It's just not my nature to go around idolizing people.

Magnus Carlsen, the chess prodigy who rose to become World Champion, once declared: “It’s just not my nature to go around idolizing people.” In these words lies a profound teaching, for he reveals not arrogance, but a philosophy of independence. To refuse to idolize others is not to deny their greatness, but to guard the freedom of one’s own mind. For when a person bows too low before another, they risk forgetting their own worth, their own vision, their own power to create.

This saying carries the spirit of the ancients, who warned that man should honor virtue but never surrender his soul to blind worship. To admire is healthy, for it inspires; but to idolize is dangerous, for it chains the heart and clouds the judgment. Carlsen, by nature a strategist, shows that in order to play the game of life at the highest level, one must remain unbound by illusion. The true champion studies others, but never kneels to them.

History, too, bears witness to this wisdom. Consider the tale of Alexander the Great. Many idolized him, believing him almost divine, and in this worship they lost their own sense of destiny. But Alexander himself looked not to men but to his vision of conquest, never letting even the shadow of his teacher Aristotle bind his will. Admiration was there, yes, but never idolatry. It was this spirit of independence that allowed him to carve a path no one had walked before. So it is with Carlsen: by refusing to idolize, he preserved the clarity of his own mind to move pieces — and his life — as he chose.

To say “it is not my nature” is also to remind us that character shapes destiny. Some are drawn to bow, to cling to the greatness of others, seeking comfort in imitation. Yet the strongest spirits rise above such dependency. They may respect, they may learn, but they do not bend their essence. Carlsen’s words echo the call of those who walk the lonely path of mastery: to trust in one’s own instincts, to cultivate one’s own strength, to become one’s own standard.

Yet let us not misunderstand. To reject idolization is not to scorn humility. A wise soul can honor greatness without becoming enslaved by it. The Stoics admired virtue wherever it was found, yet they warned against raising mortals into gods. For to idolize another is to abandon your own path, to live as a shadow rather than a flame. True greatness is born when one says: “I may respect another’s light, but I shall kindle my own.”

The lesson for future generations is thus: let your admiration inspire action, not dependence. Do not merely collect heroes as ornaments for your heart; strive instead to embody the qualities you honor in them. If you admire courage, then live courageously. If you admire wisdom, then seek wisdom daily. Do not bow before greatness — rise toward it.

Therefore, in your life, remember Magnus Carlsen’s teaching. Learn from others, yes, but never lose the sovereignty of your own spirit. Stand tall, as a player in your own right upon the great board of life. Respect your teachers, cherish your inspirations, but never turn them into idols. For the one who idolizes remains a follower, but the one who resists idolatry may become, in time, an example for others to follow.