Modesty is the handmaid of virtue.
Meaning: Humble self-awareness prevents pride from corrupting your moral character and actions.
Origin: Recorded in A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases, an undated collection published in London by Whittaker & Co. around 1880 and credited to Thomas Preston. Its earlier history hasn't been traced.
More proverbs about Morality
- A good name is better than riches. — Reputation and character endure longer than wealth and provide greater security across li…
- Take away my good name, and take away my life. — Loss of reputation destroys one's ability to function meaningfully in society and relatio…
- Make much of one, good men are scarce. — Valuing the good people in your life deeply matters because genuine integrity and virtue…
- Too much of one thing is good for nothing. — Excess in any single pursuit creates imbalance, diminishing its value and your overall we…
- Evening orts are good morning fodder. — Leftovers from tonight's meal become tomorrow's sustenance, teaching resourcefulness and…
- Oysters are not good in the month that hath not an R in it. — Eating oysters in summer months lacking the letter R risks spoilage and illness from warm…
From our idioms
- the salt of the earth — A very dependable and unpretentious person.
- salt something away — To save, store, or hoard something (usually something highly valued and in danger of bein…
- sixth sense — A feeling, intuition or premonition not based on one of the five senses: sight, hearing,…