Jeremy Taylor on Humility

Sometimes, I will read something that exposes the motives of my evil soul perfectly.  Jeremy Taylor exposes my prideful desires better than anyone I know so far.

Never say anything, directly or indirectly, that will provoke praise or elicit compliments from others.  Do not let your praise be the intended end of what you say.  If it so happens that someone speaks well of you in the midst of a conversation, you are not to stop the conversation.  Only remember this: do not let praise for yourself be the design of your conversations. (Devotional Classics, page 270)