---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I would certainly never consider myself a…"
description: "\"I would certainly never consider myself a Renaissance Man; I'm not fit to look at the dust from the chariot wheels of many of those who have gone befor..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68a/alexander-mccall-smith-372_chariot_i-would-certainly-never-consider-myself_3065281.jpg"
---

#  I would certainly never consider myself a Renaissance Man…

![“I would certainly never consider myself a Renaissance Man; I'm not fit to look at the dust from the chariot wheels of many of those who have gone before me.” quote by Alexander McCall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68a/alexander-mccall-smith-372_chariot_i-would-certainly-never-consider-myself_3065281.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68a/alexander-mccall-smith-372_chariot_i-would-certainly-never-consider-myself_3065281.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68a/alexander-mccall-smith-372_chariot_i-would-certainly-never-consider-myself_3065281.jpg)

> “I would certainly never consider myself a Renaissance Man; I'm not fit to look at the dust from the chariot wheels of many of those who have gone before me.”

[Alexander McCall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Humility in acknowledging one's limits compared to past greats.

**In simple terms:** Admit you’re not a genius like those before.

Key Takeaway

Embrace learning, not pretension.

Themes

humility self-awareness learning

Mood

reflective inspirational

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- career development
- academic study
- personal reflection
- creative projects

Key Concepts

historical perspective self-perception growth mindset

Questions to Reflect On

- What can you learn from past masters?
- How do you balance humility and self‑confidence?

A Different Perspective

Overemphasis on humility can hinder confidence.

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## Related quotes

> [Time's chariot-wheels make their carriage-road in the fairest face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/time-s-chariot-wheels-make-their-carriage-road-in-the-fairest-face/)

[Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/)

> [“... flattening their scorn underneath the chariot wheels of her superiority.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-spark/flattening-their-scorn-underneath-the-chariot-wheels-of-her/)

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> [I have always had the ability to attach my demons to my chariot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingmar-bergman/i-have-always-had-the-ability-to-attach-my-demons-to-my-chariot/)

[Ingmar Bergman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingmar-bergman/)

> [As I was working I noticed that the way I designed the differential gearing actually created a spare drive that sat directly below the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kit-williams/as-i-was-working-i-noticed-that-the-way-i-designed-the-differential/)

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> [The earliest full-length account of a chariot race appears in Book xxiii of the Iliad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-arnold-epstein/the-earliest-full-length-account-of-a-chariot-race-appears-in-book/)

[Richard Arnold Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-arnold-epstein/)

> [...a chasm opened in the earth and out of it coal-black horses sprang, drawing a chariot and driven by one who had a look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/a-chasm-opened-in-the-earth-and-out-of-it-coal-black-horses-sprang/)

[Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/)

> [It was prettily devised of Aesop, The fly sat on the axle tree of the chariot wheel and said, what dust do I raise!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/it-was-prettily-devised-of-aesop-the-fly-sat-on-the-axle-tree-of-the/)

[Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/)

> [Life is like a chariot-wheel that ever rolls along.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anacreon/life-is-like-a-chariot-wheel-that-ever-rolls-along/)

[Anacreon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anacreon/)

> [Leisure is pain; take off our chariot wheels; how heavily we drag the load of life!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/leisure-is-pain-take-off-our-chariot-wheels-how-heavily-we-drag-the/)

[Edward Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/)

> [To tell the truth, the chariot was an astonishing sight to behold, because I had polished the steel of my flying house so carefully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyrano-de-bergerac/to-tell-the-truth-the-chariot-was-an-astonishing-sight-to-behold/)

[Cyrano de Bergerac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyrano-de-bergerac/)

> [The rabbit is significant in that the handle on the original South Pointing Chariot was carved in the form of a rabbit. Because the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kit-williams/the-rabbit-is-significant-in-that-the-handle-on-the-original-south/)

[Kit Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kit-williams/)

> [In practical terms the South Pointing Chariot was a simple direction finder. It could have been made to point in any direction - north,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kit-williams/in-practical-terms-the-south-pointing-chariot-was-a-simple-direction/)

[Kit Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kit-williams/)

> [The chariot was purchased by a private collector who took it home to New York. I take pleasure in knowing that it was built…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kit-williams/the-chariot-was-purchased-by-a-private-collector-who-took-it-home-to/)

[Kit Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kit-williams/)

> [I started by looking at what others had done before me. You see, over the years there have been attempts by many different people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kit-williams/i-started-by-looking-at-what-others-had-done-before-me-you-see-over/)

[Kit Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kit-williams/)

> [I shall drive my chariot down your street and cry hey it's me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-morrison/i-shall-drive-my-chariot-down-your-street-and-cry-hey-it-s-me/)

[Van Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-morrison/)

## More by Alexander McCall Smith

> [“old-fashioned, gentle Scottish physician, unmoved by the considerations of profit and personal gain that could so disfigure medicine. That doctors should consider themselves businessmen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/old-fashioned-gentle-scottish-physician-unmoved-by-the-considerations/)

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> [“She had not made a lot of money, but she had not made a loss, and she had been happy and entertained. That counted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/she-had-not-made-a-lot-of-money-but-she-had-not-made-a-loss-and-she/)

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> [And that, in a way, was the burden of being a philosopher: one knew what one had to do, but it was so often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/and-that-in-a-way-was-the-burden-of-being-a-philosopher-one-knew-what/)

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[Explore all 628 Alexander McCall Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/)

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> [I shall drive my chariot down your street and cry hey it's me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-morrison/i-shall-drive-my-chariot-down-your-street-and-cry-hey-it-s-me/)

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> [I started by looking at what others had done before me. You see, over the years there have been attempts by many different people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kit-williams/i-started-by-looking-at-what-others-had-done-before-me-you-see-over/)

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> [The chariot was purchased by a private collector who took it home to New York. I take pleasure in knowing that it was built…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kit-williams/the-chariot-was-purchased-by-a-private-collector-who-took-it-home-to/)

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> [“I have always had the ability to attach my demons to my chariot. And they have been forced to make themselves useful.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingmar-bergman/i-have-always-had-the-ability-to-attach-my-demons-to-my-chariot-and/)

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[Anacreon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anacreon/)

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[Thích Nhất Hạnh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/)

> [It was prettily devised of Aesop, The fly sat on the axle tree of the chariot wheel and said, what dust do I raise!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/it-was-prettily-devised-of-aesop-the-fly-sat-on-the-axle-tree-of-the/)

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