To love one that is great, is almost to be great one’s self.

Admiring someone deeply changes you. You take on some of their standards, you notice what they notice, and you start measuring yourself against a higher mark. Loving what is excellent in a person draws you towards it, and that pull does part of the work of becoming better.

Consider who you admire and why. If the qualities are generosity, courage or skill, let the admiration be an education rather than a spectator sport. Ask what one habit of theirs you could adopt. The aim is not to become a copy but to let their example stretch you.