"When small men attempt great enterprises, they always end by reducing them to the level of their mediocrity"
- Napoleon Bonaparte
About this Quote
This quote by Napoleon Bonaparte recommends that when people who do not have the needed abilities and capabilities attempt to do something that is beyond their abilities, they will ultimately stop working. He is implying that those who are not effectively gotten ready for a task will not have the ability to finish it successfully. He is also recommending that when people try to do something that is too hard for them, they will wind up doing something that is much less excellent and of a lower quality than what they originally meant. This quote functions as a warning to those who might be lured to handle a job that is too challenging for them, as it is likely that they will not have the ability to complete it to the very best of their abilities.
"To be really great in little things, to be truly noble and heroic in the insipid details of everyday life, is a virtue so rare as to be worthy of canonization"
"Having soon discovered to be great, I must appear so, and therefore studiously avoided mixing in society, and wrapped myself in mystery, devoting my time to fasting and prayer"