humility

Humility is the quality of being humble. Dictionary definitions accentuate humility as low self-regard and sense of unworthiness. In a religious context humility can mean a recognition of self in relation to a deity (i.e. God), and subsequent submission to that deity as a member of that religion. Outside of a religious context, humility is defined as being "unselved"—liberated from consciousness of self—a form of temperance that is neither having pride (or haughtiness) nor indulging in self-deprecation. Humility is an outward expression of an appropriate inner, or self regard, and is contrasted with humiliation which is an imposition, often external, of shame upon a person. Humility may be misappropriated as ability to suffer humiliation through self-denouncements which remains focused on self rather than being low in self-focus. Humility, in many religious and philosophical traditions, is seen as a virtue which centers on low self-preoccupation, or unwillingness to put oneself forward. It contrasts with narcissism, hubris, and other forms of pride and is an idealistic and rare intrinsic construct that has an extrinsic side. Term The term "humility" comes from the Latin word , a noun related to the adjective , which may be translated as "humble", but also as "grounded", or "from the earth", since it derives from (earth). See the English humus.