Saint Augustine on virtue and humility

Humility is the foundation of all the other virtues hence, in the soul in which this virtue does not exist there cannot be any other virtue except in mere appearance.

~ Saint Augustine

Saint Augustine on the role of humility in success

Do you wish to rise?  Begin by descending.  You plan a tower that will pierce the clouds?  Lay first the foundation of humility.

~ Saint Augustine

J. M. Barrie on humility and life

Life is a long lesson in humility.

~ Sir James Matthew Barrie, Scottish novelist and playwright, creator of Peter Pan

George Hickenlooper on humility

I always say be humble but be firm. Humility and openness are the key to success without compromising your beliefs.

~ George Hickenlooper

Confucius on humility

Humility is the solid foundation of all virtues.

~ Confucius

Tom Woods on redistributionist left-wing arguments

One of the major left-wing arguments (famously advanced by John Rawls but not exclusively by him); in support of redistribution is this: you don't deserve your talents, so neither do you deserve their fruits.

Translation: it's morally acceptable for us to seize your dough from you and distribute it to people who weren't so fortunate as to be born with your talents.

[...]

If the emphasis is on who is "deserving," then answer me this. Suppose eye transplants are possible. My child is blind. Your child has two functioning eyes. Does your child "deserve" those eyes more than my child? If not, then you are required to transfer one of your child's eyes to my child.

Even though the example is preposterous, the principle is the same. That's why philosophers have used this example to show the problems with the "you don't deserve X more than I do!" school of thought.

I think the eye example is a very good one. If I don't "deserve," say, my golf talents that earn me big bucks, I am equally undeserving of my healthy eyes, which are just as much a matter of luck as my golf talent.

~ Tom Woods, December 1, 2019

Winston Churchill on positive attitude

Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.

~ Winston Churchill