Some are Born Great, Some Acquire Greatness And Some Have Greatness Thrust upon Them

Shakespeare has rightly divided men into three great categories. Some people are known to the world because of their high or noble blood. They are great by virtue of their heredity. The accident of birth in a family of high status or of established repute is the cause of their greatness. They do not have to make any effort to make name for themselves or to achieve prominence in life. A heredity monarch like the King or Queen of England is, for instance, born great. 

        The present queen (Elizabeth II) of England does not possess any extraordinary gifts, but she is great by birth. Then there are those who achieve greatness by their own struggle glorious deeds,dedication to  a noble cause,supreme self-sacrifice and the like. They are the ones who truly deserve to be called great. Their greatness is the result of their heroic performance and their towering achievements. They immortalize themselves by conferring some great benefits on mankind. To this category belong people like Abraham Lincoln, Florence Nightingale, and the Quaid-e-Azam. Such persons are the founders of great movements or the champions of noble causes. 

          Finally, there are persons who are great neither by birth nor by circumstances. It sometimes happens, for instance, that the power of two groups in a political party is equally balanced. In such a situation the only acceptable leader for both groups is a man who is by no means a very eminent or distinguished person. This person finds himself great because of certain unusual conditions that prevail. To this category belong all those persons who are born to exceptionally rich parents. They simply inherit fame and name without having done anything great or creditable. They are the people on whom greatness is thrust.