“If you want to achieve greatness, stop asking for permission” is a popular stencil by Oakland-based artist Eddie Colla that shows a woman (with a handkerchief over her face) spray painting this saying on a wall. The saying became popular in 2009.
 
   
eddiecolla.wordpress.com
Eddie
If you want to achieve greatness, stop asking for permission
 
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Jerry Paffendorf
‏@WELLO
ahem. “if you want to achieve greatness stop asking for permission” http://twitpic.com/4kq1b
7:38 PM - 4 May 2009
 
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Wouter Vernaillen
‏@vernaillen
RT: @wernerramaekers: “if you want to achieve greatness, stop asking for permission” http://www.flickr.com/photos/violetblue/3773532595/
7:36 AM - 31 Jul 2009
 
Sex. Art, and Politics
Stencil by Eddie Colla
via writinggirl2writingwoman:jadedhippy:champagnecandy
1:28 pm •  27 August 2009 •  262 notes
 
The Dirt Floor
Without Permission: Interview with Artist Eddie Colla
Feb 13, 2011
The work of Oakland based artist Eddie Colla is a powerful collection of expressions illustrating how individuals on both sides of the fence react to the constant threat of social and political desire for conformity. His multi layered visions of people in the throws of isolation, oppression and conformity are beautifully crafted in an assembly of aesthetic retinal fantasy. His visual imagery is subtley defiant and allies itself against the forces that stain what lies deep in the heart of all his work, a celebration and a passion for freedom.
 
One of my favorite quotes from your work is “If you want to achieve greatness, stop asking for permission”. What inspired this quote and what does it mean to you?
 
It’s just about controlling your own fate. If you make your success contingent upon the approval of others, you’re kinda following the formula for failure. There are few great achievements in the history of the world that were not, at first, met with doubt or fear or both. For every person who achieved something great, there were 100 who told them it couldn’t or shouldn’t be done.
   
philosiblog
If you want to achieve greatness, stop asking for permission.
by Philosiblog on 8 August 2013 in action, passion, plan, success, thinking, victory
If you want to achieve greatness stop asking for permission. – Anonymous
What does that mean?
To me, this quote is about the eternal struggle between innovation and the establishment. Things have always been done a certain way, and no one sees a reason to change that.
 
Until someone does. If they ask permission to try something different, what do you think the answer is going to be? What was the answer when you have asked in your life? Sometimes you get a ‘yes,’ but most of the time? ‘No.’