• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Adam Kirk Smith

- A. Smith Blog - Leadership in Life

  • About Adam
  • The Bravest You
  • Blog
    • Leadership
      • Creativity
    • Communication
    • Relationships
    • Focus
  • Podcasts & Video
    • Podcast: Live Life with Purpose
    • Podcast: Ideas with Adam Smith
    • asmithvideo
  • Coaching & Consulting
  • Speaking

Adam Smith | December 27, 2017 | Leave a Comment

Pride: The God of Self Is to Be Starved, Not Fed

Benjamin Franklin once said, “There is perhaps no one of our natural passions so hard to subdue as pride; disguise it, struggle with it, beat it down, stifle it, mortify it as much as one pleases, it is still alive and will every now and then peep out and show itself. You will see it perhaps often in this history. For even if I could conceive that I had completely overcome it, I would probably be proud of my humility.” Thomas Jefferson also said, “Pride costs us more than hunger, thirst, and cold.” These two men spoke of pride in this way, not because they had completely rid themselves of pride and inflated ego, but because they felt the need to warn others of its poison. 

The Bible also gives us God’s opinion of unhealthy pride in James 4:6: “…God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” And Proverbs 16:18 contains a warning to all of humanity: “Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”

So, why do so many important people of history find it necessary tell us to heed this sage advice? They understood that the god of self is to be starved, not fed.

 

Related Articles:

  • FREE BOOK… for a limited time!
  • Motive Matters
  • Add Value
  • Books I’m Listening To…

Filed Under: Leadership

Adam Smith

I teach people how to have a greater impact through their work and their time. You can read more about me on my about page.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

About

Hi, my name is Adam Smith and welcome to asmithblog.com. I am the author of the book, The Bravest You. Because of my work as an entrepreneur, consultant, writer, and speaker, I have been named a top industry influencer by American Genius. I live with my wife, Jasmine, and three children in Shenandoah, IA.

[Read More…]

The Bravest You by Adam Kirk Smith

Podcast: Ideas

Ideas with Adam Smith Logo

Podcast: Live Life with Purpose

Life With Purpose Podcast Icon

Youtube: ASmithVideo

asmithvideo icon

Latest Posts

  • FREE BOOK… for a limited time!
  • Add Value
  • Books I’m Listening To…
  • Motive Matters
  • Books and Other Stuff

Adam Smith · Leadership in Life · asmithblog.com © 2023 · Adam Kirk Smith's blog on leadership, relationships, communication, creativity, and focus.