---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The great man fights the elements in his…"
description: "\"The great man fights the elements in his time that hinder his own greatness, in other words his own freedom and sincerity.\" — Friedrich Nietzsche"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f93/friedrich-nietzsche-15_elements_the-great-man-fights-the-elements-in-his_1304005.jpg"
---

#  The great man fights the elements in his time that hinder…

![“The great man fights the elements in his time that hinder his own greatness, in other words his own freedom and sincerity.” quote by Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f93/friedrich-nietzsche-15_elements_the-great-man-fights-the-elements-in-his_1304005.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f93/friedrich-nietzsche-15_elements_the-great-man-fights-the-elements-in-his_1304005.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f93/friedrich-nietzsche-15_elements_the-great-man-fights-the-elements-in-his_1304005.jpg)

> “The great man fights the elements in his time that hinder his own greatness, in other words his own freedom and sincerity.”

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Great individuals confront the challenges of their era that impede their own growth, freedom, and honesty.

**In simple terms:** Greatness faces era‑specific obstacles.

Key Takeaway

Overcome societal constraints to be authentic.

Themes

greatness freedom integrity

Mood

determined serious

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- leadership development
- social reform
- personal growth

Key Concepts

existentialism psychology history

Questions to Reflect On

- What societal forces limit your potential?
- How can you maintain sincerity amid pressure?

A Different Perspective

Resistance can be overwhelming.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Elements](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elements/) [Great man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-man/) [Great men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-men/) [Greatness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatness/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Sincerity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sincerity/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/)

## Related quotes

> [School has no task more important than to teach strict thought, cautious judgment, and logical conclusions, hence it must pay no attention to what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/school-has-no-task-more-important-than-to-teach-strict-thought/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“The man who fights for his ideals is the man who is alive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-man-who-fights-for-his-ideals-is-the-man-who-is-alive/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [A wise man fights to win, but he is twice a fool who has no plan for possible defeat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/a-wise-man-fights-to-win-but-he-is-twice-a-fool-who-has-no-plan-for/)

[Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/)

> [Heaven help the man who fights his fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-loggins/heaven-help-the-man-who-fights-his-fear/)

[Kenny Loggins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-loggins/)

> [A man who fights for coin is loyal only to his purse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-man-who-fights-for-coin-is-loyal-only-to-his-purse/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [A good man fights for himself. A great man fights for everyone else](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/a-good-man-fights-for-himself-a-great-man-fights-for-everyone-else/)

[Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/)

> [If a man fights his adversaries, he's called determined. If a woman does it, she's frustrated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-peterson/if-a-man-fights-his-adversaries-he-s-called-determined-if-a-woman/)

[Esther Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-peterson/)

> [The man who fights against his own country is never a hero.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/the-man-who-fights-against-his-own-country-is-never-a-hero/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

> [The man who fights for his ideals is alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/the-man-who-fights-for-his-ideals-is-alive/)

[Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/)

> [When a king sets himself to bandy against the highest court and residence of all regal powers, he then, in the single person of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/when-a-king-sets-himself-to-bandy-against-the-highest-court-and/)

[John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/)

> [Remembering that the man who always fights one more round is never whipped.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-j-corbett/remembering-that-the-man-who-always-fights-one-more-round-is-never/)

[James J. Corbett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-j-corbett/)

> [The real hero is the man who fights even though he is scared.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-s-patton/the-real-hero-is-the-man-who-fights-even-though-he-is-scared/)

[George S. Patton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-s-patton/)

> [“A man who fights for his dream suffers far more when something doesn’t go well, because he cannot use the famous excuse: “oh, well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/a-man-who-fights-for-his-dream-suffers-far-more-when-something-doesn/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [But a true champion, face to face with his darkest hour, will do whatever it takes to rise above. A man fights, and fights,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-powers/but-a-true-champion-face-to-face-with-his-darkest-hour-will-do/)

[Kenny Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-powers/)

> [ I admire a man who fights a battle against opposition, and if there wasn't something about \[Reverend\] Galamison that the people, I notice that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/i-admire-a-man-who-fights-a-battle-against-opposition-and-if-there/)

[Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/)

## More by Friedrich Nietzsche

> [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“Every select man strives instinctively for a citadel and a privacy, where he is FREE from the crowd, the many, the majority-- where he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/every-select-man-strives-instinctively-for-a-citadel-and-a-privacy/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“It breaks my heart. Better than your words, your eye tells me all your peril. You are not yet free, you still search for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-breaks-my-heart-better-than-your-words-your-eye-tells-me-all-your/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“79. A soul which knows that it is loved, but does not itself love, betrays its sediment: its dregs come up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/79-a-soul-which-knows-that-it-is-loved-but-does-not-itself-love/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [We deceive ourselves when giving respect to the person for whom we have surrendered ourselves, when we respectively expect them to be as we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/we-deceive-ourselves-when-giving-respect-to-the-person-for-whom-we/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“The great periods of our life occur when we gain the courage to rechristen what is bad about us as what is best.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-great-periods-of-our-life-occur-when-we-gain-the-courage-to/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“What is life? Life - that is: continually shedding something that wants to die. Life - that is: being cruel and inexorable against everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/what-is-life-life-that-is-continually-shedding-something-that-wants/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [It is thus only this personal feeling of misery that we get rid of by acts of pity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-is-thus-only-this-personal-feeling-of-misery-that-we-get-rid-of-by/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“Writers whose thoughts are expressed with clarity and precision are assumed by readers to be superficial. Where the meaning is obscured, then readers give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/writers-whose-thoughts-are-expressed-with-clarity-and-precision-are/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“he does not wear a twitching, mobile, human face, but rather a mask, as it were, with its features in dignified equilibrium; he does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/he-does-not-wear-a-twitching-mobile-human-face-but-rather-a-mask-as/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [Chastity is a virtue with some, but with many it is almost a vice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/chastity-is-a-virtue-with-some-but-with-many-it-is-almost-a-vice/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [The earth is like the breasts of a woman: useful as well as pleasing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-earth-is-like-the-breasts-of-a-woman-useful-as-well-as-pleasing/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“Of all that is written I love only what a man has written in his own blood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/of-all-that-is-written-i-love-only-what-a-man-has-written-in-his-own/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [No shepherd and one herd! Everybody wants the same, everybody is the same: whoever feels different goes voluntarily into a madhouse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/no-shepherd-and-one-herd-everybody-wants-the-same-everybody-is-the/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [Pain makes hens and poets cackle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/pain-makes-hens-and-poets-cackle/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

[Explore all 3,486 Friedrich Nietzsche quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

## More Elements quotes

> [My team and I have reunited two elements that coexist with diffiulty: respect and affection, because when they love you they don't respect you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shakira/my-team-and-i-have-reunited-two-elements-that-coexist-with-diffiulty/)

[Shakira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shakira/)

> [I was in high school and I had an independent album out, and we kept sending that out, and I was doing shows. No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-hilton/i-was-in-high-school-and-i-had-an-independent-album-out-and-we-kept/)

[Tyler Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-hilton/)

> [I do think that theater is a great venue for science fiction, and not just adaptations but also original work. I also think some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-einhorn/i-do-think-that-theater-is-a-great-venue-for-science-fiction-and-not/)

Edward Einhorn

> [I avoided nudity unless a film couldn't be told without those scenes. If you look at my films, few of them have that element,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-scacchi/i-avoided-nudity-unless-a-film-couldn-t-be-told-without-those-scenes/)

[Greta Scacchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-scacchi/)

> [I have always been fascinated by the supernatural elements in stories, whether fairy tales, myths, film or literature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trudi-canavan/i-have-always-been-fascinated-by-the-supernatural-elements-in-stories/)

[Trudi Canavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trudi-canavan/)

> [Geometry, which should only obey Physics, when united with it sometimes commands it. If it happens that the question which we wish to examine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/geometry-which-should-only-obey-physics-when-united-with-it-sometimes/)

[Jean le Rond d'Alembert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/)

> [I find in working always the disturbing intrusion of elements not a part of my most interested vision, and the inevitable obliteration and replacement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hopper/i-find-in-working-always-the-disturbing-intrusion-of-elements-not-a/)

[Edward Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hopper/)

> [Music and language are a vital element. We, as actors and directors, offer it to people who want to experience it. Sometimes the actual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-branagh/music-and-language-are-a-vital-element-we-as-actors-and-directors/)

[Kenneth Branagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-branagh/)

> [Intelligence is a separate gift, for the benefit of students, so that they may think of themselves as intellectual and not very intelligent, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/intelligence-is-a-separate-gift-for-the-benefit-of-students-so-that/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [I don't think that writing, real writing, has much to do with affirming belief--if anything it causes rifts and gaps in belief which make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-evenson/i-don-t-think-that-writing-real-writing-has-much-to-do-with-affirming/)

[Brian Evenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-evenson/)

> [The proliferation of right-to-carry laws throughout the states has drawn plaintive complaints from the criminal element. They feel that it makes their profession too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-cooper/the-proliferation-of-right-to-carry-laws-throughout-the-states-has/)

[Jeff Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-cooper/)

> [To me, the most important elements in a theatre are the actors and the texts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naseeruddin-shah/to-me-the-most-important-elements-in-a-theatre-are-the-actors-and-the/)

[Naseeruddin Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naseeruddin-shah/)

> [Two elements are needed to form a truth - a fact and an abstraction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/remy-de-gourmont/two-elements-are-needed-to-form-a-truth-a-fact-and-an-abstraction/)

[Remy de Gourmont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/remy-de-gourmont/)

> [In America there is not one single element of civilization that is not made to depend, in the end, upon public opinion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/in-america-there-is-not-one-single-element-of-civilization-that-is/)

[Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/)

> [Most of us think of pride as self-centeredness, conceit, boastfulness, arrogance, or haughtiness. All of these are elements of the sin, but the heart,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/most-of-us-think-of-pride-as-self-centeredness-conceit-boastfulness/)

[Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/)

[Browse all 3,647 Elements quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elements/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The great man fights the elements in his time that hinder his own greatness, in other words his own freedom and sincerity.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Friedrich Nietzsche"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-great-man-fights-the-elements-in-his-time-that-hinder-his-own/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Elements"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-great-man-fights-the-elements-in-his-time-that-hinder-his-own/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f93/friedrich-nietzsche-15_elements_the-great-man-fights-the-elements-in-his_1304005.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f93/friedrich-nietzsche-15_elements_the-great-man-fights-the-elements-in-his_1304005.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f93/friedrich-nietzsche-15_elements_the-great-man-fights-the-elements-in-his_1304005.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The great man fights the elements in his time that hinder his own greatness, in other words his own freedom…” — Friedrich Nietzsche",
                "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": "Friedrich Nietzsche",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The great man fights the elements...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-great-man-fights-the-elements-in-his-time-that-hinder-his-own/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-great-man-fights-the-elements-in-his-time-that-hinder-his-own/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
