Some men are born mediocre, some men achieve mediocrity, and some men, have mediocrity thrust upon them


What's the meaning of the phrase 'Some men are born mediocre, some men achieve mediocrity, and some men, have mediocrity thrust upon them'?

Literal meaning.

What's the origin of the phrase 'Some men are born mediocre, some men achieve mediocrity, and some men, have mediocrity thrust upon them'?

From Joseph Heller’s Catch-22. Paraphrase of the original ‘some men are born great…’ from Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, 1602.

Trend of some men are born mediocre in printed material over time

Gary Martin is a writer and researcher on the origins of phrases and the creator of the Phrase Finder website. Over the past 26 years more than 700 million of his pages have been downloaded by readers. He is one of the most popular and trusted sources of information on phrases and idioms.

Gary Martin

Writer and researcher on the origins of phrases and the creator of the Phrase Finder website. Over the past 26 years more than 700 million of his pages have been downloaded by readers. He is one of the most popular and trusted sources of information on phrases and idioms.
Some men are born mediocre, some men achieve mediocrity, and some men, have mediocrity thrust upon them

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