make one's mark

Idioms  

1. Achieve distinction, as in Terry soon made his mark as an organist. This expression transfers a written or printed symbol to a strong impression. [Mid-1800s] Also see make a name for oneself.

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Example Sentences

X is also the traditional signature of an illiterate, so it is both precise and general: anyone can use it to make one’s mark.

From The New Yorker

"It tends to feed this notion of infamy seeking - and a desire to make one's mark in history," he says.

From BBC

But it is sometimes a little difficult to make one’s mark, isn’t it?

From Project Gutenberg

There I shall have a position and an object; and one may be of some use, and make one's mark in a new country.

From Project Gutenberg

He "began to see clearly what life is, and how difficult it is to make one's mark amid all this army of schemers, beggars and imbeciles who besiege every vacant post."

From Project Gutenberg