Humility

Humility is the quality of being humble. The Oxford Dictionary, in its 1998 edition, describes humility as having a low opinion of oneself or not being prideful. However, humility involves having an accurate opinion of oneself and expressing oneself modestly as appropriate, with clear goal orientation, openness, broad-mindedness, and a non-imposing mentality. In a religious context, humility can mean a self-recognition of 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. 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 emphasize 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-esteem 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 term "humility" comes from the Latin word humilitas, a noun related to the adjective humilis, which may be translated as "humble", but also as "grounded", or "from the earth", since it derives from humus (earth). See the English humus.

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.

Aidos, in Greek mythology, was the daimona (goddess) of shyness, shame, and humility. She was the quality that restrained human beings from wrong.

Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks states that, in Judaism, humility is an appreciation of oneself, and one's talents, skills, and virtues. It is not meekness or self-deprecating thought, but the effacing of oneself to something higher. Humility is not to think lowly of oneself, but to appreciate the self one is. In recognition of the mysteries and complexities of life, one becomes humbled by the vastness of what one is and what one can achieve.

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"(Numbers 12:3). How is it possible to be humble and write that 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.^{[citation needed]}