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“Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon 'em.”

Permalink: William Shakespeare

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Malvolio says it while imagining himself a count, and Shakespeare hands the boast to the most pompous character in the play. The joke is that the third clause covers most people's ambitions, which is why the line survives as a wry description of how status gets distributed among people who would all claim to deserve it.

Source: Twelfth Night, Act 3, Scene 1

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