2015 Reading list

You can see our lists from 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018.

The Martian

I will be the first to admit--I didn't understand even half of all the technical jargon that Andy Weir throws down in The Martian.  But Weir can write--I tore through this tale of intergalactic ingenuity and relentlessness in three days.  Thrilling--yet lined with humor--this is a perfect read for a plane ride or road trip. FOR THE RECORD: I read this before I even knew it was going to be a movie:)

One Day I Will Write About This Place

I almost gave up on One Day I Will Write About This Place because I wasn't prepared for the author's writing style--which isn't really a style at all--it is his way to capture and describe the thoughts of a dreaming, introspective young boy growing up in Kenya.  My complete kindle notes and highlights are on it here.

Fearless

Fearless is one of the most incredible life stories that I ever heard.   And happiest.  And inspiring.  And most tragic.  And saddest. And unforgettable.  I don't care who you are or what you believe.  Just pick up this book and read about a man named Adam Brown--his story will stick with you--and might even make you a better husband, father and/or christian.  I read this book in three days.

Redeployment

With less than .4% of Americans serving in the military, this is the book the other 99.6% should read.  The idea of coming home as another deployment aptly captures what it's like for so many of our troops who fight our wars and then are supposed to just come back to a place that doesn't feel like home anymore. Klay has a beautiful line in one of the early stories:  "Getting back feels like your first breath after nearly drowning. Even if it hurts, it’s good."  Ultimately, reading this book serves as a cathartic communion of sorts for the reader, a chance for those who haven't served to break bread with those who have sacrificed so much.  My notes and highlights on it are here.

Burning the Days

Burning the Days.  My complete kindle highlights are here.

Light Years

Light Years.  My complete kindle highlights are here. 

Humilitas

In Humilitas Dickson takes a deep academic look at the history of humility and its shift from an ancient term of denigration to an aspirational one.  Most usefully, he links and develops the ways in which humility can make one a more effective leader.  Unfortunately today humility is all too often ignored virtue--Dickson, however, does an admirable job in bringing it back to the cultural forefront. My notes and highlights on it are here.

Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance

We just finished listening to this book.  Unfortunately listening to a book over a period of six months during your daily commute doesn't lend itself to great notes but we will just say that this book is mandatory reading for every health care professional...or anyone who steps foot in a hospital.  It will make you MUCH more observant making sure that everyone who you come into contact with in a hospital has washed/disinfected their hands.


Metaxas' essential tome on the life of William Wilberforce is not an easy read.  His categoric description of Wilberforce's life is thick with minute details and a sometimes overwrought narrative that can make it a challenge to wade through its pages.  This is not to take away from the skill of Metaxas--my reading tastes just happen to run more Hemingway than Faulkner--and Metaxas falls squarely in the Sound and the Fury school.  Regardless I don't know many authors out there today with the researching acumen of Metaxas--one has only to read his untouchable Bonhoeffer to be assured of this.  He's also someone that takes morality seriously but does it in a manner that is humorous and approachable.  It'd be worthwhile to check out his podcast/radio show as well.  He's on twitter too.

The complexity of his writing shouldn't dissuade you from reading Amazing Grace--committing to the marathon is a worthwhile endeavor because of the magnitude of what Wilberforce accomplished.  This man's entire life itself was one tireless long-distance race dedicated to a near singular cause--abolishing slavery in England.   My complete notes and highlights on it are here.

We Need New Names 

Bulawayo tells a masterful tale of a childhood in a crumbling country and an escape to life in America--specifically in destroyedmichigan (i.e., Detroit).   In the first half of the novel she recounts (with an amazing ear for dialect and inflection) a life growing up on the streets as she and her band of friends roamed their city. 

The detail and richness of her tale reminded me that everyone has a story.  These street kids that bang on our car and smash their faces against our windows here in Tana have their own lives and dreams and intricate games like Darling and her friend's countriesgame. And her story is important because it also tells a story about an America that you wouldn't otherwise hear or be aware of--the Catch-22 life of myriad illegal immigrants--all searching for an identity and no longer finding acceptance in their old lives while having to remain hidden in their new ones.   And in the end, New Names is a heartbreaking story about home (and childhood) not always being somewhere you can go back to.  My complete notes and highlights are on it here. 

Seven Men and the Secret of their Greatness

I've written about Metaxas' Amazing Grace Wilberforce tour de force previously here.  Metaxas hits his literary stride in 7 Men, offering a very readable and concise portrait of 7 key figures in the Christian faith (and the global stage).  One gets the sense that in these brief vignettes, Metaxas is more in his element than in the detailed minutiae of Bonhoeffer and Wilberforce.   I base this analysis solely on the episodes of his excellent radio show to which I've started listening.  His shows reveals a natural intelligence and compassion, and most surprisingly (and welcomed), a silly sense of humor.  7 Men contains echoes of all these elements as the reader meets Jackie Robinson (in a more complete manner than you probably knew of him previously), Chuck Colson, William Wilberforce, Bonhoeffer, George Washington, Eric Liddell and Pope John Paul II.  My complete notes and highlights are on it here. 

All the Names

Saramago is a Nobel Prize winner so if I wasn't crazy about his book something must be wrong with ME, n'est-ce pas?  So, something's wrong with me I guess.  I had forgotten that I tried to read his famous Blindness a few years back but was never able to wade my way through his thick verbose interior monologue.  Anyway, I was determined to make it through this one--and with a little patience I did.  Ultimately, All the Names is a story about identity and the significance of remembering.   In it the author weaves a tell of a beaten down aging clerk at the Department of Births and Deaths in a Portuguese town who discovers the card of a woman and sets out to find out who she is.  In this journey his life takes on a depth and a dimension he'd previously never imagined.  For me, though, this novel lacked action.  Once I was about one third of the way through the book I realized that not much was actually going to happen--instead the book was going to be a character study of the clerk. So if you love a good character study--this is your book.

Everything is Yours, Everything is Not Yours

While Clemantine Wamariya's autobiographical introspective is not a book, it's significant enough in its beauty, skill and bravery to warrant its inclusion on our yearly reading list.  The story of her struggles does not fit into any neat or easily digestible categories--but her perseverance will not only inspire but educate you.  My complete notes and highlights on it are here.

Kovite and Robinson have written something special together--they've penned a story that is gripping and unique, funny and sad--a book that's hard to put down.   

War of the Encyclopaedists is a story about war, love and friendship.  And like all good books there's a love triangle, an IED, an Iraqi kid named Monkey, a sperm bank and a sleep study.  With moments of humor and horror, passion and punch, the authors are part of the growing crop of writers (e.g. Klay, Fountain,  Lish, and Roxana) that are setting the war in Iraq into a context that the greater American culture can digest.  The ability to find and create this context in a balanced manner takes grit and talent--Kovite and Robinson have proved they have both in spades.  

One of my favorite lines from the book:

There is no definitive moment when two people become a couple. Elements of intimacy accumulate, and what makes a couple a couple is the gradual recognition of this accumulated intimacy.
My complete notes and highlights on it are here.

The Fishermen

This is Obioma's first novel and it has been met with widespread critical acclaim in places like the Times; it also made the long list for the 2015 Booker Prize.  And for good reason--Obioma stands as the heir apparent to Achebe because of his writing acumen in translating and capturing complex political events with parables and fables (personally, I like Obioma's writing better).  In Fishermen, we hear the tale of a family falling apart amidst the backdrop of the turbulent 1993 elections.  As the family arcs toward destruction, Obioma offers insights about Nigerian family life: the switching between Yoruba, Igbo and English in a single conversation and headscarves tied to indicate you've been praying.  Perhaps one of the best things about this book is that Obioma's is still in his 20's and just beginning. My complete notes and highlights on it are here.

The Cost of Living Like This

One of my favorite things is to have a writer I love tell me about writers he/she loves.  In a complete aside check out this website on 'neglected books'--an amazing compilation put together by writers and editors.  

In Salter's biographical tale Burning the Days (my review here), it's noted that Kennaway was buried standing up (he died of a heart attack at the age of 40).   Having just discovered writers' writer Salter a year ago, I was more than happy to go down the rabbit hole and find out who this writer was that Salter thought worth mentioning in his own biography.  

Needless to say I was impressed by Kennaway's story of one man's gradual descent into destruction. I happen to enjoy a good tragedy and this story's arc slowly sinks while keeping the reader wondering if there's a chance for redemption  But what struck me most aboutLiving Like This, though, was the author's descriptive abilities.  
My complete notes and highlights on it are here.

Half Way Home

You'll see there aren't a lot of highlights from Halfway Home--look, you aren't reading Howey for lyrical lines that you can tuck away your whole life.  But I look forward to new books by Howey almost more than any other author.  As soon as you open of his stories you know that it will consume the next few days of your life--you will spend the spare moments of your day tearing through an adventure.  The speed with which Howey moves the narrative reminds me of those choose-your-own-adventure books from when I was a kid, except in this case Howey is at the helm--leading us on an incredible story about resilience and bravery amidst overwhelming odds.

Oh yeah.  I should probably give you a teaser as to what this book is actually about:   A master planet sets out to colonize the universe. If one of its ships lands on a planet that is deemed inhabitable, the entire colony is killed off before they can be hatched from their fully grown cryogenically(ish) frozen state.  Until the kill sequence is interrupted and a group survives...
My complete notes and highlights on it are here.

7 Women

Read it Because: You will be floored by the stories you didn't know...like a beer swilling, cigarette smoking Saint and nun.

...or Read It Because: You don't have the time to read seven separate biographies but want the chance to learn all the details you didn't know about the incredible lives of Rosa Parks, Hannah Moore, Joan of Arc, Saint Maria of Paris, Mother Theresa, Corrie ten Boom, and Susanna Wesley. 

Ultimately, Metaxas' is in his element when it comes to biographies--particularly these briefer volumes (versus his voluminous and comprehensive accounts of Bonhoeffer and Wilberforce).   He really nails that je ne sais quoi concerning what a good biography does in its transcendence of our narrow view of events and ideas:

Perhaps the best thing about biographies is that they enable us to slip the strictures of time and provide a bracing corrective to our tendency to see everything in the dark glass of our own era, with all its blind spots, motes, beams, and distortions. We must be honest enough to recognize that each era cannot help having a pinched, parochial view of things, and of course the largest part of that parochialism is that each era thinks it is not parochial at all.

My complete notes and highlights on it are here.

The Confines of the Shadow

Read it Because:  You want to understand European colonialism in a deeper context or because you love beautiful, witty writing in historical fiction. 

I came across this book through a post on the Arabist's excellent blog--it was entitled A Libyan Novel You Should Read.   The author of the post--Ursula Lindsey--wrote such a great opening hook to describe the books' author that I've included it here: 

Alessandro Spina was a Syrian Maronite who grew up in Ben Ghazi, was educated and wrote in Italian, and over the course of 40 years penned an extraordinary cycle of novels about the bloody establishment, brief flourishing and troubled aftermath of the Italian colony in Libya. 

So a novel by a Catholic Syrian that grew up in Libya, was educated in Italy and wrote in Italian and his work has only recently been translated into English...awesome.  

Now that Spina's work is once again being read--this tome should easily ascend to the top of the reading list for any budding middle east/maghreb/european history scholar/foreign area officer/foreign service officer (hopefully I caught enough categories there). 

My complete notes and highlights on it are here.

City of Lies 

Read It Because: You will learn about an Iran that you never knew existed--trust me--you will be surprised.  And what's more, it is dangerous and ignorant to fetishize the depravity of any enemy without ever taking the time to learn about its people and culture.

Navai pens an expansive love song to the city of Tehran, specifically to its at times majestic at times suffocating at times murderous and at other times lecherous central artery Vali Asr.  The author has recrafted and recreated 8 character studies representing different segments/characteristics of Iranian culture.

In pulling back the Persian curtain, Navai gives the reader the (quasi) guilty pleasure of a behind the scenes tour of what it is to live, die, love, smoke meth and get nose jobs in Iran.

My complete notes and highlights on it are here.

Shell Collector 

Read It Because: The same reason you read all of Howey's books--they are thrilling speedy reads with a driving narrative that grips you from the first few pages.  That said, this isn't his best but I applaud his efforts in branching out of his comfort zone.  This tale might be categorized as an "eco-thriller.  You won't see too many highlights below because Howey isn't Faulkner (thankfully), nor does he aspire to be.  I will continue to happily buy and read everything he writes.

My complete notes and highlights on it are here.

Confessions of a CPA

Read It Because: It will expand your knowledge of the art of the possible when it comes to saving money.  My father-in-law has explained this before but I am woefully ignorant when it comes to investment and finances so this book was a good opportunity for me to review the principle behind a specific type of life insurance.  My main critique on this book is the incredibly poor editing job. Even basic proof-reading would have caught several of the mistakes.

My complete notes and highlights on it are here.

Humilitas: My Summary with Kindle Notes and Highlights

2015 Reading List

Dickson takes a deep academic look at the history of humility and its shift from an ancient term of denigration to an aspirational one.  Most usefully, he links and develops the ways in which humility can make one a more effective leader.  Unfortunately today humility is all too often ignored virtue--Dickson, however, does an admirable job in bringing it back to the cultural forefront.

Humilitas: A Lost Key to Life, Love, and Leadership by John Dickson

You have 49 highlighted passages

Humility is the noble choice to forgo your status, deploy your resources or use your influence for the good of others before yourself. More simply, you could say the humble person is marked by a willingness to hold power in service of others.Read more at location 167

Wise leaders hold nobility with humility. Overbearing ego and debilitating self-abasement are generally avoided in all wisdom traditions. Many traditions call for balance. I would suggest a further step, also found in the ancient wisdom writings: that you look beyond balance, that you embrace the paradox of strength in weakness to find your true weight as a leader.12Read more at location 174

Second, humility is willing. It is a choice. Otherwise, it is humiliation. Finally, humility is social. It is not a private act of self-deprecation—banishing proud thoughts, refusing to talk about your achievements and so on. I would call this simple “modesty". But humility is about redirecting of your powers, whether physical, intellectual, financial or structural, for the sake of others.Read more at location 178

doubt it is controversial to describe leadership as the art of inspiring others in a team to contribute their best toward a goal. We might quibble over the wording—and I am calling this a description rather than a definition—but I suspect most would agree with the three main aspects of leadership identified here.Read more at location 238

Art. Leadership is more an art than a science.Read more at location 241

Others. The second part of the description is equally straightforward. Leadership is fundamentally about others.Read more at location 246

people”—to use Professor J. P. Kotter’s language, “motivating and inspiring” them.1 “The real power of effective leadership,” writes Brigadier Jim Wallace, former head of Australian special forces, “is maximising other people’s potential.”2 Goal. The third obvious aspect of leadership is that it is oriented toward a clear goal. There is something fundamentally aspirational and idealistic about leadership.Read more at location 264

Tools of leadership If leadership can be described as the art of inspiring others in a team to contribute their best to a goal, what are the “tools” at the leader’s disposal? Again, I doubt there will be much disagreement when I say that there are basically four.Read more at location 283

Ability. Leaders tend to be people who have excelled in some important part of the organization’s business. Read more at location 286

Authority. What I mean by authority is the structural powers handed to leaders by an organization—the power to hire and fire, set directions, approve budgets and overrule colleagues where there is disagreement. Read more at location 294

Persuasion. Good leaders tend not to rely on structural authority but instead have a knack of winning people over to their vision of things. Read more at location 306

Example. This is a deliberately broad category that includes everything from the leader’s listening ear to his work ethic to a courteous tone toward subordinates.  Read more at location 320

said that all of us tend to believe the views of people we already trust.  Read more at location 339

Leadership is not about popularity. It is about gaining people’s trust and moving them forward. Read more at location 355

massive influence can be exerted with minimal structural authority as long as maximal persuasion and life example exist.Read more at location 381

leadership is fundamentally about relationships  Read more at location 403

Humbly acknowledging limitations and refusing to engage in competency extrapolation are not signs of weakness. They demonstrate realism and are therefore strengths. Read more at location 474

titled I Told Me So, philosophy professor Gregg Elshof explores the ubiquitous nature of self-deception in public and private life, in secular and religious communities. Read more at location 493

Albert Schweitzer (1875–1965) was a supremely gifted philosopher, historian and biblical scholar, as well as being a highly accomplished musician. Read more at location 652

The Quest of the Historical Jesus Read more at location 654

In his autobiography, Out of My Life and Thought, Read more at location 658

Needless to say, arrogance is as ugly as humility is beautiful.Read more at location 771

Humility is not an ornament to be worn; it is an ideal that will transform.Read more at location 775

It probably won’t surprise you to learn that in a society that placed such a high value on honour, humility was rarely, if ever, considered virtuous. In the 147 pithy maxims of the Delphic Canon (6th century BC), considered by ancient Greeks to be the sum and substance of the ethical life, there is no mention of the theme of, let alone the word, “humility". The range of moral advice found in the Delphic Canon is impressive: • “Control yourself.” • “Help your friends.” • “Practise prudence.”Read more at location 815

“Return a favour.” • “Nothing to excess.” • “Act on knowledge.” • “Honour good people.” • “Don’t curse your sons.” • “Rule your wife.” • “Mete out justice.” • “Despise no one.” • “Worship divinity.” • “Don’t mock the dead.” • “Don’t let your reputation go.” • “Respect the elder.” • “Respect yourself.” • “Die for your country.” • “Don’t trust fortune.”Read more at location 821

Ancient Israel, no less than ancient Greece, was an honour-shame society. Humility before God was appropriate, of course, as was humility before judges, kings and priests, but lowering yourself before an equal or lesser in early biblical times would not have seemed fitting.Read more at location 926

Perhaps reflecting on the Maker’s soft spot for the downtrodden, one text from the second century BC urges humility toward both the great and the lowly. The Jerusalem sage Yeshua Ben Sira told his students: “Humble your head before the great. Incline your ear to the poor and return their greeting in humility.”  The first line is to be expected: everyone knew you should be lowly before the great. The final expression is striking and may be the first attempt in history to use the word “humility” to describe how ordinary people should treat equals (or, in this case, a social inferior).Read more at location 937

But only once do you get an explicit statement: Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. “Yoke” is a common way of referring to a rabbi’s system of teaching,Read more at location 971

another occasion Jesus seems to have delighted in turning upside-down ancient notions of greatness and servitude: Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man [his favourite way of referring to himself] did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.7Read more at location 981

Interestingly, what established humility as a virtue in Western culture was not Jesus’ persona exactly, or even his teaching, but rather his execution—or, more correctly, his followers’ attempt to come to grips with his execution.Read more at location 992

Logically, they had just two options. Either Jesus was not as great as they had first thought, his crucifixion being evidence of his insignificance, or the notion of “greatness” itself had to be redefined to fit with the fact of his seemingly shameful end.Read more at location 1013

Christians took the other option. For them the crucifixion was not evidence of Jesus’ humiliation (humilitas) but proof that greatness can express itself in humility (humilitas), the noble choice to lower yourself for the sake of others. The first datable reference to this innovation in ethical reasoning comes from a letter written by the apostle Paul to the Christians in the Roman colony of Philippi in northern Greece. The letter is dated to about the year 60, almost exactly the same time as Seneca penned his morbid account of crucifixion quoted above. The contrast is astonishing. In the quotation that follows Paul urges his readers to live in humility, choosing to think of others as better than themselves. He then drives the point home by quoting a hymn, presumably one known and sung in Philippi, that speaks of Jesus’ humilitas on the cross: Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus [then comes the hymn]:Read more at location 1025

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death   —even death on a cross!10Read more at location 1035

A curious sign of this strange reversal of thinking is found in Sir Edmund Hillary’s decision to mark his achievement by leaving a small crucifix on the summit of Everest. I don’t know why Hillary did this; he wasn’t an overtly religious man. Perhaps it was a token of his own humility, trying to honour a “higher power” at the moment of his own triumph. Then again, maybe it was just the one symbol of Western civilization that he could fit into his small pack. In any case, it is worth noting that what to the ancient mind would have seemed a perverse symbol of accomplishment, to the modern mind makes perfect sense: of course you would put a cross at the highest point of the world!Read more at location 1056

Put another way, while we certainly don’t need to follow Christ to appreciate humility or to be humble, it is unlikely that any of us would aspire to this virtue were it not for the historical impact of his crucifixion on art, literature, ethics, law and philosophy. Our culture remains cruciform long after it stopped being Christian.Read more at location 1087

The humility built into the very idea of the clinical trial: I don’t know whether this treatment based on anecdotal observation and consistent with my theories really works is the opposite of the argument from authority.”4Read more at location 1153

This generating effect of humility, whether in science or business, is beautifully described by the great literary critic G. K. Chesteron, in his cheeky book Orthodoxy. In his battle against early twentieth-century rationalism and self-reliance, which he believed was sapping the energy out of religion, the arts and life itself, Chesterton argued that human pride is in fact the engine of mediocrity. It fools us into believing that we have “arrived", that we are complete, that there is little else to learn. Humility, by contrast, he said, reminds us that we are small and incomplete and so urges us on toward the heights of artistic, scientific and societal endeavour:Read more at location 1159

Instead, I mean opening yourself up to the vulnerability of being wrong, receiving correction and asking others how they think you could do better.Read more at location 1190

language, she has learnt humilitas. In his book Leading Change John P. Kotter explains how he tracked the careers of 115 of his former students from Harvard Business School.Read more at location 1207

Marcel’s success to the way he gave humble attention to the difficulties and mistakes he endured through the years. “He reflected on good times and bad,” writes Kotter, “and tried to learn from both. Confronting his mistakes, he minimized the arrogant attitudes that often accompany success. With a relatively humble view of himself, he watched more closely and listened more carefully than did most others.”7 Humility generates learning and growth.Read more at location 1211

One thing I know from undergraduate psychology and from years of counseling in a church context is that, in the end, nothing is more valuable to us, and value-adding, than good relationships. Knowing that we are loved and valued by those we love and value is the predictor of a healthy sense of self-worth.Read more at location 1242

Note: So true 

Relationships are where security is really found. And since humility— holding your power for the good of others—can only enhance our relationships, I feel confident saying that humility not only signals security, it fosters it as well.Read more at location 1248

It is a fascinating truth worthy of every leader’s reflection: mistakes of execution are rarely as damaging to an organization, whether corporate, ecclesiastical or academic, as a refusal to concede mistakes, apologize to those affected and redress the issue with generosity and haste.Read more at location 1273

Jim Collins’ follow-up to Good to Great, his 2009 book How the Mighty Fall Read more at location 1276

Stephen R. Covey, the author of the bestselling The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, writes in a more recent book: Humility truly is the mother of all virtues. It makes us a vessel, a vehicle, an agent instead of “the source” or the principal. It unleashes all other learning, all growth and process. With the humility that comes from being principle-centered, we’re empowered to learn from the past, have hope for the future, and act with confidence in the present.9Read more at location 1277

According to Aristotle, arguments work—or don’t work—because of three, interrelated factors: logos, the intellectual dimension; pathos, the emotional or personal dimension; and ethos, the social and ethical dimension of persuasion.Read more at location 1315

Pathos is the part of a message that appeals directly to our inner self, to our emotional and aesthetic needs.Read more at location 1324

is a simple fact of social psychology that we tend to believe people we like and trust; moreover, whom we find ourselves liking and trusting in the first place is itself hugely influenced by our upbringing, education, social class, circle of friends and so on.Read more at location 1335

you hear it but too often overlooked by leaders seeking to influence those in their care: The perceived character of the persuader is central to his powers of persuasion.Read more at location 1345

Mere reputation cannot match true character.Read more at location 1357

The chapter opens this way: “Business is tied together by its systems of communication. This communication … depends more on the spoken word than it does on the written word; and the effectiveness of the spoken word hinges not so much on how people talk as on how they listen.”5Read more at location 1373

Brigadier Wallace started out as a captain in the elite Special Air Service. Some of the stories he tells of SAS training and missions seem straight out of the movies.  Most people want to be led, and there is therefore a natural momentum in favour of the leader. But what continually gets in the way is ego. Where we can’t control that, suppress it, then people quickly realise it’s about us, and any natural advantage fades and leadership becomes hard work. The real power of effective leadership is maximising other people’s potential, which inevitably demands also ensuring that they get the credit. When our ego won’t let us build another person up, when everything has to build us up, then the effectiveness of the organisation reverts to depending instead on how good we are in the technical aspects of what we do. And we have stopped leading and inspiring others to great heights.3Read more at location 1502

That day helped us to believe that a music career was not just for supermen inhabiting unapproachable glory; it was for people just like us. The inspirational (and aspirational) effect of humility is real.Read more at location 1541

In a morally and religiously diverse culture such as ours, humility is a much-needed key to harmony.Read more at location 1546

Humility applied to convictions does not mean believing things any less; it means treating those who hold contrary beliefs with respect and friendship.Read more at location 1597

G. K. Chesterton made precisely the point I am trying to emphasize: What we suffer from today is humility in the wrong place. Modesty has moved from the organ of ambition. Modesty has settled upon the organ of conviction; where it was never meant to be. A man was meant to be doubtful about himself but undoubting about the truth. This has been exactly reversed … We are on the road to producing a race of men too mentally modest to believe in the multiplication table.Read more at location 1609

There is a failure of ethical imagination in our culture that probably makes my argument sound quaint and idealistic. We have forgotten how to flex two mental muscles at the same time: the muscle of moral conviction and the muscle of compassion to all regardless of their morality. Secular society no less than religion often operates on a narrow-minded logic: you can only love those whose lives you approve of. You can only be friends with people who agree with you. The logic can take you in two directions. The religious version reduces the number of people it loves—to match the few lifestyles it approves. The secular version increases the number of lifestyles it approves to the point of accepting virtually everything, thus fulfilling G. K. Chesterton’s famous quip about open-mindedness: “An open mind is like an open mouth: its purpose is to bite on something nourishing. Otherwise, it becomes like a sewer, accepting everything, rejecting nothing.”6Read more at location 1624

But there is a third way, based on a different logic. It’s where we learn to respect and care even for those with whom we profoundly disagree. We maintain our convictions but choose never to allow them to become justification for thinking ourselves better than those with contrary convictions. We move beyond mere tolerance to true humility, the key to harmony at the social level.Read more at location 1635

CHAPTER 11 Steps How It’s Possible to Become (More) Humble Read more at location 1639

It is deceptively simple: We are shaped by what we love.Read more at location 1654

We are shaped by what we admire.Read more at location 1669

More important than any of the tips below is the observation that the journey to attaining a measure of humility probably begins with the simple recognition of its inherent beauty. Ponder the aesthetic quality of the virtue, observe it in those you respect and then watch it grow in yourself.Read more at location 1669

Reflect on the lives of the humble.Read more at location 1672

More important than books, of course, are the people in our lives who exhibit humility. Reflect on them. I trust most readers will be able to think of a few people around them who hold their power for the good of others before themselves. My suggestion is that you watch them closely, talk to them about their decisions and try to emulate them.Read more at location 1687

Third, conduct thought experiments to enhance humility. A thought experiment is an imaginative exercise designed to open up the possibilities of a dilemma and so bring clarity.  Read more at location 1694

Thought experiments can help develop humility in business and personal settings by imagining humble courses of action in advance of confronting potentially tense situations.Read more at location 1704

Fourth, act humbly. This piece of advice may sound a little crude and simplistic but it works. Just force yourself on occasion to act humbly. I am not talking about “pretending". I am recommending that you develop the humility muscle by exercising it, even if it doesn’t feel up to the task.Read more at location 1712

My fifth tip flows from the previous one: invite criticism. Invite criticism from friends and colleagues.Read more at location 1731

I am not advocating a horizontal approach to leadership. I firmly believe that lines of responsibility and authority ought to be respected in healthy organizations. I am simply pointing out that allowing constructive criticism and encouraging it at the team level is one powerful way to foster a little humility.  Read more at location 1753

Finally, forget about being humble. In offering these “tips” for cultivating humility, I am reminded of something C. S. Lewis, the famous Oxford don and author of the Chronicles of Narnia, said about the truly humble person. He insisted that humility is quite unlike the property of, for example, having brown hair. It is not something you style in yourself or even especially notice in others. You don’t suddenly meet someone and think, “Wow! What dazzling humility!” It is a rather low-key virtue. It often takes a while to spot in others, partly because the truly humble person is not at all concerned about appearing humble. He is not thinking of himself at all. Lewis put it this way: Do not imagine that if you meet a really humble man he will be what most people call “humble” nowadays: he will not be a sort of greasy, smarmy person, who is always telling you that, of course, he is nobody. Probably all you will think about him is that he seemed a cheerful, intelligent chap who took a real interest in what you said to him. If you do dislike him it will be because you feel a little envious of anyone who seems to enjoy life so easily. He will not be thinking about humility: he will not be thinking about himself at all. Read more at location 1757

If anyone would like to acquire humility, I can, I think, tell him the first step. The first step is to realise that one is proud. And a biggish step, too. At least, nothing whatever can be done before it. If you think you are not conceited, it means you are very conceited indeed.  Read more at location 1770