Most of our pocket wisdom is conceived for the use of mediocre people to discourage them from ambitious attempts and generally console them in their mediocrity.

Excellence is a better teacher than mediocrity. The lessons of the ordinary are everywhere. Truly profound and original insights are to be found only in studying the exemplary.

Perseverance - a lowly virtue whereby mediocrity achieves an inglorious success.

Anyone could be in the orchestra or sports team or arts club at my school. It was precisely the kind of inclusivity that now meets with a sort of scorn and derision as a prizes-for-all culture that generates only mediocrity. There's something so insulting about the idea that including lots of people means mediocrity.

The general tendency of things throughout the world is to render mediocrity the ascendant power among mankind.

There are certain things in which mediocrity is not to be endured such as poetry music painting public speaking.

Jealousy is the tribute mediocrity pays to genius.

Anyone in the humor business isn't thinking clearly if he doesn't surround himself with idea people. Otherwise you settle for mediocrity - or you burn yourself out.

When small men attempt great enterprises they always end by reducing them to the level of their mediocrity.

All good is hard. All evil is easy. Dying losing cheating and mediocrity is easy. Stay away from easy.

In America I would say New York and New Orleans are the two most interesting food towns. In New Orleans they don't have a bad deli. There's no mediocrity accepted.

Being famous is not something that would make me feel successful - unless one was striving for mediocrity.

Mechanization best serves mediocrity.

There is an infinite difference between a little wrong and just right between fairly good and the best between mediocrity and superiority.

Great artists are people who find the way to be themselves in their art. Any sort of pretension induces mediocrity in art and life alike.

The thing is I don't believe in most of what's done. The amount of financial and imaginative energy that's put into mediocrity is just amazing which I find to be fundamentally offensive as a human being.

We live in an age of mediocrity.

Men of age object too much consult too long adventure too little repent too soon and seldom drive business home to the full period but content themselves with a mediocrity of success.