June 06, 2023
Updated over 1 year ago
Image from the painting by Caspar David Friedrich, 1817, "Wanderer above the Sea of Fog / Der Wanderer über dem Nebelmeer"
Today's proverb means that people who are excessively proud are likely to fail. Success can make us overconfident, causing mistakes. Pride and ego can also blind us to our limitations and prevent us from seeing reality clearly.
On the other hand, in the modern world, many people see confidence and self-esteem as positive virtues. What is the difference between healthy and unhealthy pride? Share your thoughts below!
This proverb is often associated with the story of Icarus, from Greek mythology. (Spoiler alert for those who haven't check out our new picture book, "Don't Fly Too Close to the Sun"). Icarus was given wings made of feathers and wax by his father, Daedalus. He was warned not to fly too close to the sun, but Icarus ignored his father’s advice, proudly flying higher and higher. The sun melted the wax, and Icarus fell into the sea and drowned.
Just before the Titanic's maiden voyage the company's leader, Phillip Franklin, wrote:
On the other hand, in the modern world, many people see confidence and self-esteem as positive virtues. What is the difference between healthy and unhealthy pride? Share your thoughts below!
This proverb is often associated with the story of Icarus, from Greek mythology. (Spoiler alert for those who haven't check out our new picture book, "Don't Fly Too Close to the Sun"). Icarus was given wings made of feathers and wax by his father, Daedalus. He was warned not to fly too close to the sun, but Icarus ignored his father’s advice, proudly flying higher and higher. The sun melted the wax, and Icarus fell into the sea and drowned.
Just before the Titanic's maiden voyage the company's leader, Phillip Franklin, wrote:
There is no danger that Titanic will sink. The boat is unsinkable...
Because of the company's excessive confidence, the Titanic did not carry enough lifeboats for all the passengers. The Titanic sank in 1912, killing over 1500 people.
In literature, many tragic heroes are brought down by pride. For example, in Shakespeare's King Lear, the king's pride makes him vulnerable to flattery, and his poor judgement costs him everything he has. Julius Caesar's pride made him insist on going to the Senate on the Ides of March, ignoring many warnings that he would be murdered. Similarly, Oedipus is too proud to listen when others warn him not to seek to know the truth about his parents.
Today's proverb comes from the book of Proverbs in the Bible.
Pride goeth before destruction,
and a haughty spirit before a fall.
Proverbs 16:18, King James Version (1611)
The Quran also contains numerous warnings against pride, like:
The Quran also contains numerous warnings against pride, like:
ٱللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ مَن كَانَ مُخْتَالًا فَخُورًا
God does not like arrogant, boastful people
Qui fait le malin tombe dans le ravin
He who gets cute falls into the ravine
Russian:
Сатана гордился, с неба свалился; фараон гордился, в море утопился; а мы гордимся - куда годимся?
Satan was proud and fell from heaven; the pharaoh was proud and sank in the sea; and when we are proud, what are we worth?
English:
The bigger they come, the harder they fall.
Related Books on Maktaba.org:
Don't Fly Too Close to the Sun
King Lear by William Shakespeare
Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
Oedipus by Sophocles
Holy Bible, King James Version
Quran
