---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We should allow others' excellences, to…"
description: "\"We should allow others' excellences, to preserve a modest opinion of our own.\" — Isaac Barrow"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a40/isaac-barrow-13537_appreciation_we-should-allow-others-excellences-to-pr_608945.jpg"
---

#  We should allow others' excellences, to preserve a modest…

![“We should allow others' excellences, to preserve a modest opinion of our own.” quote by Isaac Barrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a40/isaac-barrow-13537_appreciation_we-should-allow-others-excellences-to-pr_608945.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a40/isaac-barrow-13537_appreciation_we-should-allow-others-excellences-to-pr_608945.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a40/isaac-barrow-13537_appreciation_we-should-allow-others-excellences-to-pr_608945.jpg)

> “We should allow others' excellences, to preserve a modest opinion of our own.”

[Isaac Barrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-barrow/)

## About This Quote

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

Allowing others to excel helps maintain humility and a realistic self‑view, fostering mutual respect and personal growth.

**In simple terms:** Respect others' talents to stay humble.

Key Takeaway

Encourage others' strengths while staying modest.

Themes

humility excellence self‑esteem mutual respect personal growth

Mood

inspirational thoughtful encouraging

Type

ethical motivational

When to use this quote

- teamwork
- education
- self‑development
- leadership coaching

Key Concepts

ethics psychology leadership

Questions to Reflect On

- In what ways can you celebrate others without diminishing yourself?
- How does humility affect your personal goals?

A Different Perspective

Excessive modesty may suppress one's own confidence and ambition.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Appreciation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appreciation/) [Excellence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excellence/) [Opinion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opinion/)

## Related quotes

> [Abject flattery and indiscriminate assentation degrade, as much as indiscriminate contradiction and noisy debate disgust. But a modest assertion of one's own opinion, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/abject-flattery-and-indiscriminate-assentation-degrade-as-much-as/)

[Doug Stanhope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-stanhope/)

> [As president, I will fight illegal immigration in order to preserve an appropriate level of legal immigration. At the same time, I believe our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dole/as-president-i-will-fight-illegal-immigration-in-order-to-preserve-an/)

[Bob Dole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dole/)

> [When humans team up with computers to play chess, the humans who do best are not necessarily the strongest players. They're the ones who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/when-humans-team-up-with-computers-to-play-chess-the-humans-who-do/)

[Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/)

> [Cheerfulness means a contented spirit, a pure heart, a kind and loving disposition; it means humility and ~ charity, a generous appreciation of others,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/cheerfulness-means-a-contented-spirit-a-pure-heart-a-kind-and-loving/)

[William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/)

> [... semantics ... is a sober and modest discipline which has no pretensions of being a universal patent-medicine for all the ills and diseases…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-tarski/semantics-is-a-sober-and-modest-discipline-which-has-no-pretensions/)

[Alfred Tarski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-tarski/)

> [Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/travel-makes-one-modest-you-see-what-a-tiny-place-you-occupy-in-the/)

[Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/)

> [Modesty is a learned affectation. And as soon as life slams the modest person against the wall, that modesty drops.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/modesty-is-a-learned-affectation-and-as-soon-as-life-slams-the-modest/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [Since 2012, the USPS has not been able to meet its prefunding requirement, but without it, the agency would have made a modest operating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-cox-richardson/since-2012-the-usps-has-not-been-able-to-meet-its-prefunding/)

[Heather Cox Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-cox-richardson/)

> [The wound of peace is surety, Surety secure; but modest doubt is called The beacon of the wise, the tent that searches To th'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/the-wound-of-peace-is-surety-surety-secure-but-modest-doubt-is-called/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [Despite my extremely modest prices, dealers and art lovers are turning their backs on me. It is very depressing to see the lack of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-monet/despite-my-extremely-modest-prices-dealers-and-art-lovers-are-turning/)

[Claude Monet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-monet/)

> [ She \[Evelina\] is not, indeed, like most modern young ladies; to be known in half an hour; her modest worth, and fearful excellence, require… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/she-evelina-is-not-indeed-like-most-modern-young-ladies-to-be-known/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [You will not see me dressed in plain, modest outfits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-netrebko/you-will-not-see-me-dressed-in-plain-modest-outfits/)

[Anna Netrebko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-netrebko/)

> [He was very modest, but once he got talking, he liked reminiscing about all the people he worked with over the years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-wagner/he-was-very-modest-but-once-he-got-talking-he-liked-reminiscing-about/)

Barbara Wagner

> [To not be modest about it, you'll find that with only a couple of exceptions, most of the musicians that I've worked with have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/to-not-be-modest-about-it-you-ll-find-that-with-only-a-couple-of/)

[David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/)

> [Pete Seeger is a modest, unassuming, cheerful, and kind-natured man. He's a good folk singer, if you can stand folk singing. And he's such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/pete-seeger-is-a-modest-unassuming-cheerful-and-kind-natured-man-he-s/)

[P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/)

## More by Isaac Barrow

> [No adversity is in kind or degree peculiar to us; but if we survey the conditions of other men (of our brethren everywhere, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-barrow/no-adversity-is-in-kind-or-degree-peculiar-to-us-but-if-we-survey-the/)

[Isaac Barrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-barrow/)

> [An accomplished mathematician, i.e. a most wretched orator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-barrow/an-accomplished-mathematician-i-e-a-most-wretched-orator/)

[Isaac Barrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-barrow/)

> [We may be as good as we please, if we please to be good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-barrow/we-may-be-as-good-as-we-please-if-we-please-to-be-good/)

[Isaac Barrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-barrow/)

> [If we desire to live securely, comfortably, and quietly, that by all honest means we should endeavor to purchase the good will of all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-barrow/if-we-desire-to-live-securely-comfortably-and-quietly-that-by-all/)

[Isaac Barrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-barrow/)

> [He that loveth a book will never want a faithful friend, a wholesome counsellor, a cheerful companion, an effectual comforter. By study, by reading,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-barrow/he-that-loveth-a-book-will-never-want-a-faithful-friend-a-wholesome/)

[Isaac Barrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-barrow/)

> [Chance never writ a legible book; chance never built a fair house; chance never drew a neat picture; it never did any of these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-barrow/chance-never-writ-a-legible-book-chance-never-built-a-fair-house/)

[Isaac Barrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-barrow/)

> [The proper work of man, the grand drift of human life, is to follow reason, that noble spark kindled in us from heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-barrow/the-proper-work-of-man-the-grand-drift-of-human-life-is-to-follow/)

[Isaac Barrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-barrow/)

> [Nothing hath wrought more prejudice to religion, or brought more disparagement upon truth, than boisterous and unseasonable zeal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-barrow/nothing-hath-wrought-more-prejudice-to-religion-or-brought-more/)

[Isaac Barrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-barrow/)

> [Upright simplicity is the deepest wisdom, and perverse craft the merest shallowness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-barrow/upright-simplicity-is-the-deepest-wisdom-and-perverse-craft-the/)

[Isaac Barrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-barrow/)

> [Every ear is tickled with the sweet music of applause.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-barrow/every-ear-is-tickled-with-the-sweet-music-of-applause/)

[Isaac Barrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-barrow/)

> [The fruits of the earth do not more obviously require labor and cultivation to prepare them for our use and subsistence, than our faculties…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-barrow/the-fruits-of-the-earth-do-not-more-obviously-require-labor-and/)

[Isaac Barrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-barrow/)

> [It is commonly said that revenge is sweet, but to a calm and considerate mind, patience and forgiveness are sweeter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-barrow/it-is-commonly-said-that-revenge-is-sweet-but-to-a-calm-and/)

[Isaac Barrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-barrow/)

> [Because Mathematicians frequently make use of Time, they ought to have a distinct idea of the meaning of that Word, otherwise they are Quacks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-barrow/because-mathematicians-frequently-make-use-of-time-they-ought-to-have/)

[Isaac Barrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-barrow/)

> [Wherefore for the public interest and benefit of human society it is requisite that the highest obligations possible should be laid upon the consciences…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-barrow/wherefore-for-the-public-interest-and-benefit-of-human-society-it-is/)

[Isaac Barrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-barrow/)

> [Shall we keep our hands in our bosom, or stretch ourselves on our beds of laziness, while all the world about us is hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-barrow/shall-we-keep-our-hands-in-our-bosom-or-stretch-ourselves-on-our-beds/)

[Isaac Barrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-barrow/)

[Explore all 50 Isaac Barrow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-barrow/)

## More Appreciation quotes

> [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/)

[Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/)

> [Time can but make her beauty over again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/time-can-but-make-her-beauty-over-again/)

[William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/)

> [The writings of latter-day prophets clearly teach that the sorrows and sufferings endured by Adam and Eve upon their leaving the Garden of Eden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-k-judd/the-writings-of-latter-day-prophets-clearly-teach-that-the-sorrows/)

Daniel K Judd

> [Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/wine-is-one-of-the-most-civilized-things-in-the-world-and-one-of-the/)

[Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/)

> [A very small percentage of the people in this world will actually experience and live today. So many people will be stuck on another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/a-very-small-percentage-of-the-people-in-this-world-will-actually/)

[Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/)

> [Stop chasing the things you want and embrace all that you already have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/stop-chasing-the-things-you-want-and-embrace-all-that-you-already-have/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Appreciation is the purest vibration that exists on the planet today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/appreciation-is-the-purest-vibration-that-exists-on-the-planet-today/)

[Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/)

> [“My thank-yous always come out rather labored. I often don't give them at all. People do what they're supposed to do and then wait…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/my-thank-yous-always-come-out-rather-labored-i-often-don-t-give-them/)

[Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/)

> [“Like gratitude, authentic appreciation in the workplace is a realisation that can be nurtured and accessed with daily mindful practice. By and large, people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-dines/like-gratitude-authentic-appreciation-in-the-workplace-is-a/)

[Christopher Dines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-dines/)

> [Think of your mind, your emotions, and your spirit as the ultimate garden. The way to ensure a bountiful, nourishing harvest is to plant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/think-of-your-mind-your-emotions-and-your-spirit-as-the-ultimate/)

[Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/)

> [“Recognize and appreciate little things, and enjoy what Life has to offer”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-nikko-caharian-iii/recognize-and-appreciate-little-things-and-enjoy-what-life-has-to/)

Cesar Nikko Caharian III

> [Men, when it comes to women, value diamonds and put no stock into copper. Diamonds are rare. You can find copper anywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enhance-dreams/men-when-it-comes-to-women-value-diamonds-and-put-no-stock-into/)

Enhance Dreams

> [“Everything we perceive to be solid and static is made up of almost entirely empty space.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-p-kauffman/everything-we-perceive-to-be-solid-and-static-is-made-up-of-almost/)

[Joseph P. Kauffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-p-kauffman/)

> [Be very slow to believe that you are wiser than all others; it is a fatal but common error. Where one has been saved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/be-very-slow-to-believe-that-you-are-wiser-than-all-others-it-is-a/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

[Browse all 2,528 Appreciation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appreciation/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "We should allow others' excellences, to preserve a modest opinion of our own.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Isaac Barrow"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-barrow/we-should-allow-others-excellences-to-preserve-a-modest-opinion-of/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Appreciation"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-barrow/we-should-allow-others-excellences-to-preserve-a-modest-opinion-of/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a40/isaac-barrow-13537_appreciation_we-should-allow-others-excellences-to-pr_608945.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a40/isaac-barrow-13537_appreciation_we-should-allow-others-excellences-to-pr_608945.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a40/isaac-barrow-13537_appreciation_we-should-allow-others-excellences-to-pr_608945.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We should allow others' excellences, to preserve a modest opinion of our own.” — Isaac Barrow",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Isaac Barrow",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-barrow/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "We should allow others' excellences, to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-barrow/we-should-allow-others-excellences-to-preserve-a-modest-opinion-of/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-barrow/we-should-allow-others-excellences-to-preserve-a-modest-opinion-of/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
