The higher a person rises in his own estimation, the more precarious his position becomes; the lower he descends, the more solid it is.
To be strong, one should be like water. When there are no obstacles, it flows; if there is a dam, it stops; if the dam breaks, it flows again; in a quadrangular vessel it is quadrangular; in a round vessel it is round. Its pliability is what makes it more useful and more powerful than everything else.
— After Laozi
Humility consists in recognizing yourself to be a sinner and not taking credit for your good deeds.
The deeper a human being retreats into himself, the more insignificant he appears to himself. This is the first lesson of wisdom. So let us be humble so that we can be wise. The knowledge of our weakness will give us strength.
— Channing
As water does not remain on mountaintops but flows down to the low places, so too virtue does not remain with the people who exalt themselves but only with those who are humble.
— After the Talmud
A wise human being feels sad because of his powerlessness to do the good that he desires, but he does not feel sad because other people do not know about him or hold a false opinion of him.
— Chinese wisdom
Despite the general lack of attention most people pay to their own faults, there is not a single person who does not know something worse about himself than he knows about his neighbor.
— Wolseley
The first distinguishing feature of a good and wise human being consists in his being aware of how little he knows, of there being many others who are much more intelligent than him, and, moreover, he always wants to discover and learn rather than teach.
Those who want to teach or rule can neither teach well, nor rule well.
— John Ruskin
The one who knows himself best esteems himself the least.
Try to discover your strengths. As you recognize them, do not be afraid of underestimating them, beware of overestimating them.
