--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The great would have none great and the…" description: "\"The great would have none great and the little all little.\" — George Herbert" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a3/george-herbert-107_littles_the-great-would-have-none-great-and-the_1200618.jpg" --- # The great would have none great and the little all little. ![“The great would have none great and the little all little.” quote by George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a3/george-herbert-107_littles_the-great-would-have-none-great-and-the_1200618.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a3/george-herbert-107_littles_the-great-would-have-none-great-and-the_1200618.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a3/george-herbert-107_littles_the-great-would-have-none-great-and-the_1200618.jpg) > “The great would have none great and the little all little.” [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. It warns that the powerful often deny greatness to others while keeping themselves modest, and the weak accept insignificance. **In simple terms:** Powerful deny greatness; weak accept insignificance. Key Takeaway Recognize and challenge such dynamics. Themes power humility social hierarchy self‑perception Mood reflective critical Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - political leadership - family dynamics - workplace - personal relationships Key Concepts authority self‑deception social conditioning Questions to Reflect On - How does this view affect your treatment of others? - Can modesty be a strength? A Different Perspective It may overlook genuine humility and the value of modesty. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great/) [Great Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-great-692978/) [Great Little](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-little-1349635/) [Little](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/little/) [Little Little](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/little-little-933172/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) ## Related quotes > [The great put the little on the hooke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/the-great-put-the-little-on-the-hooke/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [Nothing can be done except little by little.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nothing-can-be-done-except-little-by-little/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Oh, the little more, and how much it is! And the little less, and what worlds away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-browning/oh-the-little-more-and-how-much-it-is-and-the-little-less-and-what/) [Robert Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-browning/) > [Mankind is made great or little by its own will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-schiller/mankind-is-made-great-or-little-by-its-own-will/) [Friedrich Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-schiller/) > [He is truly great who is little in his own eyes and makes nothing of the highest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-kempis/he-is-truly-great-who-is-little-in-his-own-eyes-and-makes-nothing-of/) [Thomas a Kempis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-kempis/) > [Great cry little wool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sreenadh/great-cry-little-wool/) [Sreenadh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sreenadh/) > [Little things are great to little men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/little-things-are-great-to-little-men/) [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) > [True greatness consists in being great in little things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-simmons/true-greatness-consists-in-being-great-in-little-things/) [Charles Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-simmons/) > [The conformation of his mind was such that whatever was little seemed to him great, and whatever was great seemed to him little.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-b-macaulay/the-conformation-of-his-mind-was-such-that-whatever-was-little-seemed/) [Thomas B. Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-b-macaulay/) > [He is truly great that is little in himself, and that maketh no account of any height of honors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-kempis/he-is-truly-great-that-is-little-in-himself-and-that-maketh-no/) [Thomas a Kempis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-kempis/) > [Be as subjective as you want. It's a great little racket. I'm glad we found it actually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-labash/be-as-subjective-as-you-want-it-s-a-great-little-racket-i-m-glad-we/) [Matt Labash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-labash/) > [“If you knew how great your little dreams are, you wouldn’t let them die.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/if-you-knew-how-great-your-little-dreams-are-you-wouldn-t-let-them-die/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [All of us, the great and the little have need of each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop/all-of-us-the-great-and-the-little-have-need-of-each-other/) [Aesop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop/) > [“Whore or courtesan, she put on a great little show.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/whore-or-courtesan-she-put-on-a-great-little-show/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [Instead of showing up to let everyone know how great we are, show up to find out how great everyone else is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sinek/instead-of-showing-up-to-let-everyone-know-how-great-we-are-show-up/) [Simon Sinek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sinek/) ## More by George Herbert > [Sum up at night what thou hast done by day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/sum-up-at-night-what-thou-hast-done-by-day/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [Beare with evill, and expect good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/beare-with-evill-and-expect-good/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [ In the house of a Fidler, all fiddle. \[In the house of the fiddler all fiddle.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/in-the-house-of-a-fidler-all-fiddle-in-the-house-of-the-fiddler-all/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [By all means use some time to be alone, salute thyself, see what thy soul doth wear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/by-all-means-use-some-time-to-be-alone-salute-thyself-see-what-thy/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [Every one is weary, the poore in seeking, the rich in keeping, the good in learning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/every-one-is-weary-the-poore-in-seeking-the-rich-in-keeping-the-good/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [He is a great Necromancer, for he asks counsel counsell of the Dead (i.e. books).](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/he-is-a-great-necromancer-for-he-asks-counsel-counsell-of-the-dead-i/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [If all fooles had babies, wee should want fuell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/if-all-fooles-had-babies-wee-should-want-fuell/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [Weight justly and sell dearely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/weight-justly-and-sell-dearely/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [Could have recovered greenness?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/could-have-recovered-greenness/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [In every country dogges bite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/in-every-country-dogges-bite/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [The back-doore robs the house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/the-back-doore-robs-the-house/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [In cloths cheap handsomeness, doth bear the bell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/in-cloths-cheap-handsomeness-doth-bear-the-bell/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [Foolish tongues talke by the dozen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/foolish-tongues-talke-by-the-dozen/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [ Spectacles are deaths Harquebuze. \[Spectacles are death's arquebuse.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/spectacles-are-deaths-harquebuze-spectacles-are-death-s-arquebuse/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [None saies his Garner is full.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/none-saies-his-garner-is-full/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) [Explore all 1,285 George Herbert quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) ## More Great quotes > [It's always great to see old friends, especially those I have not been able to see in 15 months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-regal/it-s-always-great-to-see-old-friends-especially-those-i-have-not-been/) [William Regal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-regal/) > [You have to have a great director to make a great movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thelma-schoonmaker/you-have-to-have-a-great-director-to-make-a-great-movie/) [Thelma Schoonmaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thelma-schoonmaker/) > [Scepticism and cynicism about politics is so great that one of the best counters to it is what you can do at a local…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-miliband/scepticism-and-cynicism-about-politics-is-so-great-that-one-of-the/) [Ed Miliband](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-miliband/) > [I'm very proud of some of the stories I've been given thanks to the team at 'Emmerdale,' they've been great over the years so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelvin-fletcher/i-m-very-proud-of-some-of-the-stories-i-ve-been-given-thanks-to-the/) [Kelvin Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelvin-fletcher/) > [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/) [Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/) > [To me, Caribbean food is about fresh, seasonal produce - using what's in season to create vibrant and great tasting food. The spicing is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ainsley-harriott/to-me-caribbean-food-is-about-fresh-seasonal-produce-using-what-s-in/) [Ainsley Harriott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ainsley-harriott/) > [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/) [Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/) > [No matter how many great things you say about Jacques Pepin, there's always more. Through his books and videos, he taught me the importance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-kenji-lopez-alt/no-matter-how-many-great-things-you-say-about-jacques-pepin-there-s/) [J. Kenji Lopez-Alt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-kenji-lopez-alt/) > [I would have done well as a gypsy child, I think. A circus baby. I coulda played a great street urchin or ragamuffin. Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-lyonne/i-would-have-done-well-as-a-gypsy-child-i-think-a-circus-baby-i/) [Natasha Lyonne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-lyonne/) > [A lot of people have been saying 'The 100' reminds them of 'Lord Of The Flies,' 'Lost' and 'Battlestar Galactica,' and all of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-avgeropoulos/a-lot-of-people-have-been-saying-the-100-reminds-them-of-lord-of-the/) [Marie Avgeropoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-avgeropoulos/) > [I always bump into people that Ive met. Not great friends, but if I bump into somebody Ive known and I wont recognise them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dario-franchitti/i-always-bump-into-people-that-ive-met-not-great-friends-but-if-i/) [Dario Franchitti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dario-franchitti/) > [Performance matters because games are built on great performance, but form factor and energy efficiency matter incredibly because they want to build something that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jensen-huang/performance-matters-because-games-are-built-on-great-performance-but/) [Jensen Huang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jensen-huang/) > [I'm a lot of things, but none of them are great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-nelson/i-m-a-lot-of-things-but-none-of-them-are-great/) [Don Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-nelson/) > [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/) [Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/) > [I've always been a believer in research. It's great to have an instinctual human reaction to a character, too, of course, but it has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/i-ve-always-been-a-believer-in-research-it-s-great-to-have-an/) [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) [Browse all 24,273 Great quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The great would have none great and the little all little.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Herbert" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/the-great-would-have-none-great-and-the-little-all-little/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Great" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/the-great-would-have-none-great-and-the-little-all-little/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a3/george-herbert-107_littles_the-great-would-have-none-great-and-the_1200618.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a3/george-herbert-107_littles_the-great-would-have-none-great-and-the_1200618.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a3/george-herbert-107_littles_the-great-would-have-none-great-and-the_1200618.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The great would have none great and the little all little.” — George Herbert", "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": "George Herbert", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The great would have none great...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/the-great-would-have-none-great-and-the-little-all-little/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/the-great-would-have-none-great-and-the-little-all-little/#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 } } ] } ```