No sooner does a great man depart, and leave his character as public property, than a crowd of little men rushes towards it. There they are gathered together, blinking up to it with such vision as they have, scanning it from afar, hovering round it this way and that, each cunningly endeavoring, by all arts, to catch some reflex of it in the little mirror of himself.

Summary

This quote, by Scottish writer Thomas Carlyle, highlights how lesser individuals often try to take advantage of the reputation and character of a great person once they are no longer present. These "little men" lack their own exceptional qualities and abilities, so they seek to gain significance by associating with or imitating the achievements of someone remarkable. They gather around this person's character, attempting to interpret and understand it, hoping to reflect even a fraction of its brilliance upon themselves. Carlyle suggests that this behavior reveals their cunning nature and their desire for personal gain and recognition.

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