Glossary: H for Humility
Neither weakness nor self-abasement — but a rare and genuinely subversive virtue.
Sometimes, a simple word left in a comment can shift things. Recently, a reader suggested that I write shorter, more accessible texts to clarify the concepts I use in my articles without defining them every time. I am sincerely grateful, and I dedicate this new section—the Glossary—which inaugurates its first entry today.
On a regular basis, you will find a notion, an etymology, a journey through traditions, and a question to prompt your response — because your voice, as much as mine, gives life to these Dialogues.
To Patrick T.
The word “humility” comes from the Latin “humus,” meaning “earth.” The same root gave us “humanity.” At heart, to be humble is to accept being of the earth. It is not to flatten oneself upon it and remain a prisoner of one’s own heaviness. Rather, it is to sink living roots into it—roots capable of bearing what does not entirely belong to us: the magnificence of the Living.
I. Untangling the confusion
Humility has an undeserved reputation, forged over centuries of confusion between two radically different realities: humility, which is chosen freely from within, and humiliation, which is imposed from without and aims to diminish and deny the dignity of others. This confusion breeds mistrust, particularly in our performance-driven societies, where self-assertion is obligatory for any form of success. In truth, humility is neither self-deprecation nor resignation. It does not diminish those who cultivate it; rather, it frees them from illusions about themselves and liberates them from the paralyzing demands of excessive self-regard. We encounter false modesty far more often than authentic humility. False modesty takes secret pride in its supposed restraint and compares itself endlessly to others to confirm that it has “more.” Authentic humility is a quality of being rather than having. It escapes the vicious cycle of comparison that takes hold of us from childhood.
II. A Prerequisite for all progress
For those sincerely engaged in inner transformation, humility is not just another virtue; it is the foundation for all the others. It is the fertile ground — humus — in which the finest qualities can take root and grow. Humble people are ready to learn. They acknowledge their shortcomings without shame, examine their inner workings with clarity, and create a space within themselves that is free of pretensions and artifice. This space is open to receiving the lessons that life offers. Humility makes us aware of our limits and how slowly we progress. It naturally makes us more attentive to others, less quick to judge them for their weaknesses, and more devoted to finding common ground. However, humility is a fragile quality. At the first victory over ourselves, pride lurks at our threshold, ready to lead us back to old certainties or new pretensions. This is why humility requires gentle, constant vigilance—less a frontal struggle than a patient return to our rightful place.
III. What the traditions tell us
The great spiritual traditions of humanity agree on this fundamental point: humility is not a weakness disguised as a virtue; rather, it is the condition of all authentic inner growth. In Christianity, humility is the “soil in which the other virtues flourish.” In Buddhism, humility protects against vanity, which hardens the mind and closes the path to awakening. In Sufism, humility is one of the stations (maqâmât) on the journey toward God. In the Hebrew tradition, humility is inseparable from returning to our true essence (teshuvah). It is not shame for what one has done wrong, but rather, it is reconciliation with who one truly is—a return to oneself in one’s spiritual dimension. This virtue carries the same deep intuition everywhere: one can only truly begin to receive after having first cleared some space within oneself, after having opened and emptied one’s hands.
IV. A subversive virtue in an age of noise
In our time, humility is particularly difficult to practice. Social media rewards egos that put themselves on display, and algorithms amplify certainties rather than encourage questioning. Public debate increasingly resembles an arena where protagonists clash to dominate rather than understand. Yet it is precisely in this noise and competition that humility reveals its full subversive value. Rediscovering humility means refusing to be reduced to this spectacle and choosing to measure one’s worth by one’s capacity to be enriched by every encounter and to freely contribute to the circulation of Life’s riches, not by prestige or visibility. By lightening ourselves of ourselves a little, our capacity to receive extends far beyond our illusory limits, and the gift of self enlarges us.
This is what makes humility the first condition of all authentic dialogue. One can only truly dialogue by accepting to be traversed by another’s words—sometimes unsettling, sometimes displacing, but never unchanged. Those who arrive with their hands full of certainties cannot receive anything, but those who arrive with open hands can hear everything and transform the exchange into a genuine encounter. This is the premise of these Dialogues, which is why humility is not just another subject here; it is also the secret method.
Jérôme Nathanaël
✍️ And you ?
This entry in the Glossary is also an invitation to contribute your reflections to the next article in the Dialogues series dedicated to your work.
Please share your experience with humility in a few sincere lines or at greater length within approximately 1,500 characters.
Describe a situation, encounter, or stage of life in which you truly understood what humility means, not as an abstract ideal, but as a lived experience that was sometimes painful and sometimes liberating.
Send your contribution to dialoguesen@substack.com from the email address associated with your subscription, or reply to this article as you received it in the newsletter. Let me know if you wish to use a pseudonym. All sensibilities and spiritual traditions are welcome; sincerity is the only criterion.
Looking forward to reading you,
With all my heart,
Jérôme Nathanaël
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