--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Great things happen nationally when…" description: "\"Great things happen nationally when topmost leadership is goaded and supported from below.\" — John Gardner" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a9/john-gardner-3092_great-things_great-things-happen-nationally-when-topm_2662585.png" --- # Great things happen nationally when topmost leadership is… ![“Great things happen nationally when topmost leadership is goaded and supported from below.” quote by John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a9/john-gardner-3092_great-things_great-things-happen-nationally-when-topm_2662585.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a9/john-gardner-3092_great-things_great-things-happen-nationally-when-topm_2662585.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a9/john-gardner-3092_great-things_great-things-happen-nationally-when-topm_2662585.png) > “Great things happen nationally when topmost leadership is goaded and supported from below.” [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Leadership that is encouraged from the grassroots can drive national achievements. **In simple terms:** Support from below fuels national success. Key Takeaway Empower grassroots voices. Themes leadership nationalism grassroots support collaboration Mood optimistic determined Type political motivational When to use this quote - campaigns - community organizing - policy advocacy - public initiatives Key Concepts Political theory social dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How can grassroots input be balanced with expert guidance? - What mechanisms ensure genuine bottom‑up support? A Different Perspective May overlook elite expertise or strategic planning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Great things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-things/) [Happen Nationally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happen-nationally-2440728/) [Happens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happens/) [Leader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leader/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Leadership Goaded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership-goaded-2440729/) [Nationally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nationally-1256657/) [Nationally Topmost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nationally-topmost-2440731/) [Things happen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-happen/) [Topmost Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/topmost-leadership-2440730/) ## Related quotes > [We also tour nationally and internationally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graeme-murphy/we-also-tour-nationally-and-internationally/) [Graeme Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graeme-murphy/) > [To do it nationally or internationally, you have to follow a few more rules.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-hersh/to-do-it-nationally-or-internationally-you-have-to-follow-a-few-more/) [Kristin Hersh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-hersh/) > [I'd like now and into the future to play a bigger role not only in Wisconsin and the Midwest, but nationally. I'd like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-walker/i-d-like-now-and-into-the-future-to-play-a-bigger-role-not-only-in/) [Scott Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-walker/) > [I didn't really come on the scene nationally until 2008.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellie-simmonds/i-didn-t-really-come-on-the-scene-nationally-until-2008/) [Ellie Simmonds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellie-simmonds/) > [There are parts of the country in America, in the Midwest, where wind is a big resource, and we should absolutely use it. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinod-khosla/there-are-parts-of-the-country-in-america-in-the-midwest-where-wind/) [Vinod Khosla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinod-khosla/) > [It is well indeed for out land that we of this generation have learned to think nationally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/it-is-well-indeed-for-out-land-that-we-of-this-generation-have/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [It's obvious we can't ignore the problem any longer. Locally and nationally, we cannot wait to see how bad it gets. We need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-nickels/it-s-obvious-we-can-t-ignore-the-problem-any-longer-locally-and/) [Greg Nickels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-nickels/) > [It's always nice to get out there and kind of put Boston College on the map, because we're not one of those schools that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-gunnell/it-s-always-nice-to-get-out-there-and-kind-of-put-boston-college-on/) [Rich Gunnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-gunnell/) > [I know how to run a nationally paced campaign.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/i-know-how-to-run-a-nationally-paced-campaign/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [High school dropout rates nationally - Not enough is being done on this issue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cedric-richmond/high-school-dropout-rates-nationally-not-enough-is-being-done-on-this/) [Cedric Richmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cedric-richmond/) > [“Second letter from Mom: So! What if you colored the world? This still does not seem a great thing. In fact it seems very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elena-d-calin/second-letter-from-mom-so-what-if-you-colored-the-world-this-still/) [Elena D. Calin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elena-d-calin/) > [Who can really be faithful in great things if he has not learned to be faithful in the things of daily life?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/who-can-really-be-faithful-in-great-things-if-he-has-not-learned-to/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [Great things that can happen when you're doing a movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-l-brooks/great-things-that-can-happen-when-you-re-doing-a-movie/) [James L. Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-l-brooks/) > [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/) > [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/) ## More by John Gardner > [“All to often, on the long road up, young leaders become servants of what is rather than shapers of what might be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/all-to-often-on-the-long-road-up-young-leaders-become-servants-of/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [When I was a child I truly loved: Unthinking love as calm and deep As the North Sea. But I have lived, And now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/when-i-was-a-child-i-truly-loved-unthinking-love-as-calm-and-deep-as/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [“They only think they think. No total vision, total system, merely schemes with a vague family resemblance, no more identity than bridges and, say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/they-only-think-they-think-no-total-vision-total-system-merely/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [“Except in stock locutions, such as "You were paid yesterday," "The Germans were defeated," or "The project was abandoned," the passive voice is virtually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/except-in-stock-locutions-such-as-you-were-paid-yesterday-the-germans/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [“The instruction here is not for every kind of writer - not for the writer of nurse books or thrillers or porno or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/the-instruction-here-is-not-for-every-kind-of-writer-not-for-the/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [“Good writers may “tell” about almost anything in fiction except the characters’ feelings. One may tell the reader that the character went to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/good-writers-may-tell-about-almost-anything-in-fiction-except-the/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [“the chief offense in bad fiction: we sense that characters are being manipulated, forced to do things they would not really do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/the-chief-offense-in-bad-fiction-we-sense-that-characters-are-being/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [“There seems little or no hope for the adult writer who produces sentences like these: "Her cheeks were thick and smooth and held a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/there-seems-little-or-no-hope-for-the-adult-writer-who-produces/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [“In any long fiction, Henry James remarked, use of the first-person point of view is barbaric. James may go too far, but his point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/in-any-long-fiction-henry-james-remarked-use-of-the-first-person/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [Nothing can be more limiting to the imagination than only writing about what you know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/nothing-can-be-more-limiting-to-the-imagination-than-only-writing/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [A nation that values bad philosophy above good plumbing will have neither good philosophy nor good plumbing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/a-nation-that-values-bad-philosophy-above-good-plumbing-will-have/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [The citizen can bring our political and governmental institutions back to life, make them responsive and accountable, and keep them honest. No one else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/the-citizen-can-bring-our-political-and-governmental-institutions/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [Talking, talking. Spinning a web of words, pale walls of dreams, between myself and all I see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/talking-talking-spinning-a-web-of-words-pale-walls-of-dreams-between/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [“In writing short stories—as in writing novels—take one thing at a time. (For some writers, this advice I'm giving may apply best to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/in-writing-short-stories-as-in-writing-novels-take-one-thing-at-a/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [All order, I've come to understand, is theoretical, unreal, a harmless, sensible, smiling mask men slide between the two great, dark realities, the self…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/all-order-i-ve-come-to-understand-is-theoretical-unreal-a-harmless/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) [Explore all 138 John Gardner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) ## More Great things quotes > [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/) > [Great things that can happen when you're doing a movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-l-brooks/great-things-that-can-happen-when-you-re-doing-a-movie/) [James L. Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-l-brooks/) > [Who can really be faithful in great things if he has not learned to be faithful in the things of daily life?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/who-can-really-be-faithful-in-great-things-if-he-has-not-learned-to/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [“Second letter from Mom: So! What if you colored the world? This still does not seem a great thing. In fact it seems very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elena-d-calin/second-letter-from-mom-so-what-if-you-colored-the-world-this-still/) [Elena D. Calin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elena-d-calin/) > [I have so much respect for the country, I don't like blanket indictments. There's a lot of really great things about this country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cris-collinsworth/i-have-so-much-respect-for-the-country-i-don-t-like-blanket/) [Cris Collinsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cris-collinsworth/) > [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/) > [The great thing about the arts, and especially popular music, is that it really does cut across genres and races and classes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-raitt/the-great-thing-about-the-arts-and-especially-popular-music-is-that/) [Bonnie Raitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-raitt/) > [I don’t know, I don’t know that I’m missing anything. I just think too much sometimes. Sometimes I’m even happy because I’m so engaged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-buckley/i-don-t-know-i-don-t-know-that-i-m-missing-anything-i-just-think-too/) [Jeff Buckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-buckley/) > [The great thing about an independent film is that you're too busy working, and you're too busy hoping to God to get it done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-dowd/the-great-thing-about-an-independent-film-is-that-you-re-too-busy/) [Ann Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-dowd/) > [Every great thing starts with an idea, followed by a doubt and finally a resolve to abandon or pursue. Victory is a treacherous journey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dane-cook/every-great-thing-starts-with-an-idea-followed-by-a-doubt-and-finally/) [Dane Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dane-cook/) > [I have a large watch collection, and classic watches are especially important to me. I had a silver Rolex, and I actually gave it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-berkus/i-have-a-large-watch-collection-and-classic-watches-are-especially/) [Nate Berkus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-berkus/) > [That is one of the great things about Test cricket, the ball. Sometimes it swings conventionally, sometimes it doesn't and sometimes it reverses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-cook/that-is-one-of-the-great-things-about-test-cricket-the-ball-sometimes/) [Alastair Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-cook/) > [In the end things must be as they are and have always been--the great things remain for the great, the abysses for the profound,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/in-the-end-things-must-be-as-they-are-and-have-always-been-the-great/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Great men undertake great things because they are great; fools, because they think them easy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/great-men-undertake-great-things-because-they-are-great-fools-because/) [Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/) [Browse all 1,881 Great things quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-things/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Great things happen nationally when topmost leadership is goaded and supported from below.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Gardner" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/great-things-happen-nationally-when-topmost-leadership-is-goaded-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Great things" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/great-things-happen-nationally-when-topmost-leadership-is-goaded-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a9/john-gardner-3092_great-things_great-things-happen-nationally-when-topm_2662585.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a9/john-gardner-3092_great-things_great-things-happen-nationally-when-topm_2662585.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a9/john-gardner-3092_great-things_great-things-happen-nationally-when-topm_2662585.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Great things happen nationally when topmost leadership is goaded and supported from below.” — John Gardner", "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": "John Gardner", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Great things happen nationally when topmost...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/great-things-happen-nationally-when-topmost-leadership-is-goaded-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/great-things-happen-nationally-when-topmost-leadership-is-goaded-and/#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 } } ] } ```