--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There’s not a person in history who…" description: "\"“There’s not a person in history who achieved greatness without choking back some pride, without ever smiling at someone they despised, without playing..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e92/s-j-kincaid-2-41593_history_there-s-not-a-person-in-history-who-achi_1534601.jpg" --- # There’s not a person in history who achieved greatness… ![“There’s not a person in history who achieved greatness without choking back some pride, without ever smiling at someone they despised, without playing along even if they hated the very idea of it” quote by S. J. Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e92/s-j-kincaid-2-41593_history_there-s-not-a-person-in-history-who-achi_1534601.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e92/s-j-kincaid-2-41593_history_there-s-not-a-person-in-history-who-achi_1534601.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e92/s-j-kincaid-2-41593_history_there-s-not-a-person-in-history-who-achi_1534601.jpg) > ““There’s not a person in history who achieved greatness without choking back some pride, without ever smiling at someone they despised, without playing along even if they hated the very idea of it”” [S. J. Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-j-kincaid-2/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Greatness in history often involves suppressing pride, smiling at adversaries, and cooperating even when disagreeing. **In simple terms:** Greatness requires humility and cooperation. Key Takeaway Embrace humility and collaboration for impact. Themes ethics leadership conflict Mood reflective serious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - political negotiation - team leadership - personal growth Key Concepts psychology social dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance humility with self-respect? - When is cooperation counterproductive? A Different Perspective Moral compromise can conflict integrity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pride/) ## Related quotes > [“What’s a treaty? It’s a piece of paper. An agreement means nothing in itself. It’s the power to force others to comply with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-j-kincaid-2/what-s-a-treaty-it-s-a-piece-of-paper-an-agreement-means-nothing-in/) [S. J. Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-j-kincaid-2/) > [No real change in history has ever been achieved by discussions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-real-change-in-history-has-ever-been-achieved-by-discussions/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is hard to swallow when you're choking on your pride.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-hard-to-swallow-when-you-re-choking-on-your-pride/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is always hard to swallow if you're choking on your pride. Love the one you've got, and appreciate who you have, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemmy-nola/the-truth-is-always-hard-to-swallow-if-you-re-choking-on-your-pride/) [Kemmy Nola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemmy-nola/) > [“That's lucky?" Tom repeated bitterly. "Lucky now means 'worst case scenario ever,' then. That's great. Good to know." "Sir," Blackburn corrected. "You outrank me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-j-kincaid/that-s-lucky-tom-repeated-bitterly-lucky-now-means-worst-case/) [S.J. Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-j-kincaid/) > [The insignia meant a lot to the men who were fighting ... I had to do it ... I owed it to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/the-insignia-meant-a-lot-to-the-men-who-were-fighting-i-had-to-do-it/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [“Dress Blacks mag-bind down the sides, leaving a smooth front whereon is displayed a green-blue-gray-white Earth insignia, about three inches in diameter, high up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-zelazny/dress-blacks-mag-bind-down-the-sides-leaving-a-smooth-front-whereon/) [Roger Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-zelazny/) > [F.D.R. achieved greatness not by means of imposing his temperament and intellect on the world but by reacting to what the world threw at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dowd/f-d-r-achieved-greatness-not-by-means-of-imposing-his-temperament-and/) [Maureen Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-dowd/) > [We tend to look at successful athletes and make them almost bigger than life. I have seen many young men who have achieved greatness.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lavell-edwards/we-tend-to-look-at-successful-athletes-and-make-them-almost-bigger/) [LaVell Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lavell-edwards/) > [Hitler was so modern, in that he was obsessed with being famous. 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Everything, and people simply had let them. People had meekly surrendered the world to them in hopes those CEOs would finally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-j-kincaid-2/they-d-taken-everything-everything-and-people-simply-had-let-them/) [S. J. Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-j-kincaid-2/) > [“This war ends, then so do the taxpayer-funded contracts, the drumbeats in the media, the nice Combatant faces, and the patriotic cause to lull…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-j-kincaid-2/this-war-ends-then-so-do-the-taxpayer-funded-contracts-the-drumbeats/) [S. J. Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-j-kincaid-2/) > [“Sei straordinaria" disse piano. È molto egoista da parte mia riuscire solo a pensare che ti voglio solo per me?" Mi misi a balbettare.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-j-kincaid-2/sei-straordinaria-disse-piano-molto-egoista-da-parte-mia-riuscire/) [S. J. Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-j-kincaid-2/) > [“Not just in America. When I left my primary school, my father said, 'Son, you are now a man,' then he gave me a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-j-kincaid-2/not-just-in-america-when-i-left-my-primary-school-my-father-said-son/) [S. J. Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-j-kincaid-2/) > [“<> disse piano. <<È molto egoista da parte mia riuscire solo a pensare che ti voglio per me?>> Mi misi a balbettare. <> Curvò la bocca in uno strano sorriso. E poi mi baciò.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-j-kincaid-2/disse-piano-molto-egoista-da-parte-mia-riuscire-solo-a-pensare-che-ti/) [S. J. Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-j-kincaid-2/) > [“Wyatt avoided the petty gunfights and headed to a saloon and rigged up a bunch of Molotov cocktails. Her firebombs against members of Tom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-j-kincaid-2/wyatt-avoided-the-petty-gunfights-and-headed-to-a-saloon-and-rigged/) [S. J. Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-j-kincaid-2/) [Explore all 10 S. J. Kincaid quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-j-kincaid-2/) ## More History quotes > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. 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It moved people to overcome their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/history-has-often-showed-us-the-strength-of-the-forces-that-are/) [Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/) > [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [What is history after all? History is facts which become lies in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/what-is-history-after-all-history-is-facts-which-become-lies-in-the/) [Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/) > [Things live and die, and then someone processes them into edible portions. This is a complete telling of the story, 'Food.' The basic plot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fahrenthold/things-live-and-die-and-then-someone-processes-them-into-edible/) [David Fahrenthold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fahrenthold/) > [History is a certain way, but you just change the point of view a little bit, and you discover a whole new side of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-schroeder/history-is-a-certain-way-but-you-just-change-the-point-of-view-a/) [Allison Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-schroeder/) > [We're at a point in history were we have to become a part of the neighborhood of inhabited planets, like a neighborhood of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/we-re-at-a-point-in-history-were-we-have-to-become-a-part-of-the/) [Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/) > [Today is a reality, tomorrow's a promise, and yesterday's history!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-blanks/today-is-a-reality-tomorrow-s-a-promise-and-yesterday-s-history/) [Billy Blanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-blanks/) > [Truth be told from compulsive liars with a history/Everything must change 2nd chances are a mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-dash/truth-be-told-from-compulsive-liars-with-a-history-everything-must/) C-DASH > [Every army in the history of the world has always had some deserters, usually much greater than we have today, because once again every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-hilferty/every-army-in-the-history-of-the-world-has-always-had-some-deserters/) [Bryan Hilferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-hilferty/) > [“To those great geniuses now in petticoats, who shall write novels for the beloved reader's children, these men and things will be as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/to-those-great-geniuses-now-in-petticoats-who-shall-write-novels-for/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) [Browse all 27,263 History quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“There’s not a person in history who achieved greatness without choking back some pride, without ever smiling at someone they despised, without playing along even if they hated the very idea of it”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "S. 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