Humility

The lower a man descends in his love, the higher he lifts his life.
~ William Rounseville (W.R.) Alger

Perfect humility is bold.
~ William Allingham, in By the Way: Verses, Fragments, and Notes (1912).

Yet sit not on your pedestal
and judge too harsh,
Your fellow creatures,
struggling in the marsh,
For if you will
but cup your ear,
The sounds of the marsh,
are very near,
... giving life.
~ William E. Bailey, Rhythms of Life (1969). Perpetuity

Humility is only doubt,
And does the sun and moon blot out.
~ William Blake, The Everlasting Gospel (c. 1810).

The humblest citizen of all the land, when clad in the armor of a righteous cause, is stronger than all the hosts of Error.
~ William Jennings Bryan, Speech at the National Democratic Convention, Chicago, IL (1896).

Never be too proud to get down on your knees and pray.
~ Paul William "Bear" Bryant, I Ain't Never Been Nothing but a Winner: Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant's 323 Greatest Quotes About Success, On and Off the Football Field (March 2000).

The Power who pities man, has shown
A blessing for the eyes that weep.
~ William Cullen Bryant, from Poems (1832 edition). Blessed are they that Mourn (written in 1820)

Humility is indeed beatness, a compulsory virtue that no one exhibits unless he has to.
~ William S. Burroughs

As we value sincerity we should keep ourselves out of sight, -- doing good without pride or egotism.
~ William Ellery Channing, in Dr. Channing's Note-book (1887). Humility

True love is the parent of a noble humility.
~ William Ellery Channing, in Dr. Channing's Note-book (1887). Love

True modesty is a discerning grace,
And only blushes in the proper place.
~ William Cowper, from Poems by William Cowper of the Inner Temple, Esq. (1782). Conversation

We all felt the majesty of the body. In a very short period of time we had seen something that was bigger than each of us. A lot of people, even those who were not religious, were reverent and attributed the success to God. As we saw the artificial heart beat in Dr. Clark, the feeling was not aren't we great, but aren't we small.
~ William C. DeVries, in The New York Times (12 April 1983). The Doctor's World; Clark's Surgeon Was 'Worried To Death'

Modesty makes wisdom wiser, as it makes beauty lovelier.
~ William James "Will" Durant, Commencement Address, delivered at the Webb School of Claremont, California (7 June 1958). We Have a Right to be Happy Today

No task is so humble that it does not offer an outlet for individuality.
~ William Feather

Until today, I've always regarded my most profound professional responsibility in my professional life the blessing I had to hold in my hands the human heart, recognizing all its glory and all its potential, and then technically seating it into the chest of a dying woman to give her life and a future she would not otherwise have. ... A few moments ago, my colleagues gave me a responsibility equal to that -- some would even say a heavier one. I accepted that responsibility with a profound sense of humility. They gave me their confidence, their support, their trust -- and elected me to serve as their leader in the United States Senate.
~ Bill Frist, Press Release Of Senator Bill Frist, M.D. (23 December 2002). Frist Comments On Being Elected Senate Majority Leader

Every real and searching effort at self-improvement is of itself a lesson of profound humility.
~ William Ewart Gladstone, Address before the Association of Lancashire and Cheshire Mechanics' Institutes. Manchester, UK (23 April 1862).

A proud heart and a lofty mountain are never fruitful.
~ William Gurnall, The Christian In Complete Armour (1665).

I come here to humble myself
before the tombs of my ancestors, and to implore their
pardon for having brought dishonour on the family
escutcheon.
~ William Schwenck (W.S.) Gilbert, Pirates of Penzance. Act II (1880 opera)

Humility is a necessary veil to all other graces.
~ William Gurnall, The Christian In Complete Armour (1665).

No elevation or success raises the humble man in his own opinion.
~ William Hazlitt, Characteristics: in the Manner of Rochefoucault's Maxims (1823).

Humility is nothing else but a right judgment of ourselves.
~ William Law, A Practical Treatise upon Christian Perfection (1726).

Love humility in all its instances, practice it in all its parts, for it is the noblest state of the soul of man.
~ William Law, A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life (1728). Chapter XVIII

I should have thought it was God who would have cause to be humble when he reflects upon what an indifferent job he has made in the creation of a human being.
~ W. Somerset Maugham, from A Writer's Notebook (1949).

The newsroom, to be sure, has its own orthodoxies, saints, and dogma, though naturally without the humility necessary for genuine wisdom or charity.
~ William McGurn

[I]t is from out of the depth of our humility that the height of our destiny looks grandest.
~ William Mountford, Euthanasy: Or, Happy Talk Towards the End of Life (1848). Chapter XXIV

In these days of aggressive self-assertion, when the stress of competition is so keen and the desire to make the most of oneself so universal, it may seem a little old-fashioned to preach the necessity of this virtue, but I insist for its own sake, and for the sake of what it brings, that a due humility should take the place of honour on the list.
~ William Osler, Address delivered at the College of Medicine and Surgury, University of Minnesota (4 October 1892). Teacher and Student

And truly then it is, that Sense shines with the greatest Beauty when it is set in Humility.
~ William Penn, Some Fruits of Solitude (1693). Part II. The Vain Man

Be humble. It becomes a creature, a depending and borrowed being, that lives not of itself, but breathes in another's air, with another's breath, and is accountable for every moment of time ...
~ William Penn, Advice to His Children (1699).

Humility, o'er self victorious,
Of all Earth's triumphs the most glorious.
~ William Peter, from Mary Stuart, and Other Poems (1840). The Battle with the Dragon (from Schiller)

The humblest occupation has in it materials of discipline for the highest heaven.
~ Frederick William (F.W.) Robertson, Sermon (May 1846).

We may elevate ourselves but we should never reach so high that we would ever forget those who helped us get there.
~ Will Rogers

The marathon can humble you.
~ William Henry (Bill) Rodgers, (May 1975).

Usually, the greatest boasters are the smallest workers. The deep rivers pay a larger tribute to the sea than shallow brooks, and yet empty themselves with less noise.
~ William Secker, from The Nonsuch Professor in His Meridian Splendor, or the Singular Actions of Sanctified Christians (1660).

I thank my God for my humility.
~ William Shakespeare, King Richard III. Act II, scene i

Not stepping o'er the bounds of modesty.
~ William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet. Act IV, scene ii

Ourself will mingle with society
And play the humble host.
~ William Shakespeare, Macbeth

Stay we no longer, dreaming of renown,
But sound the trumpets, and about our task.
~ William Shakespeare, King Henry VI, Part III. Act II, scene i

Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown,
And put a barren sceptre in my gripe,
Thence to be wrench'd with an unlineal hand,
No son of mine succeeding.
~ William Shakespeare, Macbeth. Act III, scene i

I am afraid humility to genius is as an extinguisher to a candle.
~ William Shenstone, in Works in Verse and Prose, Vol. II (1764). Essays on Men, Manners, and Things. Of Men and Manners

[W]herever genuine humility appears, whatever the external circumstances may be, there you may look with confidence for true happiness.
~ William Buel Sprague, The Daughter's Own Book: Or, Practical Hints From A Father To His Daughter (1833). Chapter XVIII. Humility

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 (archbishop)

And mayn't we be thankful for our humble condition?
~ William Makepeace Thackeray, The Virginians (1857-59). Chapter 38

The hidden and awful Wisdom which apportions the destinies of mankind is pleased so to humiliate and cast down the tender, good and wise; and to set up the selfish, the foolish, or the wicked. Oh, be humble, my brother, in your prosperity! Be gentle with those who are less lucky, if not more deserving.
~ William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair: A Novel without a Hero (1848). Chapter LVII

Comics are capable of being anything the mind can imagine. I consider it a great privilege to be a cartoonist. I love my work, and I am grateful for the incredible forum I have to express my thoughts. People give me their attention for a few seconds every day, and I take that as an honor and a responsibility. I try to give readers the best strip I'm capable of doing.
~ Bill Watterson, Speech at the Festival of Cartoon Art, Ohio State University (27 October 1989). The Cheapening of Comics

The humblest act may proceed from that which is beyond the stars.
~ William Hale White (aka Mark Rutherford), More Pages from a Journal, With Other Papers (1910). Notes

I'm just a regular person. They might see me on TV and think I'm some kind of celebrity, but I'm a down-to-earth person. I don't forget where I came from. ... In one split second, I could lose everything. I just try to be myself and don't try to make like I'm better than anyone else because I'm not.
~ Willie Williams, in The SunLink/The SUN Newspaper (25 December 2002). Having a Willie Merry Christmas

In God's economy, nothing is wasted. Through failure, we learn a lesson in humility which is probably needed, painful though it is.
~ Bill Wilson, As Bill Sees It: The A.A. Way of Life (December 1967).

True ambition is not what we thought it was. True ambition is the profound desire to live usefully and walk humbly under the grace of God.
~ Bill Wilson, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services (September 1996). Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

A fault which humbles a man is of more use to him than a good action which puffs him up with pride.
~ (Bishop) Thomas Wilson, in Maxims of Piety and of Christianity (first published in 1781).

States shall perish, and states be born:
Leaders, out of the throng, shall press, --
Some to honor, and some to scorn:
We, that are little, shall yet be less.
~ William Young, Wishmakers' Town (1898 edition). The Pawns