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Modesty Quotes

Browse 707 quotes about Modesty.

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Modesty Quotes

“Modesty teaches us to speak of the ancients with respect, especially when we are not very familiar with their works. Newton, who knew them practically by heart, had the greatest respect for them, and considered them to be men of genius and superior intelligence who had carried their discoveries in every field much further than we today suspect, judging from what remains of their writings. More ancient writings have been lost than have been preserved, and perhaps our new discoveries are of less value than those that we have lost.”

MenWritingHeartHas BeensTodayValuesLostSpeakTeachFieldsJudgingGeniusDiscoveryRemainsAncientFamiliarSuperiorsSuspectsModestyBe A ManNewtonNew DiscoveriesSuperior Intelligence
Author:Francis Atterbury
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“As you know, shibumi has to do with great refinement underlying commonplace appearances. It is a statement so correct that it does not have to be bold, so poignant it does not have to be pretty, so true it does not have to be real. Shibumi is understanding, rather than knowledge. Eloquent silence. In demeanor, it is modesty without pudency. In art, where the spirit of shibumi takes the form of sabi, it is elegant simplicity, articulate brevity. In philosophy, where shibumi emerges as wabi, it is spiritual tranquility that is not passive; it is being without the angst of becoming.”

KnowsDoeArtRealPhilosophySpiritualFormSpiritUnderstandingSilenceBecomingSimplicityAppearanceStatementsBeing RealModestyPassiveTranquilityElegantCommonplaceAngstEloquentRefinementBrevityPoignantDemeanor
Book:Shibumi: A Novel
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“Stage charm guarantees in advance an actor's hold on the audience, it helps him to carry over to large numbers of people his creative purposes. It enhances his roles and his art. Yet it is of utmost importance that he use this precious gift with prudence, wisdom, and modesty. It is a great shame when he does not realize this and goes on to exploit, to play on his ability to charm.”

PeopleDoeArtPlayHelpingUsePurposeActorsRealizingAbilityNumbersActingRolesAudienceCreativeStageGoes OnImportanceShameCharmGuaranteesModestyPrudenceExploitsLarge NumbersPrecious Gifts
Book:Building A Character
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“It is a common teaching of the Saints that one of the principal means of leading a good and exemplary life is certainly modesty and the mortification of the eyes. Just as there is nothing better than modesty to preserve devotion in a soul and to edify one's neighbor, so too, there is nothing worse than immodesty and licentious glances to expose a person to the danger of becoming lax and loose in morals.”

MeanPersonsSoulEyeLife IsCommonMoralTeachingDangerBecomingSaintNeighborDevotionPreservesAttachmentModestyPrincipalGlancesMortificationExemplaryLax
Author:Alphonsus Rodriguez
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“When you need encouragement, think of the qualities the people around you have: this one's energy, that one's modesty, another's generosity, and so on. Nothing is as encouraging as when virtues are visibly embodied in the people around us, when we're practically showered with them. It's good to keep this in mind.”

PeopleThinkingNeedsMindEnergyQualityVirtueEncouragementGenerosityModestyNeed Encouragement
Book:Meditations: A New Translation
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“By speaking of greater forces than we can possibly invoke, and by confronting us with greater spans of time than we can possibly envisage, mountains refute our excessive trust in the man-made. They pose profound questions about our durability and the importance of our schemes. They induce, I suppose, a modesty in us.”

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Book:Mountains Of The Mind
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“For what is modesty but hypocritical humility, by means of which, in a world swelling with vile envy, a man seeks to beg pardon for his excellences and merits from those who have none? For whoever attributes no merit to himself because he really has none is not modest, but merely honest.”

MenWorldMeanHonestHumilityExcellenceEnvyMeritAttributesModestyModestPardonHypocriticalSwelling
Book:The World as Will and Representation
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“As a Buddhist, I was trained to be tolerant of everything except intolerance. I was brought up not only to develop the spirit of tolerance but also to cherish moral and spiritual qualities such as modesty, humility, compassion, and, most important, to attain a certain degree of emotional equilibrium.”

ImportantSpiritualSpiritCertainQualityCompassionMoralHumilityEmotionalDegreesToleranceBuddhistCherishModestyIntoleranceEquilibrium
Book:View from the UN
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“A spontaneous act of generosity, performed with unselfish grace is an example of moral beauty, as are certain acts of courage; genuine modesty is a possible example, as is selfless love. Although moral beauty is a natural gift, it is nevertheless more likely to emerge and flourish in societies that appreciate and encourage it.”

CertainNaturalBeautyMoralGraceExampleAppreciateGenuineGenerositySelflessModestyNeverthelessSpontaneousSelfless LoveUnselfishActs Of CourageNatural Gifts
Author:Yi-Fu Tuan
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“Carefully observe the natural laws in operation in the world around you, and live by them. From following them, you will learn the morality of modesty, moderation, compassion, and consideration (not just one society's rules and regulations), the wisdom of seeing things as they are (not of merely collecting "facts" about them), and the happiness of being in harmony with the Way (which has nothing to do with self-righteous "spiritual" obsessions and fanaticism). And you will live lightly, spontaneously, and effortlessly.”

WorldWaySelfFactsSpiritualLawNaturalCompassionSeeingAwarenessMoralityHarmonyFollowingObsessionOperationsJust OneConsiderationLive ByRighteousRegulationModestyModerationCollectingFanaticismNatural LawSelf RighteousRules And Regulations
Author:Benjamin Hoff
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