--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nil magnum nisi bonum. No greatness…" description: "\"“Nil magnum nisi bonum. No greatness without goodness.”\" — Yann Martel" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee7/yann-martel-395_greatness-goodness_nil-magnum-nisi-bonum-no-greatness-witho_3190375.jpg" --- # Nil magnum nisi bonum. No greatness without goodness. ![“Nil magnum nisi bonum. No greatness without goodness.” quote by Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee7/yann-martel-395_greatness-goodness_nil-magnum-nisi-bonum-no-greatness-witho_3190375.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee7/yann-martel-395_greatness-goodness_nil-magnum-nisi-bonum-no-greatness-witho_3190375.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee7/yann-martel-395_greatness-goodness_nil-magnum-nisi-bonum-no-greatness-witho_3190375.jpg) > ““Nil magnum nisi bonum. No greatness without goodness.”” [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Goodness is a prerequisite for true greatness; moral virtue underpins lasting achievement. **In simple terms:** Greatness needs goodness. Key Takeaway Cultivate integrity before seeking fame. Themes ethics leadership virtue Mood thoughtful serious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - political leadership - public speaking - personal branding Key Concepts moral philosophy character development Questions to Reflect On - How do you define greatness? - Can greatness exist without ethical foundations? A Different Perspective Success without moral grounding can be hollow. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [“Nil magnum nisi bonum. Tak ada kemuliaan tanpa kebajikan.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/nil-magnum-nisi-bonum-tak-ada-kemuliaan-tanpa-kebajikan/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [ Concerning the dead nothing but good shall be spoken. \[Lat., De mortuis nil nisi bonum.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/concerning-the-dead-nothing-but-good-shall-be-spoken-lat-de-mortuis/) [Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/) > [No man ever progressed to greatness and goodness but through great mistakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-william-robertson/no-man-ever-progressed-to-greatness-and-goodness-but-through-great/) [Frederick William Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-william-robertson/) > [Greatness and goodness are not means, but ends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/greatness-and-goodness-are-not-means-but-ends/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [Goodness does not consist in greatness, but greatness in goodness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/athenaeus/goodness-does-not-consist-in-greatness-but-greatness-in-goodness/) [Athenaeus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/athenaeus/) > [Greatness and goodness are not means, but ends! Hath he not always treasures, always friends, The good great man? Three treasures, love and light,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/greatness-and-goodness-are-not-means-but-ends-hath-he-not-always/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) ## More by Yann Martel > [“It’s a big ocean crossed by busy ships. I went slowly, observing much.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/it-s-a-big-ocean-crossed-by-busy-ships-i-went-slowly-observing-much/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“The word isn't just the way it is. It is how we understand it, no? 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The main battlefield for good is not the open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/for-evil-in-the-open-is-but-evil-from-within-that-has-been-let-out/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [Books are something social - a writer speaking to a reader - so I think making the reading of a book the center of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/books-are-something-social-a-writer-speaking-to-a-reader-so-i-think/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [Nothing beats reason for keeping tigers away. But be excessively reasonable and you risk throwing out the universe with the bathwater.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/nothing-beats-reason-for-keeping-tigers-away-but-be-excessively/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“Uvek ima onih koji uzmu za pravo da brane Boga, kao da je Poslednja stvarnost, kao da je temeljni ram postojanja nešto slabašno i…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/uvek-ima-onih-koji-uzmu-za-pravo-da-brane-boga-kao-da-je-poslednja/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“The reason death sticks so closely to life isn't biological necessity- its envy. Life is so beautiful that death has fallen in love with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/the-reason-death-sticks-so-closely-to-life-isn-t-biological-necessity/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) [Explore all 570 Yann Martel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) ## More Greatness Goodness quotes > [No man ever progressed to greatness and goodness but through great mistakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-william-robertson/no-man-ever-progressed-to-greatness-and-goodness-but-through-great/) [Frederick William Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-william-robertson/) > [Greatness and goodness are not means, but ends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/greatness-and-goodness-are-not-means-but-ends/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [Goodness does not consist in greatness, but greatness in goodness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/athenaeus/goodness-does-not-consist-in-greatness-but-greatness-in-goodness/) [Athenaeus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/athenaeus/) > [Greatness and goodness are not means, but ends! Hath he not always treasures, always friends, The good great man? Three treasures, love and light,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/greatness-and-goodness-are-not-means-but-ends-hath-he-not-always/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) Browse all 5 Greatness Goodness quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Nil magnum nisi bonum. 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