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Humility is the quality of being humble. The Oxford Dictionary, in its 1998 edition, describes humility as a low self-regard and sense of unworthiness. However, humility involves having an accurate opinion of oneself and expressing oneself modestly as situations demand, with clear goal orientation, openness, broad-mindedness, and a non-imposing mentality. In a religious context, humility can mean a recognition of self about a deity (i.e. God) and subsequent submission to that deity as a religious member. Outside of a religious context, humility is defined as being "unselved"—liberated from the consciousness of self—a form of temperance that is neither having pride (or haughtiness) nor indulging in self-deprecation.
Humility refers to a proper sense of self-regard. In contrast, humiliation involves the external imposition of shame on a person. Humility may be misinterpreted as the capacity to endure humiliation through self-denigration. This misconception arises from the confusion of humility with traits like submissiveness and meekness. Such misinterpretations prioritize self-preservation and self-aggrandizement over true humility, and emphasizes an undiminished focus on the self.
In many religious and philosophical traditions, humility is regarded as a virtue that prioritizes social harmony. It strikes a balance between two sets of qualities. This equilibrium lies in having a reduced focus on oneself, which leads to lower self-importance and diminished arrogance, while also possessing the ability to demonstrate strength, assertiveness, and courage. This virtue is exhibited in the pursuit of upholding social harmony and recognizing our human dependence on it. It contrasts with maliciousness, hubris, and other negative forms of pride, and is an idealistic and rare intrinsic construct that has an extrinsic side.
The word "humble" may be related to feudal England where the least valuable cuts of meat, or "umbles" (whatever was left over when the upper classes had taken their parts), were provided to the lowest class of citizens.
Rabbi Pini Dunner discusses that humility is to place others first; it is to appreciate others' worth as important. Rabbi Dunner states that Moses wrote in the Torah, "And Moses was exceedingly humble, more than any man on the face of the earth"(). How is it possible to be humble and write you are the most humble? The conclusion is that Moses knew he was humble. It is not in denial of your talents and gifts but to recognize them and live up to your worth and something greater. It is in the service to others that is the greatest form of humility.
The deuterocanonical Book of Sirach has a section on humility in chapter 3, which commences "My son, conduct your affairs with humility, and you will be loved more than a giver of gifts". The editors of the New American Bible Revised Edition suggest that the writer "is perhaps warning his students in against the perils of Greek philosophy".Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Footnote b at Sirach 3:17, accessed on 29 December 2024
Amongst the benefits of humility described in the Hebrew Bible, which is shared by many faiths, are honor, wisdom, prosperity, the protection of the Lord, and peace. In addition, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble" () is another phrase in the Hebrew Bible that values humility and humbleness.
C. S. Lewis writes in Mere Christianity that pride is the "anti-God" state, the position in which the ego and the self are directly opposed to God: "Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere fleabites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind." In contrast, Lewis contends that in Christian moral teaching the opposite of pride is humility. This is popularly illustrated by a phrase wrongly attributed to Lewis, "Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less." This is an apparent paraphrase, by Rick Warren in The Purpose Driven Life, of a passage found in Mere Christianity: Lewis writes, regarding the truly humble man,
St. Augustine stresses the importance of humility in the study of the Bible, with the exemplars of a barbarian Christian slave, the apostle Paul, and the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8. Both learner and teacher need to be humble, because they learn and teach what ultimately belongs to God. Humility is a basic disposition of the interpreter of the Bible. The confidence of the exegete and preacher arises from the conviction that his or her mind depends on God absolutely. Augustine argues that the interpreter of the Bible should proceed with humility, because only a humble person can grasp the truth of Scripture.
One with humility is said to be a fit recipient of grace; according to the words of St. James, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble" (, , ).
"True humility" differs from "false humility" which consists of deprecating one's own sanctity, gifts, talents, and accomplishments for the sake of receiving praise or adulation from others. That sort is personified by the fictional character Uriah Heep created by Charles Dickens. In this context legitimate humility comprises the following behaviors and attitudes:
The vices opposed to humility are:
Bernard of Clairvaux defines it as “a virtue by which a man knowing himself as he truly is, abases himself. Jesus Christ is the ultimate definition of Humility."
Humility was a virtue extolled by Francis of Assisi, and this form of Franciscan piety led to the artistic development of the Madonna of humility first used by them for contemplation. The Virgin of humility sits on the ground, or upon a low cushion, unlike the Enthroned Madonna representations. This style of painting spread quickly through Italy, and, by 1375, examples began to appear in Spain, France, and Germany. It became the most popular among the styles of the early Trecento artistic period.
Thomas Aquinas, a 13th-century philosopher and theologian in the Scholasticism tradition, says "the virtue of humility... consists in keeping oneself within one's own bounds, not reaching out to things above one, but submitting to one's superior".
In the Tipitaka, in the widely known Mangala Sutta, humility (, literally: "without air") is mentioned as one of the thirty-eight blessings in life. In the Pāli Canon, examples of humility include the monk Sariputta, a leading disciple of the Buddha, and Hatthaka, a leading lay disciple. In later Pali texts and Atthakatha, Sariputta Thera is depicted as a forgiving person, who is quick to apologize and accepting of criticism. In the (discourses of the Buddha) Hatthaka was praised by the Buddha when he was unwilling to let other people know his good qualities.
In Buddhist practice, humility is practiced in a variety of ways. Japanese Soto Zen monks bow and chant in honor of their robes before they don them. This serves to remind them of the connection of the monk's robes with enlightenment. Buddhist monks in all traditions are dependent on the generosity of laypeople, through whom they receive their necessities. This in itself is a practice of humility.
Different scholars have varying interpretations of , humility, as a virtue in the Bhagavad Gita. For example, Prabhupada explains humility to mean one should not be anxious to have the satisfaction of being honored by others. The material conception of life makes us very eager to receive honor from others, but from the point of view of a man in perfect knowledge—who knows that he is not this body—anything—honor or dishonor—pertaining to this body is useless.
Tanya Jopson explains , humility, as lack of arrogance and pride, and one of twenty-six virtues in a human being that if perfected, leads one to a divine state of living and the ultimate truth.
Eknath Easwaran writes that the Gita's subject is "the war within, the struggle for self-mastery that every human being must wage if he or she is to emerge from life victorious", (2025). 9781586380199, Nilgiri Press. ISBN 9781586380199 and "The language of battle is often found in the scriptures, for it conveys the strenuous, long, drawn-out campaign we must wage to free ourselves from the tyranny of the ego, the cause of all our suffering and sorrow". To get in touch with your true self, whether you call that God, Brahman, etc., you have to let go of the ego. The Sanskrit word literally translates into The-sound-of-I, or quite simply the sense of the self or ego.
Mahatma Gandhi interprets the concept of humility in Hinduism much more broadly, where humility is an essential virtue that must exist in a person for other virtues to emerge. To Mahatma Gandhi, Truth can be cultivated, as well as Love, but Humility cannot be cultivated. Humility has to be one of the starting points. He states, "Humility cannot be an observance by itself. For it does not lend itself to being practiced. It is however an indispensable test of ahimsa (non-violence)." Humility must not be confused with mere manners; a man may prostrate himself before another, but if his heart is full of bitterness for the other, it is not humility. Sincere humility is how one feels inside, it's a state of mind. A humble person is not himself conscious of his humility, says Gandhi.
Swami Vivekananda, a 19th century scholar of Hinduism, argues that the concept of humility does not mean "crawling on all fours and calling oneself a sinner". In Vivekananda's Hinduism, each human being the Universal, recognizing and feeling oneness with everyone and everything else in the universe, without inferiority or superiority or any other bias, is the mark of humility. To Dr. S Radhakrishnan, humility in Hinduism is the non-judgmental state of mind when we are best able to learn, contemplate and understand everyone and everything else.
According to Sikhism, all people equally have to bow before God so there ought to be no hierarchies among or between people. According to Nanak the supreme purpose of human life is to reconnect with (The Timeless One), however, egotism is the biggest barrier in doing this. Using the guru's teaching remembrance of (the divine Word) leads to the end of egotism. The immediate fruit of humility is intuitive peace and pleasure. With humility continue to meditate on the Lord, the treasure of excellence. The God-conscious being is steeped in humility. One whose heart is mercifully blessed with abiding humility. Sikhism treats humility as a begging bowl before the god.
Sikhs extend this belief in equality, and thus humility, towards all faith: "all religious traditions are equally valid and capable of enlightening their followers". In addition to sharing with others Guru Nanak inspired people to earn an honest living without exploitation and also to Naam Japna the divine name (God). Guru Nanak described living an "active, creative, and practical life" of "truthfulness, fidelity, self-control, and purity" as being higher than a purely contemplative life.
Baba Nand Singh Sahib is renowned as the most humble Sikh Saint in the history of Sikhism. One time the disciples of Baba Harnam Singh Ji, the spiritual preceptor of Baba Nand Singh Ji Maharaj asked him how much power He had transmitted to Baba Nand Singh Ji Maharaj to which he replied:
The treasure of humility, in Chinese is a six-character phrase instead of a single word: hp= Bugan wei tianxia xian "not dare to be first/ahead in the world". Ellen Chen notes that:
The third treasure, daring not be at the world's front, is the Taoist way to avoid premature death. To be at the world's front is to expose oneself, to render oneself vulnerable to the world's destructive forces, while to remain behind and to be humble is to allow oneself time to fully ripen and bear fruit. This is a treasure whose secret spring is the fear of losing one's life before one's time. This fear of death, out of a love for life, is indeed the key to Taoist wisdom.
Furthermore, also according to the Tao Te Ching a wise person acts without claiming the results as his. He achieves his merit and does not rest (arrogantly) in it. He does not wish to display his superiority.
In the matter of humility, this deific instruction appropriately pairs being honorable with being humble. Characteristically, this Wiccan "virtue" is balanced by its partner virtue.
Mahatma Gandhi said that an attempt to sustain truth without humility is doomed to become an "arrogant caricature" of truth.
While many religions and philosophers view humility as a virtue, some have been critical of it, seeing it as opposed to individualism.
"No doubt, when modesty was made a virtue, it was a very advantageous thing for the fools," wrote Arthur Schopenhauer, "for everybody is expected to speak of himself as if he were one".
Nietzsche viewed humility as a strategy used by the weak to avoid being destroyed by the strong. In Twilight of the Idols he wrote: "When stepped on, a worm doubles up. That is clever. In that way he lessens the probability of being stepped on again. In the language of morality: humility." He believed that his idealized would be more apt to roam unfettered by pretensions of humility, proud of his stature and power, but not reveling idly in it, and certainly not displaying hubris. But, if so, this would mean the pretension aspect of this kind of humility is more akin to obsequiousness and to other kinds of pretentious humility.
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