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It is not permitted to all men to be great, but all can be good.

— Jean-François Marmontel Dictionary of Quotations: French and Italian (1904)

Il n'est pas permis à tous les hommes d'être grands, mais ils peuvent tous être bons.

Original text (French)

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Source: Lettre à Voltaire, 20 October 1769
Work: Dictionary of Quotations: French and Italian, 1904
Source quality: Precise citation Points to a specific work with a page, chapter, date or similar locator, so you can look it up.

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Jean-François Marmontel (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.