Ninety per cent of how you learn is watching great people. When

The words of Natalie Portman, spoken with humility and insight, carry the ageless truth of how greatness is born not in isolation, but in the company of the great. She said, “Ninety per cent of how you learn is watching great people. When you are surrounded by good actors it lifts your performance.” This is no mere reflection on the craft of acting — it is a revelation of how all human excellence is cultivated. The ancients knew this well: to dwell among the wise is to breathe wisdom; to stand beside the noble is to learn nobility. For we are mirrors, reflecting the light that shines around us, and the brilliance of others ignites the flame within our own souls.

When one observes greatness, something sacred stirs in the heart. The eyes become pupils not only of vision but of virtue. The young warrior learns by watching the master’s stance, the poet by listening to the melody of the elder’s tongue, the artist by beholding the sure hand of the skilled painter. So too does the spirit grow through imitation — not blind mimicry, but reverent absorption. For greatness, when witnessed, awakens the sleeping potential within us, whispering: “You, too, are capable of this.”

Consider Alexander the Great, who as a youth sat at the feet of Aristotle, the philosopher whose words shaped the destiny of nations. Alexander learned not only from instruction but from the presence of greatness itself. He absorbed the manner of thought, the discipline of inquiry, and the spirit of purpose that burned in his teacher. In time, those lessons became his own — transmuted from theory to action, from philosophy to empire. Such is the alchemy of influence: by being near the great, we are transformed by their fire.

So too in Portman’s art — the stage and the screen become the arena of souls, where each performer draws strength from the excellence of the others. When surrounded by good actors, the heart is lifted, the senses sharpened, the spirit dares to rise higher. It is the same in every field of endeavor: the runner improves when chased by equals, the thinker grows when challenged by other minds, and the craftsman perfects his touch when working beside a master. The company you keep becomes the measure of your potential.

But this truth carries a warning as well. For as good company uplifts, poor company corrupts. If one walks among the envious, the lazy, and the false, one’s own spirit dims with their shadow. The ancients wrote: “He who lies with dogs shall rise with fleas.” Therefore, choose your surroundings as carefully as a gardener chooses his soil. Seek out those who burn brighter than you, even if their light exposes your weaknesses — for only then will you grow. Pride shuns guidance; humility seeks greatness to learn from it.

There is a story told of Michelangelo, the sculptor who saw angels in blocks of stone. When asked how he achieved such perfection, he said simply, “I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.” But before he became a master, he watched others — Ghirlandaio, Bertoldo, and the relics of the ancients. He studied the folds of their drapery, the poise of their figures, and the divine mathematics of their beauty. Through observation, he absorbed centuries of genius. By surrounding himself with greatness, he became greatness.

Therefore, let this truth be your guide: if you wish to learn, watch. If you wish to rise, surround yourself with the excellent. Be a student of all you see — the patience of the wise, the discipline of the strong, the grace of the humble. When you find someone who excels, do not envy them; draw near and learn from them. Let their mastery become your mirror, and their success your summons.

So, my listener, do not wander among mediocrity when your soul longs for mastery. Seek the company of those who inspire, who challenge, who demand the best from you. Sit among the great — not to bask in their glow, but to kindle your own. For as iron sharpens iron, so one spirit sharpens another. The day you surround yourself with excellence is the day you begin your ascent. And when others one day watch you with the same awe — let your example lift them as you were once lifted. Thus the circle of greatness endures, and the flame of mastery passes ever forward, generation to generation.