The superior man wishes to be slow in his words and earnest in his conduct.—Confucius.
Moderation resembles temperance. We are not unwilling to eat more, but are afraid of doing ourselves harm.—La Rochefoucauld.
To go beyond the bounds of moderation is to outrage humanity. The greatness of the human soul is shown by knowing how to keep within proper bounds. So far from greatness consisting in going beyond its limits, it really consists in keeping within it.—Pascal.
Modesty.—A modest person seldom fails to gain the goodwill of those he converses with, because nobody envies a man who does not appear to be pleased with himself.—Steele.
Modesty seldom resides in a breast that is not enriched with nobler virtues.—Goldsmith.
True modesty avoids everything that is criminal; false modesty everything that is unfashionable.—Addison.
You little know what you have done, when you have first broke the bounds of modesty; you have set open the door of your fancy to the devil, so that he can, almost at his pleasure ever after, represent the same sinful pleasure to you anew.—Baxter.
Modesty once extinguished knows not how to return.—Seneca.
Modesty never rages, never murmurs, never pouts when it is ill-treated.—Steele.
A just and reasonable modesty does not only recommend eloquence, but sets off every great talent which a man can be possessed of; it heightens all the virtues which it accompanies; like the shades in paintings, it raises and rounds every figure, and makes the colors more beautiful, though not so glaring as they would be without.—Addison.