Some quotes on Humility, the most difficult of all virtues

Humility is the most difficult of all virtues to achieve; nothing dies harder than the desire to think well of self."-- T.S. Eliot (in "Shakespeare and the stoicism of Seneca")
http://www.gadel.info/2011/07/blessed-virgin-marys-photos-and.html

 I liked these lines from Fr.John's E-newsletter from St.Anthony Shrine , Cincinaci today:

St. Anthony placed humility as the root of all other virtues.  Humility defined St. Anthony.  It was at the very center of his way of thinking and acting.  In one of his sermons, St. Anthony wrote, “Just as the root feeds the tree, so humility feeds the soul.”
What is humility?  The word comes from the Latin word, humus, which means ground, earth, soil.  Thus humility means being grounded.  It means remembering that “we are dust and unto dust we will return.”  Pride makes us want to be looked upon as better than others.  Humility makes us realize that we are no better nor no worse than what we really are.  Humility enables us to know our strengths and our weaknesses.  It helps us understand that our strengths are gifts from God.  It helps us to accept that we also lack talents that others have.  As St. Anthony put it, “Attribute to God every good that you have received.  If  you take credit for something that does not belong to you, you will be guilty of theft.”

...  Humility means that we understand that life is like a game of cards.  Some people have been dealt a better hand of cards to play the game of life with than have others.  We can’t take the credit for having had good parents, having had good influences in our lives when we were young, and receiving the opportunity for a good education.  These and so many other things were blessings given us, not things we accomplished on our own.

...  If we are full of ourselves and full of pride, there is little room for God in our lives.  If we are full of ourselves and full of pride, there is little room for other human beings in our lives.  Jesus teaches us that our two most important obligations in life are to love God and to love our neighbor.  We cannot love God and neighbor if we are too in love with ourselves.  Through the intercession of St. Anthony may we learn to become more humble.

Humility is the most difficult of virtues, but is the most precious too! St. Theognostos says thus : 

62. I shall tell you something strange, but do not be surprised by it. Should you fail to attain dispassion because of the predispositions dominating you, but at the time of your death be in the depths of humility, you will be exalted above the clouds no less than the man who is dispassionate. For even if the treasure of those who are dispassionate consists of every virtue, the precious stone of humility is more valuable than them all: it brings about not only propitiation with the Creator, but also entry with the elect into the bridal chamber of His kingdom. St. Theognostos - On the Practice of the Virtues in Philokalia Volume II

http://www.christianbook.com/philokalia-christian-spiritual-selections-annotated-explained/allyne-smith/9781594731037/pd/473109

Humility is strong--not bold; quiet--not speechless;sure--not arrogant. -Estelle Smith