--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Be humble and you will remain entire. The…" description: "\"Be humble and you will remain entire. The sages do not display themselves, therefore they shine. They do not approve themselves, therefore they are not..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da2/laozi-147_be-humble_be-humble-and-you-will-remain-entire-the_1274942.jpg" --- # Be humble and you will remain entire. The sages do not… ![“Be humble and you will remain entire. The sages do not display themselves, therefore they shine. They do not approve themselves, therefore they are noted. They do not praise themselves, therefore they have merit. They do not glory in themselves, therefore they excel.” quote by Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da2/laozi-147_be-humble_be-humble-and-you-will-remain-entire-the_1274942.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da2/laozi-147_be-humble_be-humble-and-you-will-remain-entire-the_1274942.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da2/laozi-147_be-humble_be-humble-and-you-will-remain-entire-the_1274942.jpg) > “Be humble and you will remain entire. The sages do not display themselves, therefore they shine. They do not approve themselves, therefore they are noted. They do not praise themselves, therefore they have merit. They do not glory in themselves, therefore they excel.” [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True wisdom is shown through humility, not self‑promotion; modesty lets one’s substance be recognized. **In simple terms:** Humility reveals true worth. Key Takeaway Practice modesty to let actions speak. Themes humility self‑awareness integrity Mood reflective calm Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - leadership - personal growth - team dynamics - conflict resolution Key Concepts Taoist philosophy self‑effacement Questions to Reflect On - How can you demonstrate humility without being overlooked? - When does modesty hinder self‑advocacy? A Different Perspective Humility may be mistaken for weakness in competitive environments. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Be humble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/be-humble/) [Display](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/display/) [Entire Sages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entire-sages-4099978/) [Glory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glory/) [Humble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humble/) [Humility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humility/) [Merit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/merit/) [Praise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/praise/) [Praise Merit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/praise-merit-4002495/) [Sage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sage/) [Sages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sages/) [Sages Display](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sages-display-4099979/) [Shining](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shining/) ## Related quotes > [“Therefore the sages got their knowledge without travelling;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/therefore-the-sages-got-their-knowledge-without-travelling/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [Praise without merit is more harmful than unearned criticism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/praise-without-merit-is-more-harmful-than-unearned-criticism/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [“But where's the man, who counsel can bestow, Still pleas'd to teach, and yet not proud to know? Unbias'd, or by favour or by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pope/but-where-s-the-man-who-counsel-can-bestow-still-pleas-d-to-teach-and/) [Alexander Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pope/) > [Pythagoras, Locke, Socrates - but pages might be filled up, as vainly as before, with the sad usage of all sorts of sages, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-byron/pythagoras-locke-socrates-but-pages-might-be-filled-up-as-vainly-as/) [Lord Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-byron/) > [Those people who recognise that imagination is reality's master, we call sages, and those who act upon it, we call artists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/those-people-who-recognise-that-imagination-is-reality-s-master-we/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Truth is one, the sages speak of it by many names.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/truth-is-one-the-sages-speak-of-it-by-many-names/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'll tell you what I think. I think sages are the growing tip of the secret impulse of evolution. I think they are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/i-ll-tell-you-what-i-think-i-think-sages-are-the-growing-tip-of-the/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [“The ancient sages never put their teachings in systematic form. They spoke in paradoxes, for they were afraid of uttering half-truths. They began by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-ancient-sages-never-put-their-teachings-in-systematic-form-they/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [All my days have I grown up among the Sages and I have found naught better for a man than silence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gamaliel/all-my-days-have-i-grown-up-among-the-sages-and-i-have-found-naught/) [Gamaliel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gamaliel/) > [To paraphrase several sages: Nobody can think and hit someone at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/to-paraphrase-several-sages-nobody-can-think-and-hit-someone-at-the/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [The sages do not consider that making no mistakes is a blessing. They believe, rather, that the great virtue of man lies in his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wang-yangming/the-sages-do-not-consider-that-making-no-mistakes-is-a-blessing-they/) [Wang Yangming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wang-yangming/) > [Librarians are not just gatekeepers to knowledge, they are what the American Indians used to call their special sages who preserved the oral legends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-h-billington/librarians-are-not-just-gatekeepers-to-knowledge-they-are-what-the/) [James H. Billington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-h-billington/) > [Everything that goes around comes around, they say, and although I've never been able to figure out who the mysteriously wise sages known as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/everything-that-goes-around-comes-around-they-say-and-although-i-ve/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Yet you must not cling to the words of the old sages either; they, too, may not be right. Even if you believe them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/yet-you-must-not-cling-to-the-words-of-the-old-sages-either-they-too/) [Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/) > [“What would have been the fate of sages if there were no fools?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogwo-david-emenike/what-would-have-been-the-fate-of-sages-if-there-were-no-fools/) [Ogwo David Emenike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogwo-david-emenike/) ## More by Laozi > [When you have accomplished your goal simply walk away. This is the path way to Heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/when-you-have-accomplished-your-goal-simply-walk-away-this-is-the/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [In lightness the root is lost. In haste the ruler is lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/in-lightness-the-root-is-lost-in-haste-the-ruler-is-lost/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [If the sage wants to stand above people, he must speak to them from below. If he wants to lead people, he must follow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/if-the-sage-wants-to-stand-above-people-he-must-speak-to-them-from/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [Goodie-goodies are the thieves of virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/goodie-goodies-are-the-thieves-of-virtue/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [He that humbles himself shall be preserved entire. He that bends shall be made straight. He that is empty shall be filled. He that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/he-that-humbles-himself-shall-be-preserved-entire-he-that-bends-shall/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [The Way of the Sage is to act but not to compete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/the-way-of-the-sage-is-to-act-but-not-to-compete/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [Do nondoing, strive for nonstriving, savor the flavorless, regard the small as important, make much of little, repay enmity with virtue; plan for difficulty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/do-nondoing-strive-for-nonstriving-savor-the-flavorless-regard-the/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [Without looking through the window, you can see Heaven's Way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/without-looking-through-the-window-you-can-see-heaven-s-way/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [Can you dissolve your ego? Can you abandon the idea of self and other? Can you relinquish the notions of male and female, short…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/can-you-dissolve-your-ego-can-you-abandon-the-idea-of-self-and-other/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [The Tao is the center of the universe, the good man's treasure, the bad man's refuge. Honors can be bought with fine words, respect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/the-tao-is-the-center-of-the-universe-the-good-man-s-treasure-the-bad/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [What's the difference between beautiful and ugly?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/what-s-the-difference-between-beautiful-and-ugly/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [In stillness the muddied water returns to clarity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/in-stillness-the-muddied-water-returns-to-clarity/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [He (the sage) is good to those who are good. He is also good to those who are not good. That is the virtue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/he-the-sage-is-good-to-those-who-are-good-he-is-also-good-to-those/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [There is a thing inherent and natural which existed before heaven and earth. Motionless and fathomless, It stands alone and never changes; It pervades…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/there-is-a-thing-inherent-and-natural-which-existed-before-heaven-and/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [What is a good man but a bad man's teacher? What is a bad man but a good man's job? If you do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/what-is-a-good-man-but-a-bad-man-s-teacher-what-is-a-bad-man-but-a/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) [Explore all 1,140 Laozi quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) ## More Be humble quotes > [To seek yourself in this world is to be lost; and to be humble is to be exalted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bunyan/to-seek-yourself-in-this-world-is-to-be-lost-and-to-be-humble-is-to/) [John Bunyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bunyan/) > [Well I think they broke the mould when they made me and being humble is one of my great assets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-hagman/well-i-think-they-broke-the-mould-when-they-made-me-and-being-humble/) [Larry Hagman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-hagman/) > [Remember this-all the sighing, mourning, sobbing, and complaining in the world, does not so undeniably evidence a man to be humble, as his overlooking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-brooks/remember-this-all-the-sighing-mourning-sobbing-and-complaining-in-the/) [Thomas Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-brooks/) > [ Be humble and say okay, all right, I have to prep myself. So everybody prepped, and we finished the film \[Valerian \] four days… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-besson/be-humble-and-say-okay-all-right-i-have-to-prep-myself-so-everybody/) [Luc Besson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-besson/) > [Catch {a man} at the moment when he is really poor in spirit and smuggle into his mind the gratifying reflection, "By jove, I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/catch-a-man-at-the-moment-when-he-is-really-poor-in-spirit-and/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [Humility does not mean weakness. It does not mean timidity. It does not mean fear. A man can be humble and fearless. A man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/humility-does-not-mean-weakness-it-does-not-mean-timidity-it-does-not/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [Always enter like a kitten and leave like a lion. But NEVER enter like a lion and leave like a kitten. Always be humble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlson-gracie/always-enter-like-a-kitten-and-leave-like-a-lion-but-never-enter-like/) [Carlson Gracie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlson-gracie/) > [There is no substitute for hardwork. Always be humble and hungry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/there-is-no-substitute-for-hardwork-always-be-humble-and-hungry/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [You've got to be humble really to be yourself or to get a chance to be yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-harrison/you-ve-got-to-be-humble-really-to-be-yourself-or-to-get-a-chance-to/) [George Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-harrison/) > [Learning something means coming into contact with a world of which you know nothing. In order to learn, you must be humble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/learning-something-means-coming-into-contact-with-a-world-of-which/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Create your own job. Become the master of what you do. Fully imerse yourself in your culter. Be humble. You are never above having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophia-amoruso/create-your-own-job-become-the-master-of-what-you-do-fully-imerse/) [Sophia Amoruso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophia-amoruso/) > [It's very easy for us to be humble when no one else is around. There is no reason for us to demonstrate our superiority,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/it-s-very-easy-for-us-to-be-humble-when-no-one-else-is-around-there/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [I'm totally normal. I think it's obnoxious when people demand limos or bodyguards. I eat at McDonald's or Taco Bell. My parents always taught…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paris-hilton/i-m-totally-normal-i-think-it-s-obnoxious-when-people-demand-limos-or/) [Paris Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paris-hilton/) > [You have to know when to be arrogant. You have to when to be humble. You have to know when to be hard and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talib-kweli/you-have-to-know-when-to-be-arrogant-you-have-to-when-to-be-humble/) [Talib Kweli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talib-kweli/) > [I know that a Christian should be humble, but against the Pope I am going to be proud and say to him: "You, Pope,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/i-know-that-a-christian-should-be-humble-but-against-the-pope-i-am/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) [Browse all 243 Be humble quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/be-humble/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Be humble and you will remain entire. 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