“One of [[William Tecumseh Sherman|Sherman]]’s biographers summarized the man and his unique accomplishments in a remarkable passage. It is why he serves as our model in this phase of our ascent. **Among men who rise to fame and leadership two types are recognizable—those who are born with a belief in themselves and those in whom it is a slow growth dependent on actual achievement.** To the men of the last type their own success is a constant surprise, and its fruits the more delicious, yet to be tested cautiously with a haunting sense of doubt whether it is not all a dream. In that doubt lies true modesty, not the sham of insincere self-depreciation but the modesty of “moderation,” in the Greek sense. It is poise, not pose. ([Location 341](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01AWUTMB0&location=341)) --- **Tags** -- [[quotes]], [[humility]], [[ego]], [[discipline]], [[leadership]], [[confidence]], [[progressing-slowly]], **Source** -- [[202409161103 - B - Ego is the Enemy]]