The chance for greatness, for progress and for change dies the moment we try to be like someone else.

The line argues that imitation is inherently limiting: the moment a person abandons their own perspective to copy another’s identity, they also abandon the unique combination of experiences and instincts from which original achievement arises. “Greatness” here is framed less as status than as authentic self-realization; “progress” and “change” depend on difference, experimentation, and the courage to depart from established models. The quote functions as a warning against comparison culture and a call to cultivate individuality—suggesting that meaningful innovation is not produced by replication, but by developing one’s own voice and path.