--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think that enjoying the fruits of one's…" description: "\"I think that enjoying the fruits of one's labor is very different than arrogance. And when I was younger, I didn't know the difference. I thought that ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/212/viola-davis-1174_arrogance_i-think-that-enjoying-the-fruits-of-one_2914562.jpg" --- # I think that enjoying the fruits of one's labor is very… ![“I think that enjoying the fruits of one's labor is very different than arrogance. And when I was younger, I didn't know the difference. I thought that if you were gracious, that meant that you somehow were getting ahead of yourself. And I felt self-deprecation kept you balanced.” quote by Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/212/viola-davis-1174_arrogance_i-think-that-enjoying-the-fruits-of-one_2914562.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/212/viola-davis-1174_arrogance_i-think-that-enjoying-the-fruits-of-one_2914562.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/212/viola-davis-1174_arrogance_i-think-that-enjoying-the-fruits-of-one_2914562.jpg) > “I think that enjoying the fruits of one's labor is very different than arrogance. And when I was younger, I didn't know the difference. I thought that if you were gracious, that meant that you somehow were getting ahead of yourself. And I felt self-deprecation kept you balanced.” [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Enjoying earned rewards is not arrogance; humility balances pride and self‑respect. **In simple terms:** Success and humility can coexist. Key Takeaway Celebrate achievements while staying grounded. Themes success humility self‑esteem balance Mood inspirational reflective Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - Career milestones - public speaking - personal growth Key Concepts Self‑worth gratitude confidence Questions to Reflect On - What does humility look like in your achievements? - How do you keep gratitude alive? A Different Perspective Pride can slip into arrogance without reflection. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Arrogance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arrogance/) [Differences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/differences/) [Fruit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fruit/) [Getting ahead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/getting-ahead/) [Labor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labor/) [Pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pride/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self deprecation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-deprecation/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [Self-deprecation is not an answer to keeping one's balance. I think that it's very damaging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/self-deprecation-is-not-an-answer-to-keeping-one-s-balance-i-think/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [Self-deprecation is not the answer to humility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/self-deprecation-is-not-the-answer-to-humility/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [“In the secular trinity of Irish-American values, loyalty and humor are father and son. Self-deprecation is the spirit that works in mysterious ways ... ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-dezell/in-the-secular-trinity-of-irish-american-values-loyalty-and-humor-are/) Maureen Dezell > [First off, I don't do self-deprecation comedy based on being fat. I would always talk about it honestly. Secondly, I don't care how much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-garlin/first-off-i-don-t-do-self-deprecation-comedy-based-on-being-fat-i/) [Jeff Garlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-garlin/) > [Actually, when it comes to knocking the Canadian cultural scene, nobody outdoes Canadians, myself included. We are veritable masters of self-deprecation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mordecai-richler/actually-when-it-comes-to-knocking-the-canadian-cultural-scene-nobody/) [Mordecai Richler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mordecai-richler/) > [I'm very aware of self-deprecation being used as a glorification of certain behaviour and I try to avoid it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cmat/i-m-very-aware-of-self-deprecation-being-used-as-a-glorification-of/) [CMAT](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cmat/) > [“There is power born of humility . . . Humility, in business and in life, is a powerful asset and does not denote lowliness, unimportance, or self-deprecation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richie-norton/there-is-power-born-of-humility-humility-in-business-and-in-life-is-a/) [Richie Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richie-norton/) > [“I was a little cross.I ask pardon. If I do get up a little temper I have no sufficient time to keep it up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/i-was-a-little-cross-i-ask-pardon-if-i-do-get-up-a-little-temper-i/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [“Every time I move I squash something said Loathesome.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/every-time-i-move-i-squash-something-said-loathesome/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [I think the biggest survival instinct that Midwesterners possess is self deprecation, it's almost a Buddha-like sense of humor in anything that is difficult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-pietz/i-think-the-biggest-survival-instinct-that-midwesterners-possess-is/) Amy Pietz > [People who overshare because they think it's endearing can be quite exhausting. Self-deprecation is fine if it's real but anything performative is annoying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matty-healy/people-who-overshare-because-they-think-it-s-endearing-can-be-quite/) [Matty Healy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matty-healy/) > [“I should have learned mindfulness, and it’s too late now because it’s no good learning it when you’re already in crisis: you have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-keyes/i-should-have-learned-mindfulness-and-it-s-too-late-now-because-it-s/) [Marian Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-keyes/) > [Adolescents swing from euphoric self-confidence and a kind of narcissistic strength in which they feel invulnerable and even immortal, to despair, self-emptiness, self-deprecation. At…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-e-apter/adolescents-swing-from-euphoric-self-confidence-and-a-kind-of/) [Terri E Apter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-e-apter/) > [The author I wish I was reading right now and always is Nora Ephron. I love the humor, the awareness, the sense of self-deprecation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garance-dore/the-author-i-wish-i-was-reading-right-now-and-always-is-nora-ephron-i/) [Garance Dore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garance-dore/) > [I think self-deprecation is such a disease, and I want to cure everybody of it and so that's my contribution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/i-think-self-deprecation-is-such-a-disease-and-i-want-to-cure/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) ## More by Viola Davis > [I look back at pictures of myself and I remember thinking, "I was so fat when I was growing up. I was 165 pounds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-look-back-at-pictures-of-myself-and-i-remember-thinking-i-was-so/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I am not a glam woman - this definitely is a mask I put on for the public.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-am-not-a-glam-woman-this-definitely-is-a-mask-i-put-on-for-the/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I was bullied at school. The black girl in Central Falls, Rhode Island, in 1973. There'd be 8 or 10 boys; I would count…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-was-bullied-at-school-the-black-girl-in-central-falls-rhode-island/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [That's why there's so much bad acting out there, because you could see actors watching themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/that-s-why-there-s-so-much-bad-acting-out-there-because-you-could-see/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I want my work to reflect my level of gifts and talent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-want-my-work-to-reflect-my-level-of-gifts-and-talent/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I don’t want anyone putting any limits on me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-don-t-want-anyone-putting-any-limits-on-me/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [ I think that's why August \[Wilson\] named her Rose \[in "Fences"\]; I really do. She's a rose in her sweetness and her kindness and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-think-that-s-why-august-wilson-named-her-rose-in-fences-i-really-do/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [When you're working as an actor, you don't think that when you get out of school, it's going to be so hard to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/when-you-re-working-as-an-actor-you-don-t-think-that-when-you-get-out/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I suffered from low self-esteem for much of my life. And now to feel like maybe something that I'm projecting or saying could mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-suffered-from-low-self-esteem-for-much-of-my-life-and-now-to-feel/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I tell my daughter every morning, 'Now, what are the two most important parts of you?' And she says, 'My head and my heart.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-tell-my-daughter-every-morning-now-what-are-the-two-most-important/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I started a production company out of necessity, the need for great narratives for actors of color.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-started-a-production-company-out-of-necessity-the-need-for-great/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [That's always the biggest surprise when people meet me: how buoyant I am and how fun and light I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/that-s-always-the-biggest-surprise-when-people-meet-me-how-buoyant-i/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [When you're working as an actor, you don't think that when you get out of school, it's going to be so hard to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/when-you-re-working-as-an-actor-you-don-t-think-that-when-you-get-out-2/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [ It was hard, that confrontation scene \[in "Fences"\], that was a hard one. I felt like it was relentless, I never felt like I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/it-was-hard-that-confrontation-scene-in-fences-that-was-a-hard-one-i/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I am addicted to any facial product that's anti-aging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-am-addicted-to-any-facial-product-that-s-anti-aging/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) [Explore all 279 Viola Davis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) ## More Arrogance quotes > [Perhaps no order of mammals presents us with so extraordinary a series of gradations as this \[step by step, from humans to apes to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/perhaps-no-order-of-mammals-presents-us-with-so-extraordinary-a/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [wishes for sons by Lucille Clifton i wish them cramps. i wish them a strange town and the last tampon. I wish them no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucille-clifton/wishes-for-sons-by-lucille-clifton-i-wish-them-cramps-i-wish-them-a/) [Lucille Clifton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucille-clifton/) > [The structure of the Swiss ruling class is rock-hard, and unchanged since the time of Napoleon. They sit on their mountains and lecture the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-ziegler/the-structure-of-the-swiss-ruling-class-is-rock-hard-and-unchanged/) [Jean Ziegler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-ziegler/) > [What you see of me on TV and all of that, that is me - that's truly how I feel. I'm just multiplying it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baron-corbin/what-you-see-of-me-on-tv-and-all-of-that-that-is-me-that-s-truly-how/) [Baron Corbin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baron-corbin/) > [I don't join the New Atheists. So, for example, I wouldn't have the arrogance to lecture some mother who hopes to see her dying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-don-t-join-the-new-atheists-so-for-example-i-wouldn-t-have-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Never mistake someones quietness for their arrogance as you can surely miss out on an awsome personality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-mistake-someones-quietness-for-their-arrogance-as-you-can/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Most of us think of pride as self-centeredness, conceit, boastfulness, arrogance, or haughtiness. All of these are elements of the sin, but the heart,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/most-of-us-think-of-pride-as-self-centeredness-conceit-boastfulness/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [“I was consumed by a selfishness and arrogance that I didn't dare let go of until I found a new persona to hide behind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-koomson/i-was-consumed-by-a-selfishness-and-arrogance-that-i-didn-t-dare-let/) [Dorothy Koomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-koomson/) > [Arrogance is the outgrowth of prosperity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/arrogance-is-the-outgrowth-of-prosperity/) [Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) > [Timing and arrogance are decisive factors in the successful use of talent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marya-mannes/timing-and-arrogance-are-decisive-factors-in-the-successful-use-of/) [Marya Mannes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marya-mannes/) > [Some say work smarter, not harder, but the wisest are both. Whether you're more of a hard worker or a smart worker, if you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colby-tatem/some-say-work-smarter-not-harder-but-the-wisest-are-both-whether-you/) [Colby Tatem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colby-tatem/) > [Closed some doors, not because of pride, incapacity or arrogance, but simply because they no longer lead somewhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frenz-jeffrey/closed-some-doors-not-because-of-pride-incapacity-or-arrogance-but/) [Frenz Jeffrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frenz-jeffrey/) > [My success isn't a result of arrogance - it's a result of belief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-mcgregor/my-success-isn-t-a-result-of-arrogance-it-s-a-result-of-belief/) [Conor McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-mcgregor/) > [“...a great man who is vicious will only be a great doer of evil, and a rich man who is not liberal will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-cervantes/a-great-man-who-is-vicious-will-only-be-a-great-doer-of-evil-and-a/) Miguel Cervantes > [An increasing number of people are growing uncomfortable with the gulf between the world's rich and the poor. Ostentatiously splashing your money around simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kalle-lasn/an-increasing-number-of-people-are-growing-uncomfortable-with-the/) [Kalle Lasn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kalle-lasn/) [Browse all 1,418 Arrogance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arrogance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think that enjoying the fruits of one's labor is very different than arrogance. And when I was younger, I didn't know the difference. I thought that if you were gracious, that meant that you somehow were getting ahead of yourself. And I felt self-deprecation kept you balanced.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Viola Davis" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-think-that-enjoying-the-fruits-of-one-s-labor-is-very-different/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Arrogance" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-think-that-enjoying-the-fruits-of-one-s-labor-is-very-different/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/212/viola-davis-1174_arrogance_i-think-that-enjoying-the-fruits-of-one_2914562.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/212/viola-davis-1174_arrogance_i-think-that-enjoying-the-fruits-of-one_2914562.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/212/viola-davis-1174_arrogance_i-think-that-enjoying-the-fruits-of-one_2914562.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think that enjoying the fruits of one's labor is very different than arrogance. And when I was younger, I…” — Viola Davis", "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": "Viola Davis", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think that enjoying the fruits...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-think-that-enjoying-the-fruits-of-one-s-labor-is-very-different/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-think-that-enjoying-the-fruits-of-one-s-labor-is-very-different/#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 } } ] } ```