Category Archives: Pride

Posted on January 29, 2018 by vincentsmithauthor

One of the laws of nature is that for something to become clean, something else must become dirty. Isabella of Spain used to boast that she’d had only two baths in her life – one when she was born, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Pride, Self Deception, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Taking ourselves too seriously

Posted on February 13, 2016 by vincentsmithauthor

Human beings have an amazing capacity for taking the noblest ideals and then twisting them to produce the very opposite. Years ago, a large statue of Christ was erected on the border between Argentina and Chile. Called “Christ of the … Continue reading →

Posted in humility, Over-sensitivity, Pride | Leave a comment

We are only as good as the person who writes our speech

Posted on May 7, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

Richard Daly, the tough guy mayor of Chicago during the Vietnam War, was a hard man to work for. When one of his speech writers asked for a raise Daly refused and told him he should feel privileged to be … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Life's journey, Pride | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Proving myself before advertising myself

Posted on April 8, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

I was taught the importance of proving myself before advertising myself. However, the current emphasis on self confidence seems to have had the opposite effect. A recent survey discovered that seventy percent of students rated themselves as above average leaders … Continue reading →

Posted in humility, Life, Life's journey, Living Life, Pride, Self Image | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The advantages of being cut down to size

Posted on April 8, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

The story goes that the University of Tennessee’s football coach bought a bolt of cloth and took it to his tailor in Knoxville, who measured it, looked at him and said, “I’m sorry, coach, there just isn’t enough material here … Continue reading →

Posted in fame, humility, Possibilities, Pride, Reputation | Leave a comment

Jesus and the Beatles

Posted on April 2, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

In 1966 John Lennon announced that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus Christ, and that Christianity would vanish from the face of the earth. Well, it’s still going, but the Beatles, as a group, only lasted another four years. … Continue reading →

Posted in Faith, Finding oneself, Futility, Pride, Returning to God, Spiritual blindness, Spiritual Darkness, Unbelief | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

With humility comes wisdom

Posted on February 12, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

I heard about a newly commissioned officer in the Army who stopped to buy a soft drink from a vending machine but found he had no change. So he stopped a passing soldier and asked him if he had change … Continue reading →

Posted in humility, Maturity, Pride, Spiritual growth, Spiritual Insight, Wisdom | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Declaring my genius

Posted on January 4, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

A customs officer once asked Oscar Wilde if he had anything to declare. He replied: “Only my genius.” Fifteen years later, alone and broken in prison, he reflected on his life and said. “I have been a spendthrift of my … Continue reading →

Posted in Despair, Oscar Wilde, Pride, Regret, True greatness | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Follow your compass

Posted on September 24, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

I read about an old sailor who repeatedly got lost at sea, so his friends gave him a compass. The next time he took his boat out, he followed their advice and took the compass too. But again he got … Continue reading →

Posted in Compass, direction, Discerning God's Will, Guidance, Moral compass, Pride, Stubborness, Willfullness | Tagged | Leave a comment