--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Show me someone content with mediocrity…" description: "\"Show me someone content with mediocrity and I'll show you someone destined for failure.\" — Johnnetta B. Cole" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc2/johnnetta-b-cole-29372_destined_show-me-someone-content-with-mediocrity_2474537.jpg" --- # Show me someone content with mediocrity and I'll show you… ![“Show me someone content with mediocrity and I'll show you someone destined for failure.” quote by Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc2/johnnetta-b-cole-29372_destined_show-me-someone-content-with-mediocrity_2474537.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc2/johnnetta-b-cole-29372_destined_show-me-someone-content-with-mediocrity_2474537.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc2/johnnetta-b-cole-29372_destined_show-me-someone-content-with-mediocrity_2474537.jpg) > “Show me someone content with mediocrity and I'll show you someone destined for failure.” [Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Accepting mediocrity signals a willingness to settle, which leads to failure. **In simple terms:** Settling for average leads to failure. Key Takeaway Avoid complacency. Themes mediocrity failure ambition Mood determined serious Type advice motivational When to use this quote - career - education - personal development - relationships Key Concepts self‑esteem growth mindset Questions to Reflect On - What standards do you accept for yourself? - How can you raise expectations without burnout? A Different Perspective It may overlook systemic barriers that limit performance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Destined](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destined/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Mediocrity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mediocrity/) [Overcoming failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overcoming-failure/) ## Related quotes > [If you associate yourself with peer pressure or complacency, you're destined for failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-gates/if-you-associate-yourself-with-peer-pressure-or-complacency-you-re/) [Kevin Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-gates/) > [“To me he seemed one of those persons destined to failure of whom you wonder what purpose it can ever serve that they should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maugham-somerset-william/to-me-he-seemed-one-of-those-persons-destined-to-failure-of-whom-you/) Maugham Somerset William > [“Always aspire to mediocrity first. If you can do that, you’ll find you’re always moving up in life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magen-toole/always-aspire-to-mediocrity-first-if-you-can-do-that-you-ll-find-you/) Magen Toole > [A president who is burdened with a failed and unpopular war, and who has lost the trust of the country, simply can no longer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/a-president-who-is-burdened-with-a-failed-and-unpopular-war-and-who/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [Men of age object too much, consult too long, adventure too little, repent too soon, and seldom drive business home to the full period,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/men-of-age-object-too-much-consult-too-long-adventure-too-little/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [Anyone in any walk of life who is content with mediocrity is untrue to himself and to American tradition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/anyone-in-any-walk-of-life-who-is-content-with-mediocrity-is-untrue/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“People of age object too much, consult too long, adventure too little, repent too soon and seldom drive business home to it's conclusion, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/people-of-age-object-too-much-consult-too-long-adventure-too-little/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-coolidge/persistence-and-determination-alone-are-omnipotent/) [Calvin Coolidge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-coolidge/) > [“Pain teaches you more than pleasure. Failure teaches you more than success. Poverty teaches you more than prosperity. Adversity teaches you more than comfort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/pain-teaches-you-more-than-pleasure-failure-teaches-you-more-than/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [“I've failed in communication...and so I've learned to have open and honest dialogue at the opportune, and appropriate time. I've failed in relationships...and so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katrena-patterson/i-ve-failed-in-communication-and-so-i-ve-learned-to-have-open-and-2/) Katrena Patterson > [Failure is not the falling down but the staying down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-pickford/failure-is-not-the-falling-down-but-the-staying-down/) [Mary Pickford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-pickford/) > [There is no impossibility to him who stands prepared to conquer every hazard. The fearful are the failing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-josepha-hale/there-is-no-impossibility-to-him-who-stands-prepared-to-conquer-every/) [Sarah Josepha Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-josepha-hale/) > [Half of the failures in life come from pulling one's horse when he is leaping.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hood/half-of-the-failures-in-life-come-from-pulling-one-s-horse-when-he-is/) [Thomas Hood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hood/) > [One who fears failure limits his activities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/one-who-fears-failure-limits-his-activities/) [Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/) > [Failure seems to be nature's plan for preparing us for great responsibilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/failure-seems-to-be-nature-s-plan-for-preparing-us-for-great/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) ## More by Johnnetta B. Cole > [if we center our lives on BMWs, RVs, VCRs, PCs and the other acronyms of consumerism, we cannot expect our children to do otherwise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/if-we-center-our-lives-on-bmws-rvs-vcrs-pcs-and-the-other-acronyms-of/) [Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/) > [The ultimate expression of generosity is not in giving of what you have, but in giving of who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/the-ultimate-expression-of-generosity-is-not-in-giving-of-what-you/) [Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/) > [the trouble with a woman standing behind her man is that she can't see where she is going!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/the-trouble-with-a-woman-standing-behind-her-man-is-that-she-can-t/) [Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/) > [The woman who bore me is no longer alive, but I seem to be her daughter in increasingly profound ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/the-woman-who-bore-me-is-no-longer-alive-but-i-seem-to-be-her/) [Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/) > [What you give ought to be in direct relationship to what you've received. If you have been blessed with a great deal, then you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/what-you-give-ought-to-be-in-direct-relationship-to-what-you-ve/) [Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/) > [The histories of the poor and the powerless are as important as those of their conquerors, their colonizers, their kings and queens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/the-histories-of-the-poor-and-the-powerless-are-as-important-as-those/) [Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/) > [The more we pull together toward a new day, the less it matters what pushed us apart in the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/the-more-we-pull-together-toward-a-new-day-the-less-it-matters-what/) [Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/) > [There are not many of us African American Sister Presidents, and those of us who are in this field do not have an easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/there-are-not-many-of-us-african-american-sister-presidents-and-those/) [Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/) > [If folks can learn to be racist, then they can learn to be anti racist. If being sexist ain't genetic, then, dad gum, people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/if-folks-can-learn-to-be-racist-then-they-can-learn-to-be-anti-racist/) [Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/) > [Now, if you want to know my secret love, it is to be able to serve as an example.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/now-if-you-want-to-know-my-secret-love-it-is-to-be-able-to-serve-as/) [Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/) > [An education that teaches you to understand something about the world has done only half of the assignment. The other half is to teach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/an-education-that-teaches-you-to-understand-something-about-the-world/) [Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/) > [racism is alive and doing too well in America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/racism-is-alive-and-doing-too-well-in-america/) [Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/) > [Crisis' seems to be too mild a word to describe conditions in countless African-American communities. It is beyond crisis when in the richest nation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/crisis-seems-to-be-too-mild-a-word-to-describe-conditions-in/) [Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/) > [The content of the curriculum should never exclude the realities of the very students who must intellectually wrestle with it. When students study all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/the-content-of-the-curriculum-should-never-exclude-the-realities-of/) [Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/) > [Faced with what seems like an impossible task, a group of folks will do well to remember the African proverb: When spider webs unite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnetta-b-cole/faced-with-what-seems-like-an-impossible-task-a-group-of-folks-will/) [Johnnetta B. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/) [Explore all 18 Johnnetta B. Cole quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnetta-b-cole/) ## More Destined quotes > [I remember that the bass was turned up slightly more on the mix from last week, and I thought that was good - or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ronson/i-remember-that-the-bass-was-turned-up-slightly-more-on-the-mix-from/) [Mark Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ronson/) > [Troy was a sweet, good man. We just were never destined to be married. We just didn't have the same values. But I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-pleshette/troy-was-a-sweet-good-man-we-just-were-never-destined-to-be-married/) [Suzanne Pleshette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-pleshette/) > [ The young man \[Turgot\] destined for an ecclesiastical career was placed within walls carefully designed to keep out all currents of new thought; his… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-dickson-white/the-young-man-turgot-destined-for-an-ecclesiastical-career-was-placed/) [Andrew Dickson White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-dickson-white/) > [Life is a luck coin, once you're thrown into the pond..only you can make your worth the most by making it to the people's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zacomh/life-is-a-luck-coin-once-you-re-thrown-into-the-pond-only-you-can/) Zacomh > [Despite my mother saying I have been destined to be an actress my whole life, I remember being the kid who grew up not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shantel-vansanten/despite-my-mother-saying-i-have-been-destined-to-be-an-actress-my/) [Shantel VanSanten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shantel-vansanten/) > [The act of self-denial seems to confer on us the right to be harsh and merciless toward others. The impression somehow prevails that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-act-of-self-denial-seems-to-confer-on-us-the-right-to-be-harsh/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [“If mankind's destined to bite the bullet, let's bite it and be damned.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-shan/if-mankind-s-destined-to-bite-the-bullet-let-s-bite-it-and-be-damned/) [Darren Shan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-shan/) > [A country which does not create children is destined to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matteo-salvini/a-country-which-does-not-create-children-is-destined-to-die/) [Matteo Salvini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matteo-salvini/) > [For they have always unanimously maintained that nature, rather the Creator Himself, has given man the right of private ownership not only that individuals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-pius-xi/for-they-have-always-unanimously-maintained-that-nature-rather-the/) [Pope Pius XI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-pius-xi/) > [Robespierre, however, was not the type of leader finally destined to emerge from the Revolution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-babbitt/robespierre-however-was-not-the-type-of-leader-finally-destined-to/) [Irving Babbitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-babbitt/) > [I'm destined to live and say things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-destined-to-live-and-say-things/) [Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/) > [“You’re destined for greatness,” Life said. “But first, I’m going to make you cry.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/you-re-destined-for-greatness-life-said-but-first-i-m-going-to-make/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [There is an unmistakable freedom that accompanies contentment: a freedom to be who you are, enjoy who you are, and live the life you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-becker/there-is-an-unmistakable-freedom-that-accompanies-contentment-a/) [Josh Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-becker/) > [But without a caring society, without each citizen voluntarily accepting the weight of responsibility, government is destined to grow even larger, taking more of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeb-bush/but-without-a-caring-society-without-each-citizen-voluntarily/) [Jeb Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeb-bush/) > [I'd like to play an alien, like from 'Starman' or 'K-PAX,' where it's human. I think I'm destined to play an alien.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-lindberg/i-d-like-to-play-an-alien-like-from-starman-or-k-pax-where-it-s-human/) [Chad Lindberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-lindberg/) [Browse all 560 Destined quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destined/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Show me someone content with mediocrity and I'll show you someone destined for failure.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Johnnetta B. 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