Modesty Sayings and Quotes

Below you will find our collection of inspirational, wise, and humorous old modesty quotes, modesty sayings, and modesty proverbs, collected over the years from a variety of sources.

There is no limit to the amount of good you can do if you don't care who gets the credit. Ronald Reagan
Modesty answers not the crude how of femininity, but the beautiful why. Wendy Shalit
I prefer to be a dreamer among the humblest, with visions to be realized, than lord among those without dreams and desires. Khalil Gibran
Modesty forbids what the law does not. Seneca The Younger
A sarcastic person has a superiority complex that can be cured only by the honesty of humility. Lawrence G. Lovasik
Fear is a spirit that keeps you sitting, Boldness helps you to stand. Humility reminds us when to sit again, Pride never sits only stands. Marlon Carrillo
Modesty: the gentle art of enhancing your charm by pretending not to be aware of it. Oliver Herford
A vain man finds it wise to speak good or ill of himself; a modest man does not talk of himself. Jean de la Bruyère
Although modesty is natural to man, it is not natural to children. Modesty only begins with the knowledge of evil. Jean-Jacques Rousseau
We must watch over our modesty in the presence of those who cannot understand its grounds. Jean Rostand
Immodest and attractive is easy. Modest and repulsive is easy too. But modest and attractive is an art form. Douglas Wilson
A great man is always willing to be little. Ralph Waldo Emerson
An arrogant man whose arrogance we see from his own behaviour is more tolerable than a humble man whose humility we hear of from his own mouth. Mokokoma Mokhonoana
No truly great person ever thought themselves so. William Hazlitt
Modesty seldom resides in a breast that is not enriched with nobler virtues. Oliver Goldsmith
Modesty is only arrogance by stealth. Terry Pratchett
The proud man can learn humility, but he will be proud of it. Mignon McLaughlin
Nothing can atone for the lack of modesty; without which beauty is ungraceful and wit detestable. Richard Steele
I am sufficiently proud of my knowing something to be modest about my not knowing all. Vladimir Nabokov
So rare is the union of beauty with modesty. Juvenal
We must practice modesty, not only in our looks, but also in our whole deportment, and particularly in our dress, our walk, our conversation, and all similar actions. Alphonsus Liguori
There are no better cosmetics than a severe temperance and purity, modesty and humility, a gracious temper and calmness of spirit; and there is no true beauty without the signatures of these graces in the very countenance. Arthur Helps
How beautiful then is modesty and what a gem among virtues it is. Bernard of Clairvaux
Wear modest, clean clothing. Your clothing doesn't need to be new and [it] should have some fashion of course, but [it] should be clean, modest, and neat. Be dignified in your outward manner and in your inward morality. Bruce R. McConkie
Good taste is the modesty of the mind that is why it cannot be either imitated or acquired. Delphine de Girardin
Modesty is the true citadel of beauty and virtue. Demades
The modest person is usually admired if people ever hear of them. E. W. Howe
Good taste is the modesty of the mind; that is why it cannot be either imitated or acquired. Emile de Girardin
There is always more goodness in the world than there appears to be because goodness is of its very nature modest and retiring. Evelyn Beatrice Hall
Modesty is a shining light; it prepares the mind to receive knowledge and the heart for truth. Francois Guizot