--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Always make those above you feel…" description: "\"Always make those above you feel comfortably superior. In your desire to please or impress them, do not go too far in displaying your talents or you mi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a8/robert-greene-498_accomplish_always-make-those-above-you-feel-comfort_2564957.png" --- # Always make those above you feel comfortably superior. In… ![“Always make those above you feel comfortably superior. In your desire to please or impress them, do not go too far in displaying your talents or you might accomplish the opposite - inspire fear and insecurity.” quote by Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a8/robert-greene-498_accomplish_always-make-those-above-you-feel-comfort_2564957.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a8/robert-greene-498_accomplish_always-make-those-above-you-feel-comfort_2564957.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a8/robert-greene-498_accomplish_always-make-those-above-you-feel-comfort_2564957.png) > “Always make those above you feel comfortably superior. In your desire to please or impress them, do not go too far in displaying your talents or you might accomplish the opposite - inspire fear and insecurity.” [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Flattering superiors while hiding talent can backfire, creating fear and insecurity instead of admiration. **In simple terms:** Praise superiors, hide talent, avoid fear. Key Takeaway Balance humility with competence. Themes politics power social dynamics Mood strategic cautious Type self‑help leadership When to use this quote - corporate settings - team leadership - networking Key Concepts Strategic humility impression management Questions to Reflect On - When have you felt your modesty was misinterpreted? - How can you showcase skill without threatening? A Different Perspective None; over‑humility may be misread. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Insecurity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insecurity/) [Inspiration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspiration/) ## Related quotes > [The desire to impress is an efficient means of bringing out one’s least impressive qualities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derren-brown/the-desire-to-impress-is-an-efficient-means-of-bringing-out-one-s/) [Derren Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derren-brown/) > [The desire to impress others is one of the worst forms of mental imprisonment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ringer/the-desire-to-impress-others-is-one-of-the-worst-forms-of-mental/) [Robert Ringer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ringer/) > [Our true identity is to love without fear and insecurity. Our higher potential finds us when we set our course in that direction. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doc-childre/our-true-identity-is-to-love-without-fear-and-insecurity-our-higher/) [Doc Childre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doc-childre/) > [I write with a sense of my future readers being ever on the verge of setting down the book and pronouncing it a bore.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/i-write-with-a-sense-of-my-future-readers-being-ever-on-the-verge-of/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [National politics and elections are dominated by emotions, by lack of self-confidence, by fear of the other, by insecurity, by infection of the body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/national-politics-and-elections-are-dominated-by-emotions-by-lack-of/) [Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/) > [The finest people, as people go, cannot help but betray a fair portion of fear and insecurity, even full-blown panic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/the-finest-people-as-people-go-cannot-help-but-betray-a-fair-portion/) [Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/) > [Most men are very attached to the idea of being male, and usually experience a lot of fear and insecurity around the idea of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-cohen/most-men-are-very-attached-to-the-idea-of-being-male-and-usually/) [Andrew Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-cohen/) > [Don't let fear or insecurity stop you from trying new things. Believe in yourself. Do what you love. And most importantly, be kind to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-london/don-t-let-fear-or-insecurity-stop-you-from-trying-new-things-believe/) [Stacy London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-london/) > [Western media only intensified the climate of fear and insecurity...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-ahmadinejad/western-media-only-intensified-the-climate-of-fear-and-insecurity/) [Mahmoud Ahmadinejad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-ahmadinejad/) > [“Night will always be a time of fear and insecurity, and the heart will sink with the sun.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/night-will-always-be-a-time-of-fear-and-insecurity-and-the-heart-will/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [Work is life, you know, and without it, there's nothing but fear and insecurity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/work-is-life-you-know-and-without-it-there-s-nothing-but-fear-and/) [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) > [During these unstable times, let go of any fear or insecurity in your emotions. Look for new ways that you can be rewarded for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-wentroble/during-these-unstable-times-let-go-of-any-fear-or-insecurity-in-your/) Barbara Wentroble > [“Crime sucked the lifeblood from the new South Africa like a deadly leech, leaving it debilitated and wracked by fear and insecurity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misha-glenny/crime-sucked-the-lifeblood-from-the-new-south-africa-like-a-deadly/) [Misha Glenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misha-glenny/) > [“You remember the old Roadrunner cartoons, where the coyote would run off a cliff and keep going, until he looked down and happened to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-tropper/you-remember-the-old-roadrunner-cartoons-where-the-coyote-would-run/) [Jonathan Tropper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-tropper/) > [I fear everything. Darkness, light, fear of insecurity, fear of women, fear of conversation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-evans/i-fear-everything-darkness-light-fear-of-insecurity-fear-of-women/) [Lee Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-evans/) ## More by Robert Greene > [The whole concept of stage fright is fascinating. Actors get stage fright, but they wouldn't be on the stage in the first place if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/the-whole-concept-of-stage-fright-is-fascinating-actors-get-stage/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [I'm afraid I'm just too intense to have soft ideas, you know, about what to read when you're trying to pass the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/i-m-afraid-i-m-just-too-intense-to-have-soft-ideas-you-know-about/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [You are facing death and danger and competition, but at any moment, you can decide to have a fearless mindset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/you-are-facing-death-and-danger-and-competition-but-at-any-moment-you/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [Let me spell it out: with the psychotic boss, nothing you do is ever quite right. They set traps, asking you to do things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/let-me-spell-it-out-with-the-psychotic-boss-nothing-you-do-is-ever/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [Evil or manipulative people don't need a book, they just do it anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/evil-or-manipulative-people-don-t-need-a-book-they-just-do-it-anyway/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [Everybody knows what they were kind of drawn towards or what they're gifted at and it's more of courage and looking at yourself and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/everybody-knows-what-they-were-kind-of-drawn-towards-or-what-they-re/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [Remember: your bosses prefer to keep you in dependent positions. It is in their interest that you do not become self-reliant, and so they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/remember-your-bosses-prefer-to-keep-you-in-dependent-positions-it-is/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [I want to be able to write, that's my first love and I don't want to deviate from it even though I probably could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/i-want-to-be-able-to-write-that-s-my-first-love-and-i-don-t-want-to/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [It's sometimes hard to talk about politics and art. Obviously, I have my core beliefs, but I think art is best when it's troublesome…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/it-s-sometimes-hard-to-talk-about-politics-and-art-obviously-i-have/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [If you change and adapt your persona, you are seen as inauthentic; if you stay the angry young man, you fade from attention or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/if-you-change-and-adapt-your-persona-you-are-seen-as-inauthentic-if/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [Your energy, your spirit are important considerations. Feeling petty and frustrated can have reverberating consequences for your ability to think strategically and reach your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/your-energy-your-spirit-are-important-considerations-feeling-petty/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [Fear creates its own self-fulfilling dynamic- as people give into it, they lose energy and momentum. Their lack of confidence translates into inaction that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/fear-creates-its-own-self-fulfilling-dynamic-as-people-give-into-it/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [What I like about the internet, what I see there is that its much more democratic. I have much more control, and if what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/what-i-like-about-the-internet-what-i-see-there-is-that-its-much-more/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [“It is hard for us to imagine now, but our earliest human ancestors who ventured out onto the grasslands of East Africa some six…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/it-is-hard-for-us-to-imagine-now-but-our-earliest-human-ancestors-who/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [“Let us call this quality the Original Mind. This mind looked at the world more directly—not through words and received ideas. It was flexible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/let-us-call-this-quality-the-original-mind-this-mind-looked-at-the/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) [Explore all 511 Robert Greene quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) ## More Accomplish quotes > [Learn to see the big picture. Often times we get tunnel vision and lose sight of the big picture and what we're really trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-cheeke/learn-to-see-the-big-picture-often-times-we-get-tunnel-vision-and/) [Robert Cheeke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-cheeke/) > [You know, by the time you reach my age, you've made plenty of mistakes if you've lived your life properly. So you learn. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/you-know-by-the-time-you-reach-my-age-you-ve-made-plenty-of-mistakes/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [I work every day. Sometimes I don't accomplish anything every day, but if I don't work every day, I get depressed and get afraid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-work-every-day-sometimes-i-don-t-accomplish-anything-every-day-but/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [God has given believers the responsibility of spreading the Gospel to all the world, and we need to use all at our disposal to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-epp/god-has-given-believers-the-responsibility-of-spreading-the-gospel-to/) [Theodore Epp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-epp/) > [ \[The Community's\] crosses and trials give me confidence. But I derive my hope above all, and most especially, from our utter incapacity, for it… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-guerin/the-community-s-crosses-and-trials-give-me-confidence-but-i-derive-my/) [Theodore Guerin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-guerin/) > [There's things that you want to accomplish, but to do that you have to work. That's the name of the game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-schwarber/there-s-things-that-you-want-to-accomplish-but-to-do-that-you-have-to/) [Kyle Schwarber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-schwarber/) > [To accomplish much you must first lose everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/che-guevara/to-accomplish-much-you-must-first-lose-everything/) [Che Guevara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/che-guevara/) > [We have to think about the future and what it is we want to accomplish from this party.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-bernice-johnson/we-have-to-think-about-the-future-and-what-it-is-we-want-to/) [Eddie Bernice Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-bernice-johnson/) > [Everything that I have ever hoped to accomplish, she has done and done better than anyone I have ever seen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-hathaway/everything-that-i-have-ever-hoped-to-accomplish-she-has-done-and-done/) [Anne Hathaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-hathaway/) > [There's a lot that I want to accomplish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/there-s-a-lot-that-i-want-to-accomplish/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [For what we want to accomplish in the future, we have to be able to view everything from the eyes of the customer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-katz/for-what-we-want-to-accomplish-in-the-future-we-have-to-be-able-to/) [Karen Katz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-katz/) > [And for me the only way to live life is to grab the bull by the horns and call up recording studios and set…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-frusciante/and-for-me-the-only-way-to-live-life-is-to-grab-the-bull-by-the-horns/) [John Frusciante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-frusciante/) > [A great tennis career is something that a 15-year-old normally doesn't have. 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