to be humble?

Humility is the quality of being humble and kind. While older definitions, such as the 1998 Oxford Dictionary entry, described humility as having a “low opinion of oneself” or “not being proudful”, more recent psychological and philosophical definitions emphasize having an “accurate opinion of oneself“. This modern view includes expressing modesty appropriately, possessing clear goal orientation, openness, broad-mindedness, and a non-imposing mentality.

…

The term “humility” comes from the Latin noun humilitas, related to the adjective humilis, which may be translated as “humble”, but also as “grounded” or “from the earth”, since it derives from the word humus (earth).

The word “humble” may be related to feudal England where the least valuable cuts of meat (whatever was left after the members of the upper class had taken their parts), or “umbles”, were provided to the lowest class of citizens.

Humility