In simple terms, greatness is about becoming the greatest version of yourself. It’s about breaking the imaginary boundaries that hold you captive in a life you believe you have to settle for, and touching the realms of the unthinkable. The greatness mentality means living a life without limits, where there are infinite possibilities.

My definition of greatness would be going for it no matter what, despite fear, and making the absolute most of the life that you were given, because it’s not a dress rehearsal.

Greatness is inspiring others to be their best.

Greatness is discovering your unique gifts and talents to pursue your Meaningful Mission and make the maximum positive impact on the people around you.

Greatness is never achieved by trying to imitate the greatness of another. Greatness is chipping away at all that does not belong to you and then expressing yourself so truly that others can’t help but recognize it.

Katy Milkman, award-winning behavioral scientist and professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, describes the essence of greatness as being clear on your purpose or mission so that it serves as your North Star. She told me that when someone has that clear North Star and has built their life to support and “lean toward it” in all aspects, she feels like she is in the presence of greatness.

I think the definition of greatness is to inspire the people next to you.

Greatness is a spiritual condition worthy to excite love, interest, and admiration; and the outward proof of possessing greatness is that we excite love, interest, and admiration. — Matthew Arnold

So, the question of Why greatness? is almost a nonsense question. If you're engaged in work that you love and care about, for whatever reason, then the question needs no answer. The question is not why, but how.

The essence of greatness is the perception that virtue is enough.

Human greatness does not lie in wealth or power, but in character and goodness. People are just people, and all people have faults and shortcomings, but all of us are born with a basic goodness.

Greatness is the result of visionaries who persevere, focus, believe, and prepare. It is a habit, not a birthright.

I don't confuse greatness with perfection. To be great anyhow is…the higher achievement.

Our culture today confuses great attention with great success, assuming them to be the same thing, but they are not. You are great, already. Whether you realize it or not. Whether anybody else realizes it or not. And it's not because you launched an iPhone app, or finished school a year early, or bought yourself a sweet ass boat. These things do not define greatness. You are already great because in the face of endless confusion and certain death, you continue to choose what to give a fuck about and what not to.