We never know how high we are

We never know how high we are Till we are called to rise; 
And then, if we are true to plan, 
Our statures touch the skies- 

The heroism we recite 
Would be a daily thing,, 
Did not ourselves the Cubits warp     

For fear to be a king.

-Emily Dickinson 

Commentary
It is another positive and uplifting poem by Emily Dickinson. This poem is a motivation for people to do something great because they are great. The first stanza says that we truly don't know who great we are until we are put in a situation that allows for us to show how great we are. Then when the situation goes well and we succeed with our greatness, we feel like heroes or feel worthy of something. The next stanza speaks about how there are regular heroes that are seen daily and that we should not hide or be dishonest about how great we really are because that would stop us from being successful. Everyone has felt that feeling when they feel like they can do something great, yet they hold back. It can go deeper than just holding back our greatness. Doing something great and continuing it can sometimes require a lot of effort. For example, if a person is a CEO of a company. He did something great, but now it required hard work to maintain that greatness. That can be the fear of being successful that Dickinson speaks of, the fear of the responsibility that comes with it. Like especially now, with everyone worried about graduating. Success isn't always easy for everyone and sometimes it is harder to continue being successful than earning it in the first place. Like it can be easy to get all A's, but then keeping it that way can be hard. Being successful can be hard too, especially when even greater responsibility is given to you and you can't fail at the task. So in the end, maybe the poem does have a negative undertone. People can do greatness if they are given the chance, but no everyone can handle the responsibilities that come with being great.