Why are successful people modest and humble?

                                               

Common misconception is that people are successful because of their perseverance, sheer hard work, profound knowledge, innate abilities, abstract ideas. This is half-truth. Being modest and humble are the most influential factor to be successful.

Larry King, one of the greatest interviewers of all time, who interviewed many powerful and successful people, was once asked a question: Are your guests as genuinely nice as they seem to be? His remarkable answer was, "The bigger they are, the nicer they are".

Socrates, the greatest philosopher of all time, states that "The only thing I know is that I don't know anything." He firmly believes that one stops learning when he considers himself smart. An attitude of knowing everything makes it difficult to learn anything.

Frank Wells was the president of the Walt Disney company from 1984 until his death in 1994. After Wells died, his son found a piece of paper in his wallet that read "Humility is the essence of life." Later, it was discovered that Frank Wells had carried that note with him for thirty years.

One of my favorite formulas from Einstein: Ego=1/Knowledge. The more knowledge a person possesses, the lesser the Ego. Conversely, the lesser the knowledge, the more the ego. The relationship between the knowledge and ego are inverse.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Every man I meet is master in some point, and in that I learn of him." Humility is the gateway to attain wisdom.

Charlie Munger said, "How you behave in one's place helps you in surprising ways later." Successful people understand how to remain grounded and modest in public.

Mahatma Gandhi, the classic example of being modest and humble, always travelled in third class compartment. During his overseas tour, nevertheless, he had opportunity to travel by air carrier, he always preferred ship, no matter how long the journey is. This simplicity and his remarkable character of being self-evident helped him connect with the masses, in particular the ordinary people. What is most amazing is how, despite little media coverage and propaganda during the pre-Independence period, a nation with nearly 90% of its citizens being illiterate and heavily affected by religion and casteism managed to remain united under his leadership.

How could Ratan Tata, Warren Buffet, Bill gates stay rich for longer period of time? There are million ways to get rich, but there is only one way to stay rich: Humility. The irony is that few things squash humility like getting rich in the first place.

The tree to grow upwards, its root needs to penetrate deep into the soil. The deeper the root penetrates, the higher the tree grows. Successful persons follow the suit of the tree's innate qualities. The more grounded and humble a person is, the more success he has.

Bottomline:

Highly successful people mind their words. They add phrases like "seems to me", "so far as I know" to their assertions, which let them stand out from the crowd. 

Successful people believe in the following statement

Knowledge is overrated. Wisdom is underrated.

Talent is overrated. Resilience is underrated.

Intellect is overrated. Temperament is underrated.

Confidence is overrated. Humility is underrated.

Being more frequently right than others is overrated. Being less wrong than others is underrated.