an airline I quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/i-figured-correctly-that-berlin-in-february-was-not-a-destination/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [“It was truly a transitional moment: There he was, at the cusp of the twentieth century, using the telephone to send a telegram.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/it-was-truly-a-transitional-moment-there-he-was-at-the-cusp-of-the/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) [Explore all 214 Erik Larson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) ## More Inspirational quotes > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We talk to God--that is prayer; God talks to us--that is inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-emilie-cady/we-talk-to-god-that-is-prayer-god-talks-to-us-that-is-inspiration/) [H. Emilie Cady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-emilie-cady/) > [You cant be controlling in improv.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-walsh/you-cant-be-controlling-in-improv/) [Matt Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-walsh/) > [The man who can master his time can master nearly anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-man-who-can-master-his-time-can-master-nearly-anything/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Just understand that the good that you want is already here. All you have to do is get in harmony with it. And you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/just-understand-that-the-good-that-you-want-is-already-here-all-you/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/if-you-want-to-build-a-ship-don-t-drum-up-the-men-to-gather-wood/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [Obviously, if you don't love life, you can't enjoy an oyster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-clark/obviously-if-you-don-t-love-life-you-can-t-enjoy-an-oyster/) [Eleanor Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-clark/) > [It's not the method, it's the mindset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-gilbert/it-s-not-the-method-it-s-the-mindset/) [Andy Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-gilbert/) > [It's a hard thing to describe. It's just this sense that you got something to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/it-s-a-hard-thing-to-describe-it-s-just-this-sense-that-you-got/) [Jonah Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lehrer/) > [Too much familiarity breeds contempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/too-much-familiarity-breeds-contempt/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [We never really perceive what color is physically!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-albers/we-never-really-perceive-what-color-is-physically/) [Josef Albers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-albers/) > [Politics is not an issue whether you like or dislike , but every citizen must involve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khem-veasna/politics-is-not-an-issue-whether-you-like-or-dislike-but-every/) [Khem Veasna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khem-veasna/) > [God reveals Himself through surprises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/god-reveals-himself-through-surprises/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) [Browse all 114,561 Inspirational quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood. —Daniel Burnham”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Erik Larson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/make-no-little-plans-they-have-no-magic-to-stir-men-s-blood-daniel/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Inspirational" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/make-no-little-plans-they-have-no-magic-to-stir-men-s-blood-daniel/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c0/erik-larson-1710_inspirational_make-no-little-plans-they-have-no-magic_2427684.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c0/erik-larson-1710_inspirational_make-no-little-plans-they-have-no-magic_2427684.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c0/erik-larson-1710_inspirational_make-no-little-plans-they-have-no-magic_2427684.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood. —Daniel Burnham” — Erik Larson", "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": "Erik Larson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Make no little plans; they have...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/make-no-little-plans-they-have-no-magic-to-stir-men-s-blood-daniel/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/make-no-little-plans-they-have-no-magic-to-stir-men-s-blood-daniel/#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 } } ] } ```