I don’t have disguised arrogance.

I’m humble. So humble.

And when I get quiet with a gentle smile on my face, you can bet that I am thinking about how humble I am.

I’m making a point, of course.

See, many arrogant people enjoy rubbing it in your face – but silence is not always a virtue either.

Few vices are as unattractive as pride, if you want to know the truth.

Most of what they call humility is successfully disguised arrogance.

-Nassim Taleb, The Bed Of Procrustes 

I am not sure I completely agree here, but I guess it depends on the person and the level of ego involved.

For I know many high achieving people that have done well in more than one arena.

Sometimes success breeds success.

But a willingness to be humble and ask questions – in anything new – is a large advantage.

I mean, a successful blogger can just assume they know everything about book publishing, for instance.

The more successful people have been in the past, the worse they perform when they enter a new environment. They become overconfident, and they’re less likely to seek critical feedback even though the context is radically different.

-Adam Grant, Originals