--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are only two sorts of greatness…" description: "\"There are only two sorts of greatness: true greatness, which is of a spiritual order, and the old, old lie of world conquest. Conquest is an ersatz gre..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b7/simone-weil-544_conquest_there-are-only-two-sorts-of-greatness-tr_170081.jpg" --- # There are only two sorts of greatness: true greatness… ![“There are only two sorts of greatness: true greatness, which is of a spiritual order, and the old, old lie of world conquest. Conquest is an ersatz greatness.” quote by Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b7/simone-weil-544_conquest_there-are-only-two-sorts-of-greatness-tr_170081.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b7/simone-weil-544_conquest_there-are-only-two-sorts-of-greatness-tr_170081.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b7/simone-weil-544_conquest_there-are-only-two-sorts-of-greatness-tr_170081.jpg) > “There are only two sorts of greatness: true greatness, which is of a spiritual order, and the old, old lie of world conquest. Conquest is an ersatz greatness.” [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True greatness stems from spiritual depth, while worldly power is a false, superficial form of greatness. **In simple terms:** Spiritual depth is real greatness; power is fake. Key Takeaway Seek inner growth over external domination. Themes spirituality greatness power authenticity Mood thoughtful reflective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal development - leadership - social activism - philosophical debate - cultural critique Key Concepts inner fulfillment ethical living humility Questions to Reflect On - What does true greatness mean to you? - How can you prioritize spiritual values in daily life? A Different Perspective World conquest can bring temporary influence but lacks lasting moral significance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conquest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conquest/) [Greatness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatness/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Spiritual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual/) [True greatness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-greatness/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [True greatness, true leadership, is achieved not by reducing men to one's service but in giving oneself in selfless service to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/true-greatness-true-leadership-is-achieved-not-by-reducing-men-to-one/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The reflected world is the conquest of calm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/the-reflected-world-is-the-conquest-of-calm/) [Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/) > [The history of the world has been one not of conquest, as supposed; it has been one of ennui.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-westley/the-history-of-the-world-has-been-one-not-of-conquest-as-supposed-it/) Helen Westley > [Greatness is a spiritual condition worthy to excite love, interest, and admiration; and the outward proof of possessing greatness is that we excite love,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/greatness-is-a-spiritual-condition-worthy-to-excite-love-interest-and/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [Greatness is a spiritual condition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/greatness-is-a-spiritual-condition/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [The only thing standing between you and your awesomeness, your greatness and true happiness is you! Let yourself be and have an amazing time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricardo-housham/the-only-thing-standing-between-you-and-your-awesomeness-your/) [Ricardo Housham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricardo-housham/) > [Some people say pain is a fuel for greatness and if that's true, then my tank will forever be full.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caleb-plant/some-people-say-pain-is-a-fuel-for-greatness-and-if-that-s-true-then/) [Caleb Plant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caleb-plant/) > [“The world is a conquest but also a great responsibility. Who avoids responsibility does not live the world but lives with himself, selfishly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claudio-dunca/the-world-is-a-conquest-but-also-a-great-responsibility-who-avoids/) Claudio Dunca > [“European imperialism was entirely unlike all other imperial projects in history. Previous seekers of empire tended to assume that they already understood the world.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/european-imperialism-was-entirely-unlike-all-other-imperial-projects/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“In a sense, New World conquest was about men seeking a way around one of life's basic rules - that human beings have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-macquarrie/in-a-sense-new-world-conquest-was-about-men-seeking-a-way-around-one/) Kim MacQuarrie > [The contemporary form of true greatness lies in a civilization founded on the spirituality of work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/the-contemporary-form-of-true-greatness-lies-in-a-civilization-2/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [The contemporary form of true greatness lies in a civilization founded upon the spirituality of work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/the-contemporary-form-of-true-greatness-lies-in-a-civilization/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [True greatness,true leadership,is found in giving yourself in service to others, not in coaxing or inducing others to serve you. True service is never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-oswald-sanders/true-greatness-true-leadership-is-found-in-giving-yourself-in-service/) [J. Oswald Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-oswald-sanders/) > [My personal interest in ordinary people is unlimited, but I am fascinated by the challenge of portraying true greatness adequately with my camera.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yousuf-karsh/my-personal-interest-in-ordinary-people-is-unlimited-but-i-am/) [Yousuf Karsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yousuf-karsh/) > [A wholesome regard for the memory of the great men of long ago is the best assurance to a people of a continuation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-coolidge/a-wholesome-regard-for-the-memory-of-the-great-men-of-long-ago-is-the/) [Calvin Coolidge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-coolidge/) ## More by Simone Weil > [Oppression that is clearly inexorable and invincible does not give rise to revolt but to submission.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/oppression-that-is-clearly-inexorable-and-invincible-does-not-give/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [At the centre of the human heart is the longing for an absolute good, a longing which is always there and is never appeased…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/at-the-centre-of-the-human-heart-is-the-longing-for-an-absolute-good/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [One should identify oneself with the universe itself. Everything that is less than the universe is subjected to suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/one-should-identify-oneself-with-the-universe-itself-everything-that/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [In a general way, the literature of the twentieth century is essentially psychological; and psychology consists of describing states of the soul by displaying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/in-a-general-way-the-literature-of-the-twentieth-century-is/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [What a country calls its vital economic interests are not the things which enable its citizens to live, but the things which enable it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/what-a-country-calls-its-vital-economic-interests-are-not-the-things/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [The intelligent man who is proud of his intelligence is like the condemned man who is proud of his large cell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/the-intelligent-man-who-is-proud-of-his-intelligence-is-like-the/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [The highest ecstasy is the attention at its fullest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/the-highest-ecstasy-is-the-attention-at-its-fullest/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [To be innocent is to bear the weight of the entire universe. It is to throw away the counterweight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/to-be-innocent-is-to-bear-the-weight-of-the-entire-universe-it-is-to/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [Equality is the public recognition, effectively expressed in institutions and manners, of the principle that an equal degree of attention is due to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/equality-is-the-public-recognition-effectively-expressed-in/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [The entire universe is nothing but a great metaphor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/the-entire-universe-is-nothing-but-a-great-metaphor/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [A beautiful woman looking at her image in the mirror may very well believe the image is herself. An ugly woman knows it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/a-beautiful-woman-looking-at-her-image-in-the-mirror-may-very-well/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [Only he who has measured the dominion of force, and knows how not to respect it, is capable of love andjustice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/only-he-who-has-measured-the-dominion-of-force-and-knows-how-not-to/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [Every time that I think of the crucifixion of Christ, I commit the sin of envy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/every-time-that-i-think-of-the-crucifixion-of-christ-i-commit-the-sin/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [A Pharisee is someone who is virtuous out of obedience to the Great Beast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/a-pharisee-is-someone-who-is-virtuous-out-of-obedience-to-the-great/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [Joy is being fully aware of reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/joy-is-being-fully-aware-of-reality/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) [Explore all 443 Simone Weil quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) ## More Conquest quotes > [Here's the reality. The image of a white Jesus has been used to justify enslavement, conquest, colonialism, the genocide of indigenous peoples. There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/here-s-the-reality-the-image-of-a-white-jesus-has-been-used-to/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) > [Politics...You see, it depends on what kind of politics. What we did during my father's generation was a duty. And it was beautiful because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/politics-you-see-it-depends-on-what-kind-of-politics-what-we-did/) [Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/) > [If love is the quest, then marriage is the conquest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-love-is-the-quest-then-marriage-is-the-conquest/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We must not forget that what I mean by the conquest of the world by spiritual thought is the sending out of the life-giving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/we-must-not-forget-that-what-i-mean-by-the-conquest-of-the-world-by/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [Any piece of knowledge which the pupil has himself acquired- any problem which he has himself solved, becomes, by virtue of the conquest, much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/any-piece-of-knowledge-which-the-pupil-has-himself-acquired-any/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [I have visited sweatshops, factories, and crowded slums. If I could not see it, I could smell it. The foundation of society is laid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/i-have-visited-sweatshops-factories-and-crowded-slums-if-i-could-not/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) > [It is in meeting the great tests that mankind can most successfully rise to great heights. Out of danger and restless insecurity comes the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/it-is-in-meeting-the-great-tests-that-mankind-can-most-successfully/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [By the age of three, the child has already laid down the foundations of his personality as a human being, and only then does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/by-the-age-of-three-the-child-has-already-laid-down-the-foundations/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [I refer to the misunderstanding of Soviet Russia as an aggressive power, militaristically and ideologically bent upon world domination 'seeing', to quote a recent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enoch-powell/i-refer-to-the-misunderstanding-of-soviet-russia-as-an-aggressive/) [Enoch Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enoch-powell/) > [At length weariness succeeds to labor, and the mind lies at ease in the contemplation of her own attainments without any desire of new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/at-length-weariness-succeeds-to-labor-and-the-mind-lies-at-ease-in/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The film The Conquest will be seen on many different levels and the American point of view is always more technical. The French are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xavier-durringer/the-film-the-conquest-will-be-seen-on-many-different-levels-and-the/) [Xavier Durringer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/xavier-durringer/) > [Misgovernment is of four kinds, often in combination. They are: 1) tyranny or oppression, of which history provides so many well-known examples that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/misgovernment-is-of-four-kinds-often-in-combination-they-are-1/) [Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/) > [In scientific thought, the concept functions all the better for being cut off from all background images. In its full exercise, the scientific concept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/in-scientific-thought-the-concept-functions-all-the-better-for-being/) [Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/) > [There must be a law if there is to be liberty. Try to play a piano and you will run into laws as fixed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-rogers/there-must-be-a-law-if-there-is-to-be-liberty-try-to-play-a-piano-and/) [Adrian Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-rogers/) > [The Islamic conquest of India is probably the bloodiest story in history. It is a discouraging tale, for its evident moral is that civilization…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/the-islamic-conquest-of-india-is-probably-the-bloodiest-story-in/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) [Browse all 567 Conquest quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conquest/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There are only two sorts of greatness: true greatness, which is of a spiritual order, and the old, old lie of world conquest. 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