"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, the really great make you feet that you, too, can become great." Mark Twain
The reason this works is simple: ambition is fragile in its early stages, before it has proof or momentum, and the people around you either feed that fragile thing or starve it. Small people feel threatened by growth they haven't attempted themselves, so they shrink your plans to feel steadier about their own stillness. Great people have already made peace with their own reach, so your reach doesn't scare them. Say you want to start a small business and mention it at dinner. One friend lists reasons it'll fail; another asks what the first step looks like. Notice which one you keep calling. The caution: don't mistake honest, caring feedback for belittling. Someone who loves you enough to ask hard questions isn't small — they're paying attention.
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