Quotes About Humility

If you want people to think well of you, do not speak well of yourself.

Truly it is an evil to be full of faults; but it is a still greater evil to be full of them and to be unwilling to recognize them.

The greatness of man is great in that he knows himself to be miserable. A tree does not know itself to be miserable. It is then being miserable to know oneself to be miserable; but it is also being great to know that one is miserable.

Jesus Christ is the god whom we approach without pride, and before whom we humble ourselves without despair.

The last function of reason is to recognize that there is an infinity of things which are beyond it. It is but feeble if it does not see so far as to know this.

We must sit by these rivers, not under or in them, but above, not standing upright, but sitting down, so that we remain humble by sitting, and safe by remaining above.

S'il se vante, je l'abaisse; s'il s'abaisse, je le vante; et le contredis toujours, jusqu'à qu'il comprenne qu'il est un monstre incompréhensible.

No other religion has proposed that we should hate ourselves. No other religion therefore can please those who hate themselves and seek a being who is really worthy of love. And if they had never [before] heard of the religion of a humiliated God, they would at once embrace it.

Knowing God without knowing our own wretchedness makes for pride. Knowing our own wretchedness without God makes for despair. Knowing Jesus Christ strikes the balance because he shows us both God and our own wretchedness.

Omul este asa de mare, încât maretia lui reiese si din aceea ca el se stie nenorocit.

S'il se vante, je l'abaisse, S'il s'abaisse, je le vante; Et le contredis toujours, Jusqu'à ce qu'il comprenne Qu'il est un monstre incompréhensible.

Noble deeds are most estimable when hidden.

God wishes to move the will rather than the mind. Perfect clarity would help the mind and harm the will. Humble their pride.

Christianity is strange: it requires human beings to recognize that they are vile and even abominable.

It is of dangerous consequence to represent to man how near he is to the level of beasts, without showing him at the same time his greatness. It is likewise dangerous to let him see his greatness without his meanness. It is more dangerous yet to leave him ignorant of either; but very beneficial that he should be made sensible of both.

What astonishes us most is to observe that everyone is not astonished at his own weakness.

Man's greatness come from knowing he wretched: a tree does not know it is wretched. (21)

One ought not talk about oneself, it may hide Jesus from view.

And even if I know myself to be a balky and obstinate ass and have no concept of how the Lord would be able to use me, I can let the matter rest with Him and let Him direct the matter.

i've forgotten more than you'll ever know

Early failure is usually better than early success, because the lesson in humility lasts a long time and makes you more effective over the long term.

A man can think he's invincible, but Father Time has a way of putting him in his place.

Don't let anybody tell you how great they are. It's all bullshit.

As I helped him up, I felt him shake all over, so I asked him to forgive me, without knowing what for, but that was my lot, asking forgiveness, I even asked forgiveness of myself for being what I was, what it was my nature to be.