The truly humble man will be boastful. To boast of one’s virtues or accomplishments is to sully oneself because everyone knows it is not virtuous to boast. A humble man does not believe he is better than his peers, and can so lower himself without fear.

A man who believes in his own superiority must speak humbly, for this is virtuous. By choosing not to boast he is telling his peers "I am better than thee, for I will not brag of myself." Meanwhile the humble man tells his peers "look at my human imperfections, my insecurity, my need for approval; I am no better than you nor anyone else and we are all brothers on this earth."