Pride and Humility

Like most English words, pride is a nuanced word that can have both good and bad meanings. I like what John Maxwell says about pride and humility.

“There are two kinds of pride, both good and bad. ‘Good pride’ represents our dignity and self-respect. ‘Bad pride’ is the deadly sin of superiority that reeks of conceit and arrogance.”

John C. Maxwell

Just when we think we have humility figured out, it causes us to experience pride. The poor guy in the cartoon hasn’t figured this dilemma out yet.

Negative Side of Pride

The negative side of pride can keep us from learning new things. If we are too proud to listen, then we will eventually fall. We may even fight against change and fail to learn new lessons. It can put us into situations where we have no one to blame but ourselves.

When we look down on others, belittle them or become condescending, pride has poisoned us. The minute we believe we can’t learn from another person because we believe we are superior is the moment we are set up to fall.

Positive Side of Pride

However, pride in a job well done, in how far we’ve come when we reached a hard-earned goal can be good. We can celebrate when we succeed. As John Maxwell alludes to, we can have dignity and self-respect without acting like a jerk. A healthy pride that values others as well as ourselves is good for everyone.

Good pride has a bit of humility with it. When someone comments on our success, we can thank the commenter and remind others it was a team effort. Because any success is a team effort. We cannot succeed without others. Acknowledging that takes a healthy dose of humility with pride.

Elusive Emotions

Pride and humility are quite elusive emotions. The moment you are aware of your humility, you’ve blown it. The moment someone compliments you about your down-to-earth demeanor, you become obsessively aware of it. We are funny creatures, aren’t we?