Here’s the best definition I’ve seen:

The quality of having a modest or low view of one’s importance. (source)

It doesn’t say that we’re humble simply because we don’t brag about our abilities, or that we’re humble when we speak well of others.

True humility is deeper than that. It’s in our view and understanding of ourselves.

Not in what we project to the outside world, but how we actually are.

So why does this matter?

For one, it makes it almost impossible to gauge whether anyone other than yourself really is humble. If humility is internal, then others can’t accurately gauge our degree of humility and we can’t gauge theirs either.

And second, if we truly want to be a humble person (which I personally think is a worthwhile goal) then we need to be willing to look inwards – beyond our actions and our words, and into our actual thoughts.

You don’t have to be belligerent to be dangerously arrogant.

-Brandon