In today’s world, humility is a virtue that can feel elusive and precious. It's a quality cherished in various spiritual and philosophical traditions, especially in Christianity. Rooted deeply in biblical teachings, humility offers a pathway to grace and wisdom. Scripture guides believers on a journey toward cultivating humility, enlightening us with timeless truths and profound insights. This article delves into biblical humility quotes under ten different subtitles to explore how this timeless principle can transform our lives. Discover these pearls of wisdom as they reveal the essence of humility within the Christian faith.
Quotes from Proverbs on Humility
"When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom." - Proverbs 11:2
"Pride brings a person low, but the lowly in spirit gain honor." - Proverbs 29:23
"Before a downfall, the heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor." - Proverbs 18:12
"The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches, honor, and life." - Proverbs 22:4
"Humility is the fear of the Lord; its wages are riches and honor and life." - Proverbs 22:4
"A man's pride will bring him low; But honor shall uphold the humble in spirit." - Proverbs 29:23
"Better to be lowly in spirit along with the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud." - Proverbs 16:19
"The LORD detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished." - Proverbs 16:5
"The wise in heart will accept commands, but a chattering fool comes to ruin." - Proverbs 10:8
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." - Proverbs 3:5
"A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." - Proverbs 15:1
"Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for; through the fear of the Lord evil is avoided." - Proverbs 16:6
New Testament Quotes on Humility
"For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." - Luke 14:11
"But He gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble." - James 4:6
"Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up." - James 4:10
"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves." - Philippians 2:3
"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience." - Colossians 3:12
"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love." - Ephesians 4:2
"In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another." - 1 Peter 5:5
"Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited." - Romans 12:16
"Serve one another humbly in love." - Galatians 5:13
"I served the Lord with great humility and with tears, and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents." - Acts 20:19
"Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves." - Romans 12:10
"Have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage." - Philippians 2:5-6
Old Testament Quotes Reflecting Humility
"He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." - Micah 6:8
"But Moses said to God, 'Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?'" - Exodus 3:11
"But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed." - Isaiah 53:5
"He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way." - Psalm 25:9
"But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity." - Psalm 37:11
"Lift up your humble voices and worship the Lord who has done great things." - Psalm 109:21
"For the Lord takes delight in His people; He crowns the humble with victory." - Psalm 149:4
"You save the humble, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them low." - 2 Samuel 22:28
"Humble He will make glorious, and His way humbling He will exalt." - Job 22:29
"The lowly He sets on high, and those who mourn are lifted to safety." - Job 5:11
"I am lowly in spirit and crushed beneath the weight of Your justice." - Psalm 34:18
"Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, you who do what He commands." - Zephaniah 2:3
Jesus' Teachings on Humility Quotes
"Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant." - Matthew 20:26
"If anyone wants to be first, he must be the last, and the servant of all." - Mark 9:35
"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth." - Matthew 5:5
"The greatest among you will be your servant." - Matthew 23:11
"Jesus called them together and said, 'You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.'" - Matthew 20:25
"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many." - Mark 10:45
"The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give His life as a ransom for many." - Matthew 20:28
"Anyone who does not carry his cross and follow Me cannot be My disciple." - Luke 14:27
"For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for Me and for the gospel will save it." - Mark 8:35
"I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you." - John 13:15
"Learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." - Matthew 11:29
"If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet." - John 13:14
Apostle Paul Quotes on Humility
"For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought." - Romans 12:3
"Therefore, if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion." - Philippians 2:1-2
"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves." - Philippians 2:3
"I served as a slave on behalf of your faith, and I benefited from your service, though I, Paul, am the last of the Apostles." - 1 Corinthians 9:19
"Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited." - Romans 12:16
"For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that through His poverty you might become rich." - 2 Corinthians 8:9
"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love." - Ephesians 4:2
"I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some." - 1 Corinthians 9:22
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." - 2 Corinthians 12:9
"I served the Lord with great humility and with tears in the midst of severe testing." - Acts 20:19
"Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ." - Ephesians 5:21
"For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends." - 2 Corinthians 10:18
Humility Quotes from Psalms
"Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all day long." - Psalm 25:5
"My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; A broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise." - Psalm 51:17
"Though the Lord is exalted, He looks kindly on the lowly; though lofty, He sees them from afar." - Psalm 138:6
"I am forgotten by them as though I were dead; I have become like broken pottery." - Psalm 31:12
"The humble will see and rejoice. Those who seek God, let your hearts be alive." - Psalm 69:32
"For the Lord takes delight in His people, He crowns the humble with victory." - Psalm 149:4
"My eyes are ever on the Lord, for He will free my feet from the snare." - Psalm 25:15
"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." - Psalm 34:18
"I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With Him at my right hand, I will not be shaken." - Psalm 16:8
"But as for me, I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my help and my deliverer." - Psalm 40:17
"He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap." - Psalm 113:7
"The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth." - Psalm 145:18
Humility Quotes in Daily Life Applications
"A man's pride will bring him low, but a humble spirit will obtain honor." - Proverbs 29:23
"Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall." - Proverbs 16:18
"For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He adorns the humble with salvation." - Psalm 149:4
"Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." - 1 Peter 5:5
"Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." - Matthew 23:12
"The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor." - Proverbs 15:33
"Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it’s thinking of yourself less." - C.S. Lewis
"To be truly great one has to stand with people, not above them." - Charles de Montesquieu
"We come nearest to the great when we are great in humility." - Rabindranath Tagore
"True humility does not know that it is humble. If it did, it would be proud from the contemplation of so fine a virtue." - Martin Luther
"Pride must die in you, or nothing of heaven can live in you." - Andrew Murray
"The heart of humility is not thinking meanly of oneself, but thinking truly." - Charles Spurgeon
Quotes on Humility as a Strength
"The greatest test of courage on earth is to bear defeat without losing heart." - Robert G. Ingersoll
"Humility is the solid foundation of all virtues." - Confucius
"Blessed are those who are humble, gentle, and kind to others, for they will be shown mercy." - Matthew 5:7
"Humility leads to strength and not weakness. It is the highest form of self-respect to admit mistakes and to make amends for them." - John J. McCloy
"Let us be more simple and humble; let us listen more and talk less." - Xunzi
"Real genius is nothing else but the supernatural virtue of humility in the domain of thought." - Charles Pierre Baudelaire
"Humility makes great men twice honorable." - Benjamin Franklin
"Humility, that low, sweet root, from which all heavenly virtues shoot." - Thomas Moore
"Humility is the ability to give up your pride and still retain your dignity." - Vanna Bonta
"Pride makes us artificial; humility makes us real." - Thomas Merton
"Humility is like underwear; essential, but indecent if it shows." - Helen Nielsen
"Selflessness is humility. Humility and freedom go hand in hand. Only a humble person can be free." - Jeff Wilson
Quotes on Humility and Leadership
"To lead the people, walk behind them." - Lao Tzu
"True humility does not know that it is humble. If it did, it would be proud from the contemplation of so fine a virtue." - Martin Luther
"Some people feel good about cunning guile, yet the truly humble leader will boast of no such craft." - M.L. Stark
"Great leaders understand that humility is their servant and their success depends on how well they treat these two masters." - Unknown
"Don’t be arrogant to your fellows. If you have something better, show it as much as possible to cause their wondering curiosity and not their naive admiration." - Napoleon Bonaparte
"True humility is strength, not weakness." - Yalena Petersen
"Respect the man, not for his title, but for his humility." - Unknown
"Leaders are like eagles. They don’t flock; you find them one at a time." - Knute Rockne
"Humility is the essence of love and intelligence; it is not an abdication but an affirmation, a foundation for a balanced mind." - Anonymous
"The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one who gets the people to do the greatest things." - Ronald Regan
"In leadership, humility is the foundation of all strength and leverage." - Unknown
"Leadership begins at the end of your comfort zone." - Sukhdeep Singh
Historical Quotes on Humility
"The only wisdom we can hope to acquire is the wisdom of humility: Humility is endless." - T.S. Eliot
"We come nearest to the great when we are great in humility." - Rabindranath Tagore
"To be humble to superiors is a duty, to equals courtesy, to inferiors nobleness." - Benjamin Franklin
"Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less." - C.S. Lewis
"Humility is not cowardice. Meekness is not weakness. Humility and meekness are indeed spiritual powers." - Swami Sivananda
"True genius makes the reader feel that it is his own thought and with his own language, the writer impresses others." - Edgar Allan Poe
"Humility is the surest sign of strength." - Thomas Merton
"It is very difficult for the prosperous to be humble." - Jane Austen
"Humility is putting others first, self last, and God before self." - E.O. Akoma
"The heights of great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night." - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
"To be humble to superiors is duty, to equals courtesy, to inferiors nobleness." - Benjamin Franklin
"Humility is the ability to give up your pride and still retain your dignity." - Vanna Bonta
Final words
The journey through the biblical teachings on humility reminds us of the profound impact and importance of this virtue in our lives. Each quote serves as a beacon, guiding us toward a life of grace, service, and strength. Humility is not only about surrendering to God but also embracing the intrinsic joy and wisdom that come from understanding our small place in the vast cosmos. As we apply these lessons, offered by various scriptures, we invite humility to transform our hearts and minds. Embracing humility means recognizing our own strengths only to better serve others and be an instrument of peace. In doing so, we align our lives with God's intentions, allowing virtues such as compassion, kindness, and love to flow through us and affect the world profoundly. This exploration of humility will hopefully inspire you to weave these teachings into your daily life, enriching not only your spirit but also benefitting those around you with genuine warmth and empathy. As you reflect on these words, remember that humility is not a weakness but a profound strength, fostering growth, harmony, and a life of purpose. Let the teachings inspire a humble journey to eternal peace and fulfillment. Let the power and beauty of humility guide you continuously.