"Show me a better man. Name one and I am answered; but do not point, as a disqualification, to the very facts which make this man fit beyond all others"

This quote by Roscoe Conkling is a difficulty to discover a much better male than the one he is referring to. He is indicating that the guy he is describing is the very best of all, which it is impossible to find someone much better. He is likewise indicating that the qualities that make this man the most effective should not be used as an incompetency, yet rather as a testament to his achievement. This quote speaks to the suggestion that greatness is not specified by a solitary quality, however rather by a combination of top qualities that make an individual stick out from the remainder. It also speaks to the concept that achievement is not something that can be conveniently determined or quantified, but rather something that is unique to each person. Inevitably, this quote is a reminder that greatness is something that is subjective and that it is up to each person to decide that is the very best.