---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The thunder of false modesty was deafening."
description: "\"The thunder of false modesty was deafening.\" — Sebastian Faulks"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a7/sebastian-faulks-2661_false-modesty_the-thunder-of-false-modesty-was-deafeni_714204.png"
---

#  The thunder of false modesty was deafening.

![“The thunder of false modesty was deafening.” quote by Sebastian Faulks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a7/sebastian-faulks-2661_false-modesty_the-thunder-of-false-modesty-was-deafeni_714204.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a7/sebastian-faulks-2661_false-modesty_the-thunder-of-false-modesty-was-deafeni_714204.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a7/sebastian-faulks-2661_false-modesty_the-thunder-of-false-modesty-was-deafeni_714204.png)

> “The thunder of false modesty was deafening.”

[Sebastian Faulks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-faulks/)

## About This Quote

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

The speaker criticizes pretentious humility that loudly masks insecurity.

**In simple terms:** False modesty is loudly insincere.

Key Takeaway

Beware and insincere humility.

Themes

humility authenticity social behavior

Mood

critical skeptical

Type

observational commentary

When to use this quote

- social gatherings
- professional meetings
- online interactions

Key Concepts

psychology self-presentation

Questions to Reflect On

- How does false modesty affect relationships?
- When is modesty genuine?

A Different Perspective

Such modesty can erode trust.

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[False modesty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/false-modesty/) [Humility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humility/) [Modesty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modesty/) [Thunder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thunder/)

## Related quotes

> [Diffidence is a sort of false modesty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/diffidence-is-a-sort-of-false-modesty/)

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> [I don't like false modesty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-holland/i-don-t-like-false-modesty/)

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> [There is a false modesty, which is vanity; a false glory, which is levity; a false grandeur, which is meanness; a false virtue, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/there-is-a-false-modesty-which-is-vanity-a-false-glory-which-is/)

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> [I have huge legs, and I never show them - not because of false modesty, I'm just not comfortable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheyenne-jackson/i-have-huge-legs-and-i-never-show-them-not-because-of-false-modesty-i/)

[Cheyenne Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheyenne-jackson/)

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[Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/)

> [We must not confuse humility with false modesty or servility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/we-must-not-confuse-humility-with-false-modesty-or-servility/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [There are twenty-four characters in this book named Max. Let there be an end to this silly business of authors never giving their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-shulman/there-are-twenty-four-characters-in-this-book-named-max-let-there-be/)

Max Shulman

> [The thing I hate most is false modesty. The artists who are, like, 'Oh, you know, I'm really not that good. Oh, I can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-wainwright/the-thing-i-hate-most-is-false-modesty-the-artists-who-are-like-oh/)

[Rufus Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-wainwright/)

> [“With characteristic lack of false modesty, John once said to me, "My looks are a rough test of people. If they don't begin to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olaf-stapledon/with-characteristic-lack-of-false-modesty-john-once-said-to-me-my/)

[Olaf Stapledon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olaf-stapledon/)

> [Fidelity to conscience is inconsistent with retiring modesty. If it be so, let the modesty succumb. It can be only a false modesty which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-martineau/fidelity-to-conscience-is-inconsistent-with-retiring-modesty-if-it-be/)

[Harriet Martineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-martineau/)

> [“Besides, I'm not going to let you go anywhere alone- you'll have every male in the vicinity pouncing on you." "Don't be silly," Annabelle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/besides-i-m-not-going-to-let-you-go-anywhere-alone-you-ll-have-every/)

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> [“There is no conceit equal to false modesty, and there is no politics like antipolitics”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/there-is-no-conceit-equal-to-false-modesty-and-there-is-no-politics/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [I think in the world of indie music there's this sort of false modesty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-kapranos/i-think-in-the-world-of-indie-music-there-s-this-sort-of-false-modesty/)

[Alex Kapranos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-kapranos/)

> [“False modesty is as bad as false pride. Know exactly what you are capable of at any moment, and act accordingly. Any other path…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christie-golden/false-modesty-is-as-bad-as-false-pride-know-exactly-what-you-are/)

[Christie Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christie-golden/)

## More by Sebastian Faulks

> [“Under the treaty of Sevres in 1920 Greece had been given Smyrna, and by 1922 the Greek army was trying to push its way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-faulks/under-the-treaty-of-sevres-in-1920-greece-had-been-given-smyrna-and/)

[Sebastian Faulks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-faulks/)

> [In the 1970s, British food was beginning to get good, whereas in France it was just starting its long, sad decline. My most memorable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-faulks/in-the-1970s-british-food-was-beginning-to-get-good-whereas-in-france/)

[Sebastian Faulks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-faulks/)

> [“It was more wonderful than making love with a negro boxer on Mr Singer’s billiard table.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-faulks/it-was-more-wonderful-than-making-love-with-a-negro-boxer-on-mr/)

[Sebastian Faulks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-faulks/)

> [I am a romantic, in a literary way, by which I mean the Romantic poets, who thought just because a sensation is fleeting doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-faulks/i-am-a-romantic-in-a-literary-way-by-which-i-mean-the-romantic-poets/)

[Sebastian Faulks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-faulks/)

> [I suppose that each of us may have a great moment in our life, a month, a week a year, when we are most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-faulks/i-suppose-that-each-of-us-may-have-a-great-moment-in-our-life-a-month/)

[Sebastian Faulks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-faulks/)

> [If not just the brain but the quirks that made the individual were composed of recycled matter only, it was hard to be sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-faulks/if-not-just-the-brain-but-the-quirks-that-made-the-individual-were/)

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[Sebastian Faulks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-faulks/)

> [“Until we can navigate in time, I'm not sure that we can prove that what happened is real.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-faulks/until-we-can-navigate-in-time-i-m-not-sure-that-we-can-prove-that/)

[Sebastian Faulks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-faulks/)

[Explore all 156 Sebastian Faulks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-faulks/)

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> [Diffidence is a sort of false modesty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/diffidence-is-a-sort-of-false-modesty/)

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> [“Besides, I'm not going to let you go anywhere alone- you'll have every male in the vicinity pouncing on you." "Don't be silly," Annabelle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/besides-i-m-not-going-to-let-you-go-anywhere-alone-you-ll-have-every/)

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> [“I know that, like many other writers, I have many faults, for I am the first to be dissatisfied with myself . . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dostoyevsky-fyodor/i-know-that-like-many-other-writers-i-have-many-faults-for-i-am-the/)

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Max Shulman

> [We must not confuse humility with false modesty or servility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/we-must-not-confuse-humility-with-false-modesty-or-servility/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [True modesty avoids everything that is criminal; false modesty everything that is unfashionable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/true-modesty-avoids-everything-that-is-criminal-false-modesty/)

[Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/)

> [I have huge legs, and I never show them - not because of false modesty, I'm just not comfortable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheyenne-jackson/i-have-huge-legs-and-i-never-show-them-not-because-of-false-modesty-i/)

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> [“I also know that what follows is far from the whole picture. It is not false modesty which prompts me to say so but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-w-tuchman/i-also-know-that-what-follows-is-far-from-the-whole-picture-it-is-not/)

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> [I don't like false modesty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-holland/i-don-t-like-false-modesty/)

[Dominic Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-holland/)

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