We have, I fear, confused power with greatness.

Udall’s line draws a moral distinction between the ability to compel outcomes (power) and the qualities that merit admiration over time (greatness). It suggests a civic and personal error: treating dominance, wealth, military might, or political leverage as proof of virtue or historical importance. The quote implies that true greatness is measured by ethical restraint, service, wisdom, and the long-term common good—standards that can be undermined when societies idolize sheer capacity to act. In Udall’s public-minded worldview, the warning fits debates about leadership, national ambition, and the temptation to equate “can” with “should.”