--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Men are but men, and the greatest men are…" description: "\"Men are but men, and the greatest men are they who soonest learn the simpler things.\" — Robert E. Howard" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e74/robert-e-howard-3742_greatest-man_men-are-but-men-and-the-greatest-men-are_3231941.jpg" --- # Men are but men, and the greatest men are they who soonest… ![“Men are but men, and the greatest men are they who soonest learn the simpler things.” quote by Robert E. Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e74/robert-e-howard-3742_greatest-man_men-are-but-men-and-the-greatest-men-are_3231941.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e74/robert-e-howard-3742_greatest-man_men-are-but-men-and-the-greatest-men-are_3231941.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e74/robert-e-howard-3742_greatest-man_men-are-but-men-and-the-greatest-men-are_3231941.jpg) > “Men are but men, and the greatest men are they who soonest learn the simpler things.” [Robert E. Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-howard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote suggests that true greatness lies in humility and learning simple truths quickly. **In simple terms:** Greatness is humility and quick learning. Key Takeaway Embrace simplicity to grow. Themes humility learning greatness Mood inspirational reflective Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - leadership training - education - self‑improvement - team building Key Concepts philosophy personal development Questions to Reflect On - What simple truths have you overlooked? - How can humility enhance leadership? A Different Perspective Simplicity may be undervalued in complex societies. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Greatness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatness/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) ## Related quotes > [He was not the greatest of men but he was the greatest of kings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/he-was-not-the-greatest-of-men-but-he-was-the-greatest-of-kings/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [They whose minds are least sensitive to calamity, and whose hands are most quick to meet it, are the greatest men and the greatest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thucydides/they-whose-minds-are-least-sensitive-to-calamity-and-whose-hands-are/) [Thucydides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thucydides/) > [Many of the greatest men have owed their success to industry rather than to cleverness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lubbock/many-of-the-greatest-men-have-owed-their-success-to-industry-rather/) [John Lubbock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lubbock/) > [Rocks whereon greatest men have oftest wreck'd.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/rocks-whereon-greatest-men-have-oftest-wreck-d/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) > [Man can never come up to his ideal standard. It is the nature of the immortal spirit to raise that standard higher and higher…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-fuller/man-can-never-come-up-to-his-ideal-standard-it-is-the-nature-of-the/) [Margaret Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-fuller/) > [Many of the greatest men that ever lived have written biography.Boswell was one ofthesmallest menthat ever lived and he has beaten them all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-rothschild-1st-baron-rothschild/many-of-the-greatest-men-that-ever-lived-have-written-biography/) [Nathan Rothschild, 1st Baron Rothschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-rothschild-1st-baron-rothschild/) > [“The suspect nature of these stories can be seen in the anecdote Jefferson told of Hamilton visiting his lodging in 1792 and inquiring about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/the-suspect-nature-of-these-stories-can-be-seen-in-the-anecdote/) [Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) > [Writing is all a lottery -- I have been a loser by the works of the greatest men of the age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobias-smollett/writing-is-all-a-lottery-i-have-been-a-loser-by-the-works-of-the/) [Tobias Smollett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobias-smollett/) > [None of us can be free of conflict and woe. Even the greatest men have had to accept disappointments as their daily bread. ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-baruch/none-of-us-can-be-free-of-conflict-and-woe-even-the-greatest-men-have/) [Bernard Baruch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-baruch/) > [Times of calamity and distress have always been producers of the greatest men. The hardest steel is produced from the hottest fire; the brightest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-andrews/times-of-calamity-and-distress-have-always-been-producers-of-the/) [Andy Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-andrews/) > [Real greatness has nothing to do with a man’s sphere. It does not lie in the magnitude of his outward agency, in the extent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ellery-channing/real-greatness-has-nothing-to-do-with-a-man-s-sphere-it-does-not-lie/) [William Ellery Channing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ellery-channing/) > [Are not our greatest men as good as lost? The men that walk daily among us, warming us, feeding us, walk shrouded in darkness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/are-not-our-greatest-men-as-good-as-lost-the-men-that-walk-daily/) [Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/) > [It is with men as with other things. The mullein needs only a year, but the oak a century, and the greatest men are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/it-is-with-men-as-with-other-things-the-mullein-needs-only-a-year-but/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [John Paul II was one of the greatest men of the last century. Perhaps the greatest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/john-paul-ii-was-one-of-the-greatest-men-of-the-last-century-perhaps/) [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) > [I do believe he’s the greatest, but forget about boxing - give that to Joe Louis, or somebody - I believe he’s one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-foreman/i-do-believe-he-s-the-greatest-but-forget-about-boxing-give-that-to/) [George Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-foreman/) ## More by Robert E. Howard > [Don't you think that as a people, Americans have less poetry, real poetry, in their souls than any other nations?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-howard/don-t-you-think-that-as-a-people-americans-have-less-poetry-real/) [Robert E. Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-howard/) > [I became a writer in spite of my environments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-howard/i-became-a-writer-in-spite-of-my-environments/) [Robert E. Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-howard/) > [Over the souls of men spread the condor wings of colossal monsters and all manner of evil things prey upon the heart and soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-howard/over-the-souls-of-men-spread-the-condor-wings-of-colossal-monsters/) [Robert E. Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-howard/) > [“There was no life in the Abyss, save that which was incorporated in me," it tolled. "Nor was there light, nor motion, nor any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-howard/there-was-no-life-in-the-abyss-save-that-which-was-incorporated-in-me/) [Robert E. Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-howard/) > [“That's the way with civilized men. When they can't explain something by their half-baked science, they refuse to believe it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-howard/that-s-the-way-with-civilized-men-when-they-can-t-explain-something/) [Robert E. Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-howard/) > [I live, I burn with life, I love, I slay, & am content.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-howard/i-live-i-burn-with-life-i-love-i-slay-am-content/) [Robert E. Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-howard/) > [Coming, as I do, from mountain folk on one side and sea followers on the other, there are few old songs of the hills…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-howard/coming-as-i-do-from-mountain-folk-on-one-side-and-sea-followers-on/) [Robert E. Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-howard/) > [“A true fanatic, his promptings were reasons enough for his actions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-howard/a-true-fanatic-his-promptings-were-reasons-enough-for-his-actions/) [Robert E. Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-howard/) > [I have put off the past like a worn-out cloak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-howard/i-have-put-off-the-past-like-a-worn-out-cloak/) [Robert E. Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-howard/) > [“Again the governor knelt, for part of his wisdom was the knowledge that a woman in such an emotional tempest is as perilous as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-howard/again-the-governor-knelt-for-part-of-his-wisdom-was-the-knowledge/) [Robert E. Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-howard/) > [“When you allow the elevation of a man, one can be sure that you'll profit by his advancement. I've earned everything I've won, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-howard/when-you-allow-the-elevation-of-a-man-one-can-be-sure-that-you-ll/) [Robert E. Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-howard/) > [I never saw a man fight as Conan fought. He put his back to the courtyard wall, and before they overpowered him the dead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-howard/i-never-saw-a-man-fight-as-conan-fought-he-put-his-back-to-the/) [Robert E. Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-howard/) > [“There was no explaining this thing, but it was so. he was on Xapur, and that fantastic heap of towering masonry was on Xapur,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-howard/there-was-no-explaining-this-thing-but-it-was-so-he-was-on-xapur-and/) [Robert E. Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-howard/) > [“Gleaming shell of an outworn lie; fable of Right divine— You gained your crowns by heritage, but Blood was the price of mine. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-howard/gleaming-shell-of-an-outworn-lie-fable-of-right-divine-you-gained/) [Robert E. Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-howard/) > [Civilization is a natural and inevitable consequence - whether good or evil I am not prepared to state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-howard/civilization-is-a-natural-and-inevitable-consequence-whether-good-or/) [Robert E. Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-howard/) [Explore all 123 Robert E. Howard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-howard/) ## More Greatest man quotes > [“Man is not a 'fixed and limited animal whose nature is absolutely constant'. He changed drastically when he developed 'divided consciousness' to cope with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-wilson/man-is-not-a-fixed-and-limited-animal-whose-nature-is-absolutely/) [Colin Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-wilson/) > [The greatest manager has a knack for making ballplayers think they are better than they think they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reggie-jackson/the-greatest-manager-has-a-knack-for-making-ballplayers-think-they/) [Reggie Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reggie-jackson/) > [Many of the greatest men have owed their success to industry rather than to cleverness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lubbock/many-of-the-greatest-men-have-owed-their-success-to-industry-rather/) [John Lubbock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lubbock/) > [Judging people is one of the greatest man sin. Remember, God made us, and it means you were also judging God and yourself too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/originals-aneeli/judging-people-is-one-of-the-greatest-man-sin-remember-god-made-us/) Originals Aneeli > [“The Devil answer'd: bray a fool in a morter with wheat, yet shall not his folly be beaten out of him; if Jesus Christ…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/the-devil-answer-d-bray-a-fool-in-a-morter-with-wheat-yet-shall-not/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > [“Upon learning that Washington intended to reject the mantle of emperor, no less an authority than George III allegedly observed, “If he does that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-j-ellis/upon-learning-that-washington-intended-to-reject-the-mantle-of/) [Joseph J. Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-ellis/) > [John Paul II was one of the greatest men of the last century. Perhaps the greatest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/john-paul-ii-was-one-of-the-greatest-men-of-the-last-century-perhaps/) [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) > [The greatest man is he who chooses right with the most invincible resolution; who resists to sorest temptation from within and without; who bears…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/the-greatest-man-is-he-who-chooses-right-with-the-most-invincible/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [“I protest against any absolute conclusion, any prejudice derived from Mrs. Cadwallader's contempt for a neighboring clergyman's alleged greatness of soul, or Sir James…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/i-protest-against-any-absolute-conclusion-any-prejudice-derived-from/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [Britain in the 19th century was two things simultaneously; the hub of the largest empire on earth and the greatest manufacturing and trading nation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-olusoga/britain-in-the-19th-century-was-two-things-simultaneously-the-hub-of/) [David Olusoga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-olusoga/) > [My step-dad is probably the greatest man I've ever known. The best advice I've ever been given was when he told me to enjoy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-timberlake/my-step-dad-is-probably-the-greatest-man-i-ve-ever-known-the-best/) [Justin Timberlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-timberlake/) > [“Greatness has its beauties, but only in retrospect and in the imagination": thus wrote General Bonaparte to General Moreau in 1800. His observation helps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-christopher-herold/greatness-has-its-beauties-but-only-in-retrospect-and-in-the/) [J. Christopher Herold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-christopher-herold/) > [The greatest man is he who chooses right with the most invincible resolution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/the-greatest-man-is-he-who-chooses-right-with-the-most-invincible-2/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [It is with men as with other things. The mullein needs only a year, but the oak a century, and the greatest men are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/it-is-with-men-as-with-other-things-the-mullein-needs-only-a-year-but/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [“The history of the thing might amuse you," he said. "When first I became one of the New Anarchists I tried all kinds of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton-2/the-history-of-the-thing-might-amuse-you-he-said-when-first-i-became/) [G. K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton-2/) Browse all 103 Greatest man quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Men are but men, and the greatest men are they who soonest learn the simpler things.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert E. 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