It is commonly understood that among the intermetallic phases used for permanent magnets, practically none can fully realize its potential based on the intrinsic magnetic properties. We discuss different reasons leading to this limitation, known as the Brown paradox, and propose some possible ways of overcoming it. We compare the intrinsic magnetic properties of (Nd1−xCex)2(Fe1−yCoy)14B single crystals with the extrinsic characteristics of sintered and hot compacted magnets made from the very same alloys. In addition, looking at RE-free materials, our results obtained on Mn- and Co-based RE-free single crystals are compared with the hard magnetic properties of Mn-based permanent magnets.