Bernard of Clairvaux Quotes

Pride only, the chief of all iniquities, can make us treat gifts as if they were rightful attributes of our nature, and, while receiving benefits, rob our Benefactor of His due glory.

The peril of every fine faculty is the delight of playing with it for pride. Talent is commonly developed at the expense of character, and the greater it grows, the more is the mischief. Talent is mistaken for genius, a dogma or system for truth, ambition for greatness, ingenuity for poetry, sensuality for art.

Men of real merit, and whose noble and glorious deeds we are ready to acknowledge, are yet not to be endured when they vaunt their own actions.

In the midst of a world of light and love, of song and feast and dance, [Lucifer] could find nothing to think of more interesting than his own prestige.

The vain man makes a merit of misfortune, and triumphs in his disgrace.

Egotism is more like an offense, than a crime; though it is allowable to speak of yourself, provided nothing is advanced in favor; but I cannot help suspecting that those who abuse themselves are, in reality, angling for approbation.

Conceit is thinking you're great; egotism is knowing it.

The biggest turn-off for me is people who think the world of themselves. Arrogance is not a sexy quality, and it really gets on my nerves.

Egotism is the anesthetic that dulls the pain of stupidity.

Vanity can easily overtake wisdom. It usually overtakes common sense.

There are two kinds of egotists: Those who admit it, and the rest of us.

Ego is one of the biggest weapons that is used to take us down. It's self-destructive. It's a problem on all levels - even regular people can have big ego problems.

Egotism: The art of seeing in yourself what others cannot see.

There's a little more ego involved in these jobs than people might realize.

That Man indeed can never be good at heart, who is full of himself and his own Endowments.

In many people it is already an impertinence to say 'I'.

It's hard to be humble, when you're as great as I am.

A lot of self-importance goes on in the fashion industry. I'm not like that.

The worst disease which can afflict executives in their work is not, as popularly supposed, alcoholism; it's egotism.

An egotist is a person of low taste - more interested in himself than in me.

Egos turn me off, big time.

Vanity working on a weak head, produces every sort of mischief.

It's not about ego. Really. If it was ego, I'd be telling you about my awesome... oh, never mind.

The worst disease which can afflict business executives in their work is not, as popularly supposed, alcoholism; it's egotism.

A vain man finds it wise to speak good or ill of himself; a modest man does not talk of himself.