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“I believe the first test of a truly great man is his humility.”

John Ruskin

Source
Modern Painters, Volume III
Date
1856
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Meaning

What does this quote mean?

Ruskin defines greatness without self-worship: genuine ability can be recognized accurately while still being held inside a larger sense of proportion, dependence and responsibility.

Source context

Where does it come from?

Modern Painters, Volume III, Part IV, Chapter XVI, section 24, Project Gutenberg #38923. Ruskin immediately clarifies that humility does not mean doubt of one’s real power or hesitation about one’s opinions; it means understanding those powers in relation to a much larger world.

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