--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We can't always expect great things from…" description: "\"We can't always expect great things from great men; but we must always expect little things from little men!\" — Mehmet Murat Ildan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4a/mehmet-murat-ildan-3_great-men_we-can-t-always-expect-great-things-from_916481.jpg" --- # We can't always expect great things from great men; but we… ![“We can't always expect great things from great men; but we must always expect little things from little men!” quote by Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4a/mehmet-murat-ildan-3_great-men_we-can-t-always-expect-great-things-from_916481.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4a/mehmet-murat-ildan-3_great-men_we-can-t-always-expect-great-things-from_916481.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4a/mehmet-murat-ildan-3_great-men_we-can-t-always-expect-great-things-from_916481.jpg) > “We can't always expect great things from great men; but we must always expect little things from little men!” [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Great people are expected to achieve big deeds, but small people should be relied on for modest contributions. **In simple terms:** Expect big from the great, small from the humble. Key Takeaway Value contributions of all, regardless of stature. Themes expectations humility fairness Mood thoughtful critical Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - leadership evaluation - team building - community service Key Concepts social hierarchy ethical standards Questions to Reflect On - How can we recognize hidden talents? - What biases affect our expectations? A Different Perspective Assuming small people can’t do big things limits potential. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Great men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-men/) [Great things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-things/) [Greatness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatness/) [Little things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/little-things/) [Little-men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/little-men/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) ## Related quotes > [Men expect too much, do too little.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-tate/men-expect-too-much-do-too-little/) [Allen Tate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-tate/) > [Great men honour intelligence, little men honour stupidity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/great-men-honour-intelligence-little-men-honour-stupidity/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [We cannot expect too little from man nor too much from God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-henry/we-cannot-expect-too-little-from-man-nor-too-much-from-god/) [Matthew Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-henry/) > [Children are contemptuous, haughty, irritable, envious, sneaky, selfish, lazy, flighty, timid, liars and hypocrites, quick to laugh and cry, extreme in expressing joy and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/children-are-contemptuous-haughty-irritable-envious-sneaky-selfish/) [Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/) > [Little men build up great ones, but the snow colossus soon melts; the good stand under the eye of God, and therefore stand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-savage-landor/little-men-build-up-great-ones-but-the-snow-colossus-soon-melts-the/) [Walter Savage Landor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-savage-landor/) > [From time to time, little men will find fault with what you have done...but they will go down the stream like bubbles, they will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/from-time-to-time-little-men-will-find-fault-with-what-you-have-done/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [The God who made New Hampshire Taunted the lofty land With little men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-god-who-made-new-hampshire-taunted-the-lofty-land-with-little-men/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Those who follow the part of themselves which is great are great men; those who follow the part which is little are little men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mencius/those-who-follow-the-part-of-themselves-which-is-great-are-great-men/) [Mencius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mencius/) > [The use of great men is to serve the little men, to take care of the human race, and act as practical interpreters of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-parker/the-use-of-great-men-is-to-serve-the-little-men-to-take-care-of-the/) [Theodore Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-parker/) > [I am a little man and this is a little town, but there must be a spark in little men that can burst into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/i-am-a-little-man-and-this-is-a-little-town-but-there-must-be-a-spark/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [...small too even the longest fame thereafter, which is itself subject to a succession of little men who quickly die, and have no knowledge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/small-too-even-the-longest-fame-thereafter-which-is-itself-subject-to/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [Great men cultivate love...only little men cherish a spirit of hatred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington/great-men-cultivate-love-only-little-men-cherish-a-spirit-of-hatred/) [Booker T. Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington/) > [No sooner does a great man depart, and leave his character as public property, than a crowd of little men rushes towards it. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/no-sooner-does-a-great-man-depart-and-leave-his-character-as-public/) [Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/) > [Poor little men, poor little cocks! As soon as they're old enough, they swell their plumage to be conquerors. If they only knew that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-anouilh/poor-little-men-poor-little-cocks-as-soon-as-they-re-old-enough-they/) [Jean Anouilh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-anouilh/) > [To little men, gods send little things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/callimachus/to-little-men-gods-send-little-things/) [Callimachus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/callimachus/) ## More by Mehmet Murat Ildan > [Anger is a rough water; if you can canalize it into a water mill, you can benefit from it. 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The threat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/if-somebody-tells-you-history-will-never-forgive-you-just-laugh-at/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [As long as your curiosity is greater than your fear, you will move forward!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/as-long-as-your-curiosity-is-greater-than-your-fear-you-will-move/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“You can drink your soup ice-cold, but it's no longer soup; you can do eccentric things in life, but if you haven't been able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/you-can-drink-your-soup-ice-cold-but-it-s-no-longer-soup-you-can-do/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Face the truth or the truth will face you!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/face-the-truth-or-the-truth-will-face-you/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“Update your belief! If necessary, throw it to the bin! Don’t exaggerate your belief! Remember that your belief is not that much important; the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/update-your-belief-if-necessary-throw-it-to-the-bin-don-t-exaggerate/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) [Explore all 4,007 Mehmet Murat Ildan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) ## More Great men quotes > [I think the next 50 years are going to present the human race with challenges that so far exceed the limitations of geopolitical boundaries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-quinto/i-think-the-next-50-years-are-going-to-present-the-human-race-with/) [Zachary Quinto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-quinto/) > [“You are destiny for greatness. 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I'll never forget the last thing he ever said to me. Nor will I ever repeat it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-s-hall/my-father-was-a-really-great-man-i-ll-never-forget-the-last-thing-he/) [John S. Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-s-hall/) > [I ruined my hands in the ring. The referee kept stepping on them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hope/i-ruined-my-hands-in-the-ring-the-referee-kept-stepping-on-them/) [Bob Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hope/) > [No sadder proof can be given by a man of his own littleness than disbelief in great men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/no-sadder-proof-can-be-given-by-a-man-of-his-own-littleness-than/) [Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/) > [First at the outset, let me commend the great men and women of the United States Coast Guard for what they do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vito-fossella/first-at-the-outset-let-me-commend-the-great-men-and-women-of-the/) [Vito Fossella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vito-fossella/) > [Greatness by nature includes a power, but not a will to power. ... 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