Every man is the son of his own works. – Miguel de Cervantes

No man was ever great without a touch of divine afflatus. – Cicero

It is a mistake to imagine that potentially great men are rare. It is the conditions that permit the promise of greatness to be fulfilled that are rare. What is so difficult to achieve is the cultural background that permits potential greatness to be converted into actual greatness. – Fred Hoyle, Of Man and Galaxies