“Poise not pose”

09202020

“Among men who rise to fame and leadership two types are recognizable – those who are born with a belief in themselves and those in whom it is a slow growth dependent on actual achievement. To the men of the last type their own success is a constant surprise, and its fruits the more delicious, yet to be tested cautiously with a haunting sense of doubt lies true modesty, not the sham of insincere self-depreciation but the modesty of “moderation,” in the Greek sense. It is poise, not pose.” -Biographer of General William Tecumseh Sherman.

This notion of poise and not pose, ambition without entitlement, self-study without self-obsession is a model for us to follow, especially those of us who want to have impact on this world.

Let us strive to ensure that our ambition never corrupts our self-awareness, and we focus instead on meditations on how to improve.

We are human and flawed after all.