"Don't think too highly of yourself"

[+ carlos45]

I've heard that phrase for a good part of my life. In Spanish, the phrase says: "No te creas mucho", and I've also heard that many times before. As a child, I was

precocious. As a child I was sometime shamed, after hearing the phrase, as an adult, I'd throw a mean, side-eye. The one thing that I've always wondered is when I questioned the meaning of said statement, I was met with the vague statement, "I don't know?", often stated in a very defensive way. Other times, as an adult, my humility was questioned. I'd respond to that with a, "If you want humility, stand in front of the ocean, and see how miniscule we all are beside it". I will pose the question to this board, what does, "Don't think too highly of yourself" mean??

[+ MysticMenace]

I have heard of that term before - I think it is from a Bible verse, no?

[CuriousByNature]

I have heard of that term before - I think it is from a Bible verse, no?

In Proverbs. 'Pride goes before destruction and a haughty (arrogant) spirit before a fall' I think. My grandfather taught Sunday school, so we heard many a verse

[+ MysticMenace]

Ah, thanks @CuriousByNature! I think this is what I remembered in Romans 12:3 -

 

New International Version

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.

[+ MysticMenace]

Ah, thanks @CuriousByNature! I think this is what I remembered in Romans 12:3 -

 

New International Version

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.

 

@carlos45, honestly not sure or would not be able able to confirm its origins, but if one of the possible origins was from the Bible verse I referenced, I can share what I remembered. Paul, I believe, wrote letters to the Christians in Rome and Corinth to set some of the heifers straight. Some Christians thought they were better because they had more 'spiritual' gifts compared to others and started to compare and eventually judge one another. In Paul's letters, he was showing this concept of having one 'body' in Christ and that all members of the body work in unity, so while other members of the body (the unified church) have different gifts, they all work to achieve a objective (or something along those lines). Now that I am typing this, I am realizing how much I no longer remember about the context and academic commentaries about the stuff in the New Testament, so let me just stop right here before I say something much more inaccurate. I'll get back to this thought tomorrow. Lol.

[+ nycman]

"If you want humility, stand in front of the ocean, and see how miniscule we all are beside it“

“I thought the ocean, the ocean thought nothing” - Dar Williams “The Ocean“.

[CuriousByNature]

@carlos45, honestly not sure or would not be able able to confirm its origins, but if one of the possible origins was from the Bible verse I referenced, I can share what I remembered. Paul, I believe, wrote letters to the Christians in Rome and Corinth to set some of the heifers straight. Some Christians thought they were better because they had more 'spiritual' gifts compared to others and started to compare and eventually judge one another. In Paul's letters, he was showing this concept of having one 'body' in Christ and that all members of the body work in unity, so while other members of the body (the unified church) have different gifts, they all work to achieve a objective (or something along those lines). Now that I am typing this, I am realizing how much I no longer remember about the context and academic commentaries about the stuff in the New Testament, so let me just stop right here before I say something much more inaccurate. I'll get back to this thought tomorrow. Lol.

I think your words are accurate.

[Guest]

... I will pose the question to this board, what does, "Don't think too highly of yourself" mean??

...

In plain English, it means don't act haughty/conceited. If LOTS of people are telling you that, you may want to consider how you come across...

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

If LOTS of people are telling you that, you may want to consider how you come across...

 

On the flipside, if only ONE person is telling you that, you can tell them to go fuck themselves

[Becket]

Humility is a tricky thing. One can't really try to be humble because that's arrogant. Act too humble and it seems staged. The great times of peace in my life have come only when I decide to "humble" myself, however ultimately difficult that is. But I like the initial post. "No te creas mucho"

[JayCeeKy]

Don't think too highly of yourself" mean??

Sounds like some BS they teach you in Catholic schools. I know, I went to them for 16 years. Humility is good but cognitive flagellation is not.

[Rudynate]

I've heard that phrase for a good part of my life. In Spanish, the phrase says: "No te creas mucho", and I've also heard that many times before. As a child, I was

precocious. As a child I was sometime shamed, after hearing the phrase, as an adult, I'd throw a mean, side-eye. The one thing that I've always wondered is when I questioned the meaning of said statement, I was met with the vague statement, "I don't know?", often stated in a very defensive way. Other times, as an adult, my humility was questioned. I'd respond to that with a, "If you want humility, stand in front of the ocean, and see how miniscule we all are beside it". I will pose the question to this board, what does, "Don't think too highly of yourself" mean??

https://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+pronounce+precocious&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAOMIfcRowy3w8sc9YSnjSWtOXmPU5eINKMrPK81LzkwsyczPExLjYglJLcoV4pPi4eIqKEpNzk_OzC8ttmJRYkrN41nEKp2RX65Qkq9QANSVD9SWqoBQBAC5QuKPXwAAAA&pron_lang=en&pron_country=us&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi5vPXrrqTvAhVFrJ4KHXfVD9wQ3eEDMAB6BAgTEAc

 

 

It seems obvious to me - Don't be too smug about your gifts.

[Phil_musc]

Ah, thanks @CuriousByNature! I think this is what I remembered in Romans 12:3 -

 

New International Version

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.

 

I had to wrack my brains about this one - where did I last see this quote? And then it hit me - it was the last time I was at the venerable sauna in Williamsburg that I wrote about some time ago here. I believe it was either tattooed on the door attendant's right buttock cheek (he was wearing some kind of historic jockstrap, I believe) or it was needlepointed onto the pillows and cushions strewn about in the orgy room. Now that I really think about it, I believe it was kind of a mantra around the place. Probably appeared on the souvenir matchbooks too. Just goes to show the mindset of our forefathers. Those Pilgrims were certainly a merry bunch too, if memory serves. And who doesn't look good in basic black and buckled shoes?

[wsc]

Humility is a tricky thing. One can't really try to be humble because that's arrogant. Act too humble and it seems staged. The great times of peace in my life have come only when I decide to "humble" myself, however ultimately difficult that is. But I like the initial post. "No te creas mucho"

For years, I prayed that God would grant me the gift of humility. When He finally did, I was so proud I immediately lost it!

[wsc]

Some see life as a series of binary choices, living in a world or either, or: right or wrong, up or down, black or white, this or that. I see life in shades of gray, and other colors, too.

 

Don't think too highly of yourself is a cautionary tale to warn against the dangers of excess, in this case an excess of self-worth that blinds one to the worth of others, or leaves the sufferer untethered to reality.

 

The best advice I've ever seen for living a balanced life and appreciating it and others, is this [a little long - sorry]:

 

 

• Desiderata
   
  Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
  and remember what peace there may be in silence.
  As far as possible without surrender
  be on good terms with all persons.
  Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
  and listen to others,
  even the dull and the ignorant;
  they too have their story.
   
  Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
  they are vexations to the spirit.
  If you compare yourself with others,
  you may become vain and bitter;
  for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
  Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
   
  Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
  it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
  Exercise caution in your business affairs;
  for the world is full of trickery.
  But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
  many persons strive for high ideals;
  and everywhere life is full of heroism.
   
  Be yourself.
  Especially, do not feign affection.
  Neither be cynical about love;
  for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
  it is as perennial as the grass.
   
  Take kindly the counsel of the years,
  gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
  Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
  But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
  Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
  Beyond a wholesome discipline,
  be gentle with yourself.
   
  You are a child of the universe,
  no less than the trees and the stars;
  you have a right to be here.
  And whether or not it is clear to you,
  no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
   
  Therefore be at peace with God,
  whatever you conceive Him to be,
  and whatever your labors and aspirations,
  in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
   
  With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
  it is still a beautiful world.
  Be cheerful.
  Strive to be happy.
   
  - Max Ehrmann
  

[+ MysticMenace]

Humility is good but cognitive flagellation is not.

 

my mind wanders as to what that term means but reading the word flagellation for some reason has an arousing effect on me ?

[beachboy]

Some see life as a series of binary choices, living in a world or either, or: right or wrong, up or down, black or white, this or that. I see life in shades of gray, and other colors, too.

 

Don't think too highly of yourself is a cautionary tale to warn against the dangers of excess, in this case an excess of self-worth that blinds one to the worth of others, or leaves the sufferer untethered to reality.

 

The best advice I've ever seen for living a balanced life and appreciating it and others, is this [a little long - sorry]:

 

 

• Desiderata
   
  Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
  and remember what peace there may be in silence.
  As far as possible without surrender
  be on good terms with all persons.
  Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
  and listen to others,
  even the dull and the ignorant;
  they too have their story.
   
  Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
  they are vexations to the spirit.
  If you compare yourself with others,
  you may become vain and bitter;
  for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
  Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
   
  Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
  it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
  Exercise caution in your business affairs;
  for the world is full of trickery.
  But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
  many persons strive for high ideals;
  and everywhere life is full of heroism.
   
  Be yourself.
  Especially, do not feign affection.
  Neither be cynical about love;
  for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
  it is as perennial as the grass.
   
  Take kindly the counsel of the years,
  gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
  Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.rrings
  But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
  Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
  Beyond a wholesome discipline,
  be gentle with yourself.
   
  You are a child of the universe,
  no less than the trees and the stars;
  you have a right to be here.
  And whether or not it is clear to you,
  no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
   
  Therefore be at peace with God,
  whatever you conceive Him to be,
  and whatever your labors and aspirations,
  in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
   
  With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
  it is still a beautiful world.
  Be cheerful.
  Strive to be happy.
   
  - Max Ehrmann
  

Lordy, that brings back memories of flower ? power times when this was recorded as a 'hippy' ? song.