--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The pyramid would start at the bottom…" description: "\"The pyramid would start at the bottom: you don't know who you are or what you're intended to do in life. And so, the X factor - the ingredient that wil..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d0/robert-greene-498_bottom_the-pyramid-would-start-at-the-bottom-yo_3183721.png" --- # The pyramid would start at the bottom: you don't know who… ![“The pyramid would start at the bottom: you don't know who you are or what you're intended to do in life. And so, the X factor - the ingredient that will make you powerful, that will make you successful is your energy and drive and your tenacity. If you've got that, there's nothing in the world…” quote by Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d0/robert-greene-498_bottom_the-pyramid-would-start-at-the-bottom-yo_3183721.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d0/robert-greene-498_bottom_the-pyramid-would-start-at-the-bottom-yo_3183721.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d0/robert-greene-498_bottom_the-pyramid-would-start-at-the-bottom-yo_3183721.png) > “The pyramid would start at the bottom: you don't know who you are or what you're intended to do in life. And so, the X factor - the ingredient that will make you powerful, that will make you successful is your energy and drive and your tenacity. If you've got that, there's nothing in the world that's going to stop you.” [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Your inner drive and tenacity are the ultimate sources of power and success, outweighing external circumstances. **In simple terms:** Energy and tenacity create unstoppable power. Key Takeaway Cultivate relentless drive. Themes self‑belief determination empowerment Mood determined confident Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - career advancement - entrepreneurship - personal fitness - creative projects - overcoming adversity Key Concepts psychology willpower resilience Questions to Reflect On - What fuels your tenacity? - How do you sustain energy during setbacks? A Different Perspective Even with drive, external barriers can still impede progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Motivation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivation/) [Pyramid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pyramid/) [Pyramids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pyramids/) [Successful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successful/) [Tenacity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tenacity/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [X factor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/x-factor/) ## Related quotes > ['The X Factor' seems to be more about building up personalities and people in tears. And it's not a new idea. The pre-Beatles pop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jools-holland/the-x-factor-seems-to-be-more-about-building-up-personalities-and/) [Jools Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jools-holland/) > [The thing is, I knew from the very first audition that I did not fit the classic 'X Factor' criteria.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur/the-thing-is-i-knew-from-the-very-first-audition-that-i-did-not-fit/) [James Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-arthur/) > [I love 'X Factor,' and I love Sharon: she's brilliant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-price/i-love-x-factor-and-i-love-sharon-she-s-brilliant/) [Katie Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-price/) > [You see on 'Britain's Got Talent' and 'X Factor,' they all wear ear plugs. But I could not hear myself when I wore them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cilla-black/you-see-on-britain-s-got-talent-and-x-factor-they-all-wear-ear-plugs/) [Cilla Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cilla-black/) > [I don't have anything against Simon Cowell and 'The X Factor.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-manson/i-don-t-have-anything-against-simon-cowell-and-the-x-factor/) [Marilyn Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-manson/) > [It has been hard for me in a sense because from an industry point of view - I don't care if I'm from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olly-murs/it-has-been-hard-for-me-in-a-sense-because-from-an-industry-point-of/) [Olly Murs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olly-murs/) > [I didn't even know I could sing or write songs. I didn't have that education. But people shouldn't think they can look down on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olly-murs/i-didn-t-even-know-i-could-sing-or-write-songs-i-didn-t-have-that/) [Olly Murs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olly-murs/) > [I've seen 'X Factor' but I don't watch it. I don't watch 'Takeaway' either.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-edmonds/i-ve-seen-x-factor-but-i-don-t-watch-it-i-don-t-watch-takeaway-either/) [Noel Edmonds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-edmonds/) > [My advice is, if you are going to go on 'X Factor,' you have to know who you are as an artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-ferguson/my-advice-is-if-you-are-going-to-go-on-x-factor-you-have-to-know-who/) [Rebecca Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-ferguson/) > [I lost 'The X Factor,' and I lost 'Deal or No Deal' twice. I'm good at losing game shows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olly-murs/i-lost-the-x-factor-and-i-lost-deal-or-no-deal-twice-i-m-good-at/) [Olly Murs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olly-murs/) > [You don't have to be the sexiest girl or the most talented person to have the X factor. X factor is something you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonu-nigam/you-don-t-have-to-be-the-sexiest-girl-or-the-most-talented-person-to/) [Sonu Nigam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonu-nigam/) > [I have nothing negative to say about 'X Factor,' it's the best show in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-walsh/i-have-nothing-negative-to-say-about-x-factor-it-s-the-best-show-in/) [Louis Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-walsh/) > [Obviously, the Sixties was a time when everyone wanted to experiment, and then everything became very formulated and corporate, so artists tended to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-winwood/obviously-the-sixties-was-a-time-when-everyone-wanted-to-experiment/) [Steve Winwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-winwood/) > [I'm a complete addict of The 'X Factor,' so I can see why everyone gets so inspired. But there's a downside to celebrity: your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-quick/i-m-a-complete-addict-of-the-x-factor-so-i-can-see-why-everyone-gets/) [Diana Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-quick/) > [The rest of my family are obsessed by 'The X Factor:' I'm intrigued by it, although its musical values are far away from mine,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-hazlewood/the-rest-of-my-family-are-obsessed-by-the-x-factor-i-m-intrigued-by/) [Charles Hazlewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-hazlewood/) ## More by Robert Greene > [The whole concept of stage fright is fascinating. Actors get stage fright, but they wouldn't be on the stage in the first place if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/the-whole-concept-of-stage-fright-is-fascinating-actors-get-stage/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [I'm afraid I'm just too intense to have soft ideas, you know, about what to read when you're trying to pass the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/i-m-afraid-i-m-just-too-intense-to-have-soft-ideas-you-know-about/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [You are facing death and danger and competition, but at any moment, you can decide to have a fearless mindset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/you-are-facing-death-and-danger-and-competition-but-at-any-moment-you/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [Let me spell it out: with the psychotic boss, nothing you do is ever quite right. They set traps, asking you to do things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/let-me-spell-it-out-with-the-psychotic-boss-nothing-you-do-is-ever/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [Evil or manipulative people don't need a book, they just do it anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/evil-or-manipulative-people-don-t-need-a-book-they-just-do-it-anyway/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [Everybody knows what they were kind of drawn towards or what they're gifted at and it's more of courage and looking at yourself and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/everybody-knows-what-they-were-kind-of-drawn-towards-or-what-they-re/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [Remember: your bosses prefer to keep you in dependent positions. It is in their interest that you do not become self-reliant, and so they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/remember-your-bosses-prefer-to-keep-you-in-dependent-positions-it-is/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [I want to be able to write, that's my first love and I don't want to deviate from it even though I probably could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/i-want-to-be-able-to-write-that-s-my-first-love-and-i-don-t-want-to/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [It's sometimes hard to talk about politics and art. Obviously, I have my core beliefs, but I think art is best when it's troublesome…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/it-s-sometimes-hard-to-talk-about-politics-and-art-obviously-i-have/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [If you change and adapt your persona, you are seen as inauthentic; if you stay the angry young man, you fade from attention or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/if-you-change-and-adapt-your-persona-you-are-seen-as-inauthentic-if/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [Your energy, your spirit are important considerations. Feeling petty and frustrated can have reverberating consequences for your ability to think strategically and reach your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/your-energy-your-spirit-are-important-considerations-feeling-petty/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [Fear creates its own self-fulfilling dynamic- as people give into it, they lose energy and momentum. Their lack of confidence translates into inaction that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/fear-creates-its-own-self-fulfilling-dynamic-as-people-give-into-it/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [What I like about the internet, what I see there is that its much more democratic. I have much more control, and if what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/what-i-like-about-the-internet-what-i-see-there-is-that-its-much-more/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [“It is hard for us to imagine now, but our earliest human ancestors who ventured out onto the grasslands of East Africa some six…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/it-is-hard-for-us-to-imagine-now-but-our-earliest-human-ancestors-who/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [“Let us call this quality the Original Mind. This mind looked at the world more directly—not through words and received ideas. It was flexible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/let-us-call-this-quality-the-original-mind-this-mind-looked-at-the/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) [Explore all 511 Robert Greene quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) ## More Bottom quotes > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Filmmaking, like sex, isn't a polite enterprise. It involves a lot of mess and the bottom line is, if somebody ain't screaming, you're not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-woods/filmmaking-like-sex-isn-t-a-polite-enterprise-it-involves-a-lot-of/) [James Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-woods/) > [I was terrible student. I was capable, but I never like being told what to do, so I was always in the bottom class…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-lilley/i-was-terrible-student-i-was-capable-but-i-never-like-being-told-what/) [Chris Lilley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-lilley/) > [The contempt for law and the contempt for the human consequences of lawbreaking go from the bottom to the top of American society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-contempt-for-law-and-the-contempt-for-the-human-consequences-of/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [I plead with my Moonlight fans to give this show a chance if they let me give it a chance. I can’t do Moonlight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-o-loughlin/i-plead-with-my-moonlight-fans-to-give-this-show-a-chance-if-they-let/) [Alex O'Loughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-o-loughlin/) > [Well, the bottom line is that I'm extremely pleased with 'The Stupids.' I'm pleased that it's coming out, and it should look good. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-landis/well-the-bottom-line-is-that-i-m-extremely-pleased-with-the-stupids-i/) [John Landis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-landis/) > [Search for the seed of good in every adversity. Master that principle and you will own a precious shield that will guard you well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/og-mandino/search-for-the-seed-of-good-in-every-adversity-master-that-principle/) [Og Mandino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/og-mandino/) > [I would have had a clause in my contract; I would've definitely put some fine print in my contract that said, "If the president…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-budden/i-would-have-had-a-clause-in-my-contract-i-would-ve-definitely-put/) [Joe Budden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-budden/) > [Of course the Dharma-body of the Buddha was the hedge at the bottom of the garden. At the same time, and no less obviously,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/of-course-the-dharma-body-of-the-buddha-was-the-hedge-at-the-bottom/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [When I hit bottom, I can attack the problem and get to where I want to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-rodman/when-i-hit-bottom-i-can-attack-the-problem-and-get-to-where-i-want-to/) [Dennis Rodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-rodman/) > [If I had lost the popular vote but won the electoral college and in my first day as president the intelligence community came to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/if-i-had-lost-the-popular-vote-but-won-the-electoral-college-and-in/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [The bottom line, in the professional level, no matter where you go, there's going to be competition. That's what it is. At the end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-tolzien/the-bottom-line-in-the-professional-level-no-matter-where-you-go/) [Scott Tolzien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-tolzien/) > [Life is a climb and it's a struggle getting to the top but the drop to the bottom can be quick and so I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/life-is-a-climb-and-it-s-a-struggle-getting-to-the-top-but-the-drop/) [Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/) > [One thing you learned as a Cubs fan: when you bought you ticket, you could bank on seeing the bottom of the ninth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-garagiola/one-thing-you-learned-as-a-cubs-fan-when-you-bought-you-ticket-you/) [Joe Garagiola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-garagiola/) > [The political satirist usually votes against their own interests, but the bottom line is that it doesn't really matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lizz-winstead/the-political-satirist-usually-votes-against-their-own-interests-but/) [Lizz Winstead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lizz-winstead/) Browse all 2,558 Bottom quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The pyramid would start at the bottom: you don't know who you are or what you're intended to do in life. 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