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But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.
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“But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.”

Matthew

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Source
King James Bible — Matthew 23:11
Date
1611
Local voice
Reported speaker · Jesus
English wording
King James Version translation committees · from Biblical Hebrew / Aramaic / Koine Greek
Meaning

Meaning of “But he that is greatest among you shall…”

Status is inverted: the stronger model of greatness is usefulness to others rather than rank, display, or privilege.

Source context

Where does it come from?

Matthew 23:11 in the King James Version, within a warning against seeking honorific status and public elevation.

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Themes

Ideas connected with this quotation

CommunityCompassionHelping OthersHumanityHumilityLeadershipResponsibilityServiceShortGreatness
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The object of government is the welfare of the people.
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“The object of government is the welfare of the people.”

Theodore Roosevelt · The New Nationalism · 1910
Meaning & context

Roosevelt evaluates public power by whether it serves the welfare of people rather than becoming an instrument for entrenched private advantage or special interests.

Source details

The New Nationalism, Osawatomie, Kansas, August 31, 1910. This is Progressive Era political argument about public welfare, economic power and government responsibility, not current policy guidance.

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The safety of the ship is the common business of all of them.
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“The safety of the ship is the common business of all of them.”

Aristotle · Politics: A Treatise on Government · 4th century BCE
Meaning & context

People with different roles can still share responsibility for preserving the larger community on which all of their particular roles depend.

Source details

Politics: A Treatise on Government, Book III, Chapter IV, William Ellis translation; represented through the 1912 Dent witness / Project Gutenberg #6762. Aristotle compares citizens with sailors whose different offices share one common concern: the safety of the ship, paralleling the safety of the political community.

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The man who dies thus rich dies disgraced.
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“The man who dies thus rich dies disgraced.”

Andrew Carnegie · The Gospel of Wealth · 1889
Meaning & context

Accumulating wealth without using it responsibly is presented as a moral failure, shifting attention from possession to stewardship and public benefit.

Source details

The Gospel of Wealth; Carnegie argues that surplus wealth carries social responsibilities during the owner’s lifetime.

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I must serve the race which needs me most.
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“I must serve the race which needs me most.”

Frances Ellen Watkins Harper · Iola Leroy; Or, Shadows Uplifted · 1892
Voice: Fictional character · Iola Leroy
Meaning & context

Iola turns identity into a practical commitment: she decides that her education and abilities should be used where she believes her work is most needed.

Source details

Iola Leroy; Or, Shadows Uplifted, represented by Project Gutenberg #12352. Iola says this while declining Dr. Gresham’s marriage proposal and explaining her commitment to serve the Black community after emancipation. It is fictional character speech embedded in Harper’s Reconstruction-era racial and social argument.

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