--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What are the qualities of human greatness…" description: "\"“What are the qualities of human greatness that create history? Every time, if we think far enough, it is an ability to look through the confusion of t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/555/jane-adams-110200_history_what-are-the-qualities-of-human-greatnes_2169529.jpg" --- # What are the qualities of human greatness that create… ![“What are the qualities of human greatness that create history? Every time, if we think far enough, it is an ability to look through the confusion of the moment and see the moral issue involved; it is a refusal to allow a fundamental sense of justice to be distorted; it is the ability to listen to…” quote by Jane Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/555/jane-adams-110200_history_what-are-the-qualities-of-human-greatnes_2169529.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/555/jane-adams-110200_history_what-are-the-qualities-of-human-greatnes_2169529.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/555/jane-adams-110200_history_what-are-the-qualities-of-human-greatnes_2169529.jpg) > ““What are the qualities of human greatness that create history? Every time, if we think far enough, it is an ability to look through the confusion of the moment and see the moral issue involved; it is a refusal to allow a fundamental sense of justice to be distorted; it is the ability to listen to the voice of conscience until conscience becomes a trumpet call to like-minded people, so that they gather together around each other, with mutual purpose and mutual aid, and make a new period in history.”” Jane Adams ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Greatness lies in moral clarity, justice, listening to conscience, and collective purpose that shapes history. **In simple terms:** Moral clarity and shared purpose drive historic change. Key Takeaway Cultivate conscience‑driven action. Themes greatness history justice conscience collective purpose Mood inspirational thoughtful Type Conscience:1 History:1 Mutual aid:1 Nature of man:1 Time:1 Create History:1 Qualities Human:1 Moment Moral:1 Conscience Conscience:1 Conscience Trumpet:1 When to use this quote - political activism - community organizing - ethical decision‑making Key Concepts ethical leadership moral vision social cohesion Questions to Reflect On - What moral issue demands your attention now? - How can you turn conscience into collective action? A Different Perspective Over‑idealizing consensus can ignore dissent. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conscience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscience/) [Create History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/create-history/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Mutual aid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mutual-aid/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [What is a great man who has made his mark upon history? Every time, if we think far enough, he is a man who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-addams/what-is-a-great-man-who-has-made-his-mark-upon-history-every-time-if/) [Jane Addams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-addams/) > [Now, I'm an atheist. I really don't believe for a moment that our moral sense comes from a god.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/now-i-m-an-atheist-i-really-don-t-believe-for-a-moment-that-our-moral/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [The man who acts never has any conscience; no one has any conscience but the man who thinks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/the-man-who-acts-never-has-any-conscience-no-one-has-any-conscience/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [We must imagine our lives well. We must engage our conscience. Conscience is the voice of God in the nature and heart of man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-kasischke/we-must-imagine-our-lives-well-we-must-engage-our-conscience/) [Laura Kasischke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-kasischke/) > [Sin begins in thought, which is the intimation of conscience. So, if the conscience holds sin, then its thoughts shall be evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-mohammed-taha/sin-begins-in-thought-which-is-the-intimation-of-conscience-so-if-the/) Mahmoud Mohammed Taha > [You have a conscience, and a conscience is a valuable attribute, but not if it begins to make you think you were to blame…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/you-have-a-conscience-and-a-conscience-is-a-valuable-attribute-but/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [But what of the voice and judgment of conscience? The difficulty is that we have a conscience behind our conscience, an intellectual one behind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-brandes/but-what-of-the-voice-and-judgment-of-conscience-the-difficulty-is/) [Georg Brandes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-brandes/) > [An overblown conscience is an empty conscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pascal-bruckner/an-overblown-conscience-is-an-empty-conscience/) [Pascal Bruckner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pascal-bruckner/) > [“I believe that I have a conscience. My conscience is God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-lim/i-believe-that-i-have-a-conscience-my-conscience-is-god/) Louisa Lim > [The one who acts is always without conscience; nobody has a conscience but the contemplative person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/the-one-who-acts-is-always-without-conscience-nobody-has-a-conscience/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Meditation is the art of awareness. And once you are aware, out of your awareness your actions will arise - not out of conscience.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/meditation-is-the-art-of-awareness-and-once-you-are-aware-out-of-your/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [Always listen to the voice of your conscience. If your conscience conflicts with your faith, question everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/always-listen-to-the-voice-of-your-conscience-if-your-conscience/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [The court is really the keeper of the conscience, and the conscience is the Constitution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/the-court-is-really-the-keeper-of-the-conscience-and-the-conscience/) [William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/) > [“But one of the rather open secrets about Catholicism is that plenty of Catholics don't toe the line as hard as the Vatican does.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaya-oakes/but-one-of-the-rather-open-secrets-about-catholicism-is-that-plenty/) [Kaya Oakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaya-oakes/) > [The universal elements are integrity, vision, discipline, passion, governed by conscience. Conscience has been educated through studying and pondering the universal, timeless principles of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/the-universal-elements-are-integrity-vision-discipline-passion/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) ## More by Jane Adams > [“You raised your kids to be independent, strong, and think for themselves. So once they're grown, why is it so hard to let them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-adams/you-raised-your-kids-to-be-independent-strong-and-think-for/) Jane Adams Explore all 2 Jane Adams quotes ## More Conscience quotes > [Self-respect and a clear conscience are powerful components of integrity and are the basis for enriching your relationships with others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-waitley/self-respect-and-a-clear-conscience-are-powerful-components-of/) [Denis Waitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-waitley/) > [“Knowledge without conscience is but the ruin of the soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabelaise/knowledge-without-conscience-is-but-the-ruin-of-the-soul/) Rabelaise > [Writing adds up to the conscience of our times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-firrell/writing-adds-up-to-the-conscience-of-our-times/) [Martin Firrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-firrell/) > [My conscience is really active. So I feel bad about spending excess amount of money on things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syd/my-conscience-is-really-active-so-i-feel-bad-about-spending-excess/) [Syd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syd/) > [Let us be thankful for health and competence, and, above all, for a quiet conscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/izaak-walton/let-us-be-thankful-for-health-and-competence-and-above-all-for-a/) [Izaak Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/izaak-walton/) > [Making money doesn't oblige people to forfeit their honor or their conscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-rothschild/making-money-doesn-t-oblige-people-to-forfeit-their-honor-or-their/) [Guy de Rothschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-rothschild/) > [“If we cannot be happy and powerful and prey on others, we invent conscience and prey on ourselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/if-we-cannot-be-happy-and-powerful-and-prey-on-others-we-invent/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [The God in whose hands are all our days and ways, did cast into my hand one day a book of Martin Luthers; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bunyan/the-god-in-whose-hands-are-all-our-days-and-ways-did-cast-into-my/) [John Bunyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bunyan/) > [My morals are important to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-parrish/my-morals-are-important-to-me/) [Hunter Parrish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-parrish/) > [Being tolerant does not mean that I share another ones belief. But it does mean that I acknowledge another ones right to believe, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-frankl/being-tolerant-does-not-mean-that-i-share-another-ones-belief-but-it/) [Viktor Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-frankl/) > [Never can true courage dwell with them, Who, playing tricks with conscience, dare not look At their own vices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/never-can-true-courage-dwell-with-them-who-playing-tricks-with/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [In presenting a mathematical argument the great thing is to give the educated reader the chance to catch on at once to the momentary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edensor-littlewood/in-presenting-a-mathematical-argument-the-great-thing-is-to-give-the/) [John Edensor Littlewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edensor-littlewood/) > [I've worked with people who are much further to the left than I am and much further to the right than I am. At…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/i-ve-worked-with-people-who-are-much-further-to-the-left-than-i-am/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [If all the world hated you and believed you wicked, while your own conscience approved of you and absolved you from guilt, you would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/if-all-the-world-hated-you-and-believed-you-wicked-while-your-own/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [ \[D\]on't grow old. With age comes caution, which is another name for cowardice… Whatever else you do in life, don't cultivate a conscience. Without… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesketh-pearson/d-on-t-grow-old-with-age-comes-caution-which-is-another-name-for/) [Hesketh Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesketh-pearson/) [Browse all 3,490 Conscience quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscience/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“What are the qualities of human greatness that create history? 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