Humility Quotes
“Humility is like underwear, essential, but indecent if it shows.”
-Helen Nielsen
“It is far more impressive when others discover your good qualities without your help.”
-Author Unknown
“Some people are born on third base and go through life thinking they hit a triple.”
-Barry Switzer
“The man who thinks he can live without others is mistaken; the one who thinks others can’t live without him is even more deluded.”
-Hasidic Saying
“It is well to remember that the entire population of the universe, with one trifling exception, is composed of others.”
-Andrew J. Holmes
“Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.”
-Rick Warren
“Humility does not mean thinking less of yourself than of other people, nor does it mean having a low opinion of your own gifts. It means freedom from thinking about yourself at all.”
-William Temple
“The Conductor doesn’t make a sound. The Conductor’s power depends on his ability to make other people powerful.”
-Ben Zander
“Being humble means recognizing that we are not on earth to see how important we can become, but to see how much difference we can make in the lives of others.”
-Gordon B. Hinckley
“Pride is concerned with who is right. Humility is concerned with what is right.”
-Ezra Taft Benson
“Think lightly of yourself and deeply of the world.”
-Miyamoto Musashi
“When you’re good at something, you’ll tell everyone. When you’re great at something, they’ll tell you.”
– Walter Payton
“Gratitude is the beginning of civility, of decency and goodness, of a recognition that we cannot afford to be arrogant. We should walk with the knowledge that we will need help every step of the way.”
—Gordon B. Hinckley
“One must be as humble as the dust before he can discover truth.”
-Mahatma Gandhi
“A man wrapped up in himself makes a very small bundle.”
-Benjamin Franklin
“When science discovers the center of the universe, a lot of people will be disappointed to find they are not it.”
-Bernard Baily
“Modesty is the gentle art of enhancing your charm by pretending not to be aware of it.”
-Oliver Herford
“Swallow your pride occasionally, it’s non-fattening!”
-Author Unknown
“True humility is intelligent self-respect which keeps us from thinking too highly or too meanly of ourselves. It makes us modest by reminding us how far we have come short of what we can be.”
-Ralph W. Sockman
“Nobody stands taller than those willing to stand corrected.”
-William Safire
“If you want to make a difference and leave your world a better place, let others know how important they are as you put their needs above yours.”
-Jaren L. Davis
“Humility isn’t denying your strengths; it’s being honest about your weaknesses.”
-Rick Warren
“Every person that you meet knows something you don’t; learn from them.”
-H. Jackson Brown Jr.
“The only people who see the whole picture are the ones who step outside the frame.”
– Salman Rushdie
“The secret of human happiness is not in self-seeking but self-forgetting.”
-Dr. Theodore Reik
“When you say ‘yes’ to others, make sure you aren’t saying ‘no’ to yourself.”
—Paulo Coelho
“Pride is concerned with who is right. Humility is concerned with what is right.”
—Ezra Taft Benson
“To become truly great, one has to stand with people, not above them.”
-Charles de Montesquieu
“If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.”
-Isaac Newton
“People that put themselves above others will fall longer and harder.”
-Gina Lindley
“Don’t talk about yourself; it will be done when you leave.”
-Wilson Mizner
“None are so empty as those who are full of themselves.”
-Benjamin Whichcote
“When someone sings his own praises, he always gets the tune too high.”
-Mary H. Waldrip
“To be humble to superiors is duty, to equals courtesy, to inferiors nobleness.”
-Benjamin Franklin
“The more you lose yourself in something bigger than yourself, the more energy you will have.”
-Norman Vincent Peale
“True humility is being able to accept criticisms as graciously as we accept compliments.”
-Sabrina Newby
“There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.”
—Ernest Hemingway
“Humility is the solid foundation of all virtues.”
-Confucius
“No matter what accomplishments you make, somebody helped you.”
– Althea Gibson
“If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.”
― Martin Luther King Jr.
“Sometimes people think that intellectually humble people lack conviction. But confidence and humility need each other.”
-Tenelle Porter
How can you use Quotes?
- Start a discussion: Quotes can start a discussion about a character trait at the beginning of a meeting or the dinner table. You can ask questions about what it means, how they have seen the trait demonstrated in their own lives, or how they can develop it themselves.
- Provide a model: Quotes can provide a model of good character. When you read a quote from a famous person or historical figure, you show that people they admire also value the same character traits.
- Use quotes as writing/journal prompts: Ask them to write a short essay about a quote to help them think more deeply about its implications for their lives.
- Post quotes: You can post quotes where they will be seen/heard often – classroom, breakroom, lobby, dining room, email signatures, video bulletin boards, morning announcements, social media, etc.
- Read quotes aloud: You can read quotes aloud to your children during mealtimes, bedtime, or any other time you spend together.
- Make it fun: You can make it even more fun by incorporating games, activities, or crafts. Let children decorate signs with the quotes to hang in the classroom or a bedroom door. Record children saying it and post it on social media.