The great tree chooses where to grow and we find it there, so it is with the greatness in men.
Related quotes
Sonnet: On Greatness
Greatness is not a thing, much like an art;
Some man turns great if on it he stumbles;
His greatness ceases, if he thinks, he's great;
Great is he truly who tho' great, humbles.
Greatness is not true greatness, self-proclaimed;
Greatness is not what world showers on us;
Greatness is neither got by being claimed.
Greatness is not achieved by making fuss.
Greatness could come if world decides to give;
Greatness will stay if God blesses our work;
Such greatness, God-destined comes while men live;
Greatness can grow even without much luck.
Greatness doesn't come to everyone on earth;
Some men are made great; some are great by birth.
poem by John Celes

Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.
quote by William Shakespeare

Submitted by Dan Costinaş
Vote! | Copy!
Embellished By Desire
Does a greatness exist,
To remind itself that's what it is?
Or is it what it is because it is convinced...
A greatness has been achieved?
From its perspective.
Although the quality of it,
Has long been diminished...
By those seeking clarity and definition!
And not deluded interpretations,
Fantasized and embellished by desire.
An isolated slice of a whole...
May wish to call itself anything it chooses.
But it can not exist as it is by itself exclusively.
One day it does awaken...
To realize the foolishness of this!
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar

Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
My Tree Of Life
Once a seedling
Well nourished and fed,
Now a giant elm
In my garden bed.
I've sheltered this tree
From wind and rain,
Watched it grow,
And kept it from pain.
This great big elm,
So important to my life,
Signifies my past;
It symbolizes my strife.
When I grow weary
Of dealing with my pain,
I turn to my tree
Realizing I have much to gain.
My tree has scars
And it's bark grows rough,
But day after day
It's just never enough.
You see at my tree
Life throws rain,
And at my tree,
Life throws pain.
It's these things though,
My tree needs to live.
For, it's these hardships
Life has to give.
So just like my tree,
I'll learn to move on.
I'll soak up the storms
Until I'm gone.
poem by Candika Niada

Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
0162 Greatness
How great is greatness? asks my questing soul:
scenting behind that quest, eternity;
that dark which, studied, lights the dazzling whole
and brings to finite thought, infinity;
as when great singers sing, all hearts can sing;
great dancers give us sense that all can dance;
great actors speak for all of us; we think
to know all painted greatness at one glance:
we know already, greatness' unfenced whole,
we know that boundless place, the human heart;
Creation is no secret to our soul;
all being sings its song in every part.
How glorious those sages who can see
in everything that lives, totality!
poem by Michael Shepherd

Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Gone Is Another Chance
Stuck in a backed up duct...
A flow has start to slow.
And there one sits until a busted luck,
Erupts!
In a panic that one shows.
And gone,
Is another chance to do...
What one chooses.
Or sip on booze to fuel.
Gone...
Is another chance to do,
What one chooses.
Plucked like a duck that will get stuffed.
To cook until one's done.
One like this is too corrupt.
With winning thoughts to come.
But gone,
Is another chance to do...
What one chooses.
Or sip on booze to fuel.
Gone...
Is another chance to do,
What one chooses.
Or pick a fight to feud.
Gone...
Is another chance to do,
What one chooses.
Stuck in a backed up duct!
And gone,
Is another chance to do...
What one chooses.
Stuck in a backed up duct!
And gone,
Is another chance to do...
What one chooses.
Stuck in a backed up duct!
Stuck in a backed up duct!
And gone,
Is another chance to do...
What one chooses.
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar

Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
O little plum tree in the garden, you're
O little plum tree in the garden, you're
Aflower again,
With memories of a million springs and my
Brief years of pain.
O little tree, you have the power to find
Your youth again,
Grow young, while I grow old in tenderness
And wise in pain.
poem by Lesbia Harford

Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
From Where Shall I Greatness Buy?
Mom tells me to finish my homework quickly,
When I ask why? , she tells me
“You should become great as great as your dad”.
When I ask, where is my dad Mom?
She tells me, “He is now god’s guest.”
Again when I ask Mom,
“Can I not become great by being the god’s guest”?
She slaps me gently and tells me,
“Now just shut up and get your homework done”.
Little later when I ask she says,
“Your Dad fought like a tiger,
risking his life, he never bothered.
His gun has brought him greatness
and the honour of being the god’s guest.
Again when I ask,
“Do people become great when they fight”?
If so, I will beat in the school,
My friend Philip, with my might.”
Now, Mom calls me stupid and gives me a push.
Crying I go to sleep in her lap,
Now she says, “Tomorrow I will
give you pocket money for ice-cream”.
Wiping my eyes when I ask,
Mom! ”Can I by saving pocket money,
try greatness buy”?
Tell Mom, “From where shall I greatness buy”?
She tells, “Oh god help me”
and begins to cry.
poem by Dr. Sandeep Kumar Kar

Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

The man who is anybody and who does anything is surely going to be criticized, vilified, and misunderstood. That is part of the penalty for greatness, and every great man understands it; and understands, too, that it is no proof of greatness. The final proof of greatness lies in being able to endure continously without resentment.
quote by Elbert Hubbard

Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
The 'Potential' For Greatness IS There
If a greatness is indeed appreciated,
Wouldn't it take more than one to satiate the taste?
It would lessen the propaganda.
And the hype of it would not be faked.
'Well...
Okay.
Let me say...
The 'potential' for greatness is there.'
mmm...
That makes the taste of it easier to take,
Somehow.
That way,
My expectations aren't set so high.
And I can determine what is given,
More delicious than it is!
You get my point?
'I think so.
YOU want to determine,
The 'greatness'.
And when and 'if' that should be labelled as such!
Giving 'you' a purpose to encourage and spread the word.'
Of course.
I don't want to have it enforced.
I would think you would want my expectations to rise!
To declare something 'great'...
Leaves it to be criticized and opened to be downsized.
'Maybe we should hire you to do our marketing? '
Well...
As you yourself stated,
The 'potential' for greatness is there.
'I now can see,
The point you are making.
The potential for greatness 'IS' there.'
Exactly!
There is no need to overwhelm the message.
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar

Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.
quote by William Shakespeare

Submitted by Dan Costinaş
Vote! | Copy!
The Great Oak Tree
There grew a little flower
'Neath a great oak tree:
When the tempest 'gan to lower
Little heeded she:
No need had she to cower,
For she dreaded not its power -
She was happy in the bower
Of her great oak tree!
Sing hey,
Lackaday!
Let the tears fall free
For the pretty little flower and the great oak tree!
When she found that he was fickle,
Was that great oak tree,
She was in a pretty pickle,
As she well might be -
But his gallantries were mickle,
For Death followed with his sickle,
And her tears began to trickle
For her great oak tree!
Sing hey,
Lackaday!
Let the tears fall free
For the pretty little flower and the great oak tree!
Said she, "He loved me never,
Did that great oak tree,
But I'm neither rich nor clever,
And so why should he?
But though fate our fortunes sever,
To be constant I'll endeavour,
Ay, for ever and for ever,
To my great oak tree!"
Sing hey,
Lackaday!
Let the tears fall free
For the pretty little flower and the great oak tree!
poem by William Schwenck Gilbert

Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
If any man seeks for greatness, let him forget greatness and ask for truth, and he will find both.
quote by Horace Mann

Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
Greatness
You want to be led to greatness.
You believe that it comes,
Without pain and sacrifice.
You perceive it to be a condition taught.
Something instructed or can be bought.
Something delivered upon your acceptance.
But no one known that is considered great...
Waited in anticipation to have it placed,
And presented on a plate as they safely ate!
Greatness isn't something someone takes.
Greatness is announced...
After someone has been trounced,
Through the trenches!
And 'remarkably' survives.
Surprising even the one who is stunned.
This was not a consideration,
In the mind of one who kept focused...
On what at the time,
Needed to be done!
And greatness was bestowed,
By what one did and showed!
Rising to heights,
Inspite of opposition!
And not submitting to a conformity,
That sits and seeks to be led!
Greatness is ahead of those,
Following!
Those feeding,
Upon wishes to be fed!
By that which has been left,
To nibble and taste...
From pioneering explorations!
In a desperation to succeed!
And most times discovered,
In disregard of danger!
In disregard...
Of blood one might bleed!
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar

Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!

The greatness of man is great in that he knows himself to be wretched. A tree does not know itself to be wretched.
quote by Blaise Pascal

Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!

Whoever renders service to many puts himself in line for greatness - great wealth, great return, great satisfaction, great reputation, and great joy.

Whoever renders service to many puts himself in line for greatness--great wealth, great return, great satisfaction, great reputation, and great joy.
Ode to the bird in the cypress tree
Ode to the bird in the cypress tree
~
I wish to be like the bird in the cypress tree
shaded from the heat of the midday sun
yet still free to ride upon the ocean breeze
whenever it chooses to blow from time to time
I wish to be like the bird in the cypress tree
and chirp my own little song aloud to the world
or to fly amongst the clouds so high above
and look down to watch the world below
I wish to be like the bird in the cypress tree
for all my wishes and day bought dreams
I am here and I am still me writing a poem
about that lucky bird perched in the cypress tree
poem by Matthew Holloway

Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Mantree
Man & Tree.
There was a spruce tree in the forest, he had
watched it grow from spindly sampling to
a handsome young tree, and thought of it as
the son he never had.
But shortly before Christmas it disappeared
he went to the market in town where they sold
hundreds of trees for those who want the real
thing, but couldn’t find it there.
After the festivities he found his tree on a dump,
green needles gone, now it was brown, he took
the dead plant home and used as kindling to lit
the fire on cold, soggy days.
poem by Oskar Hansen

Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Each Of Us
we are as great as we think
we are
our greatness does not depend
on the greatness of
another
we are privileged to have taken
foot on this earth
we have, on this truth, already won,
there may be darkness
for those who were wise ahead of us
think that we live in this cave and we are but
shadows chained and blind to light
and bound
we are as great as we think we are
this is not an illusion neither is it just a proposition
this is the truth and this is the hope
keep on going
from the heart of this darkness
the mouth of awareness is not that really far
soon we shall be there
inside us the fire of life burns
warm as eternity
it is so alive like the breathing of the sea
poem by Ric S. Bastasa

Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!