No one knows how greatness comes to a man. It may lie in his blackness, sleeping, or it may lance into him like those driven fiery particles from outer space. These things, however, are known about greatness: need gives it life and puts it in action; it never comes without pain; it leaves a man changed, chastened, and exalted at the same time--he can never return to simplicity.
John Steinbeck (2008). “Sweet Thursday”, p.316, Penguin
![No one knows how greatness comes to a man. It may lie in his blackness, sleeping, or it may lance into him like those driven fiery particles from outer space. These things, however, are known about greatness: need gives](http://cdn.quoteddaily.com/images/john-steinbeck/no-one-knows-how-greatness-comes-to-a-man-it-may-lie-in-his-blackness-sleeping-or-it-may-lance.jpg)