Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.

This line appears in Shakespeare’s comedy *Twelfth Night* (also known as *What You Will*). It is spoken by Maria, Olivia’s witty gentlewoman, as she outlines a prank against the pompous steward Malvolio. Maria plans to drop a forged letter, purportedly from Olivia, that will entice Malvolio to believe Olivia loves him and to behave absurdly in hopes of rising above his station. The remark is part of Maria’s persuasive, teasing rhetoric: she encourages Malvolio (indirectly, through the letter’s bait) to embrace the prospect of “greatness,” even though it is being artificially manufactured for comic humiliation.

On its surface, the sentence offers a memorable taxonomy of “greatness”: it may come by birth, by personal effort, or by circumstance. In *Twelfth Night*, however, the line is ironized by its setting: it is used to lure Malvolio into self-deception and social overreach. Shakespeare thus lets the aphorism carry a double edge—both an inspiring maxim about opportunity and a warning about vanity and credulity. The play’s broader preoccupation with role-playing, mistaken identity, and social mobility makes the line resonate beyond the prank, suggesting that status can be as contingent and performative as it is earned.

Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon ’em.

Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.
Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.
Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon ’em.