Goodness does not consist in greatness, but greatness in goodness.

The saying reverses a common assumption: that moral worth (“goodness”) is a byproduct of power, fame, or high rank (“greatness”). Instead, it argues that true greatness is defined by ethical character—virtue is the measure, not the ornament, of eminence. Read this way, the line functions as a moral criterion for evaluating leaders and celebrated figures: achievements, status, or scale of influence do not automatically confer goodness, but goodness can confer a deeper, more enduring kind of greatness. It also implies that greatness without goodness is hollow, while goodness—even in ordinary circumstances—participates in what is genuinely great.