Character Quote by Edith Pargeter
““Learn humility, while there's yet time--': those were the last of the abbot's words he had waited to hear. All very well, he thought, to be humble in accepting one's own pain and deprivation, perhaps, but what right have I, what right has he, to make a virtue of meekness when it will be Adam who suffers? I call that cheap humility.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Healer's Apprentice by Edith Pargeter, 1975
The speaker questions the value of humility when it is used to justify suffering imposed by others, suggesting it can be a false or self‑serving virtue.
In simple terms: Humility can be a false comfort when it hides unjust suffering.
Key Takeaway
Examine whether humility masks injustice.
Themes
humility
justice
virtue
suffering
power dynamics
Mood
reflective
critical
thoughtful
Type
philosophical
ethical
literary
When to use this quote
- personal relationships
- social activism
- leadership
- conflict resolution
Key Concepts
moral philosophy
psychology of virtue
Questions to Reflect On
- When does humility become complicity?
- How can we balance humility with confronting injustice?
A Different Perspective
Humility may ignore systemic oppression.
![“Now I lay down on this tree and felt a lonely sadness coming over me in waves. Slow tears ran from my eyes and trickled into my ears. I thought, 'I even cry in a humble, common way, with tears flowing into my ears.' But the humble, common tears had relieved me[...]” quote by Barbara Comyns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/47a/barbara-comyns-47028_cry_now-i-lay-down-on-this-tree-and-felt-a-l_588721.jpg)
