Rav Naftali Amsterdam once said “If I had the brain of the Shaagas Aryeh, the heart of the Yesod V’Shoresh Ha’Avodah, and middos like you, Rav Yisrael Salanter, then I could serve Hashem.”

Rav Yisrael answered him, “No, Naftali. With your brain, with your heart, and with your character traits, you can be a true servant of Hashem.”