Drawbacks differing as to their causes, but equally unlucky as to their results, are born of the opposite fault—­modesty.

It is high time to destroy the leniency shown toward this defect that old-fashioned educators once decorated with the title of virtue.

Time has forged ahead, taking with it in its rapid course all forms of progress, which, in its turn, has made giant strides.

Ideas have changed materially.  Modern life has to face emergencies formerly undreamed of, and those who still believe in the virtue of modesty are their own enemies, as well as those of the people whom they advise to cultivate it.

The case of this man is similar to that of many others, whose meaning has been undergoing a gradual change due to the erroneous interpretation that has deliberately been placed upon it.

Modesty is very frequently nothing more than an evidence of incompetence.

It has rise in sentiments that the man who would be up to date must avoid at all hazards—­distrust of self and hatred of exertion.

One rarely finds it in the man who is active and who knows his own worth.  To revenge itself, it flourishes among the lazy, who try to save their pride and to conceal their secret irritation at the successes of others by assuming an humble attitude and exclaiming: 

“Oh!  I didn’t care to do it!”

Or still more frequently: 

“No, I haven’t entered the lists.  I am absolutely without ambition!”

Under similar circumstances people who are unknown cry out, and with reason: 

“Oh!  I have a horror of publicity!”

This is simply a roundabout way of informing us that were it not for their retiring modesty, the hundred mouths of rumor would be shouting their praise.

Modesty is very rarely what it appears to be.  As soon as it exhibits the form of a wise reserve it must be called by another name:  prudence and self-justification.

The attitude of trying to keep one’s actions from becoming known is not a laudable one, and can only be adopted as the result of a philosophy of inaction.

What treasures of knowledge would have remained unknown to us if all the scientists and all the men of genius had made a practise of modesty!

If our forefathers had been modest, when it was the fashion to be proud of this quality, our museums would be empty and only a few of the initiated would know that men of exceptional merit, which they had sedulously concealed, had written manuscripts which had never been published.  The humility of the writers in such cases could be made to pay too severe a penalty.

No!  Men who have merits are not modest!  This false virtue is the appanage of none but weak and irresolute hearts.

We should congratulate ourselves, while admitting these facts, that our forefathers were not so constituted, and that their faith in themselves, by giving them confidence in their own work, made it possible for them to hand these on to their descendants.