Humility: Learning Wisdom

Daily AWE follows the rhythm of seasonal themes. We have just completed the summer theme of Abundance and Connection and now enter the fall theme of ​Reflection and Letting Go​. Autumn symbolizes maturity—the time when we gather life’s lessons and integrate them into deeper wisdom. 

Wisdom and humility are inseparably linked. Arrogance blinds us, convincing us that we are something we are not. The arrogant speak brashly, as though they know it all, but in truth they know little because they have not allowed life to teach them. Humility, by contrast, opens the heart to learning. 

King Solomon wrote, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10). Here “fear” does not mean terror or fright, but reverence and awe—a recognition of our limitations in the presence of greatness. From this posture of humility, wisdom begins to grow. 

Wisdom is not the same as knowledge. Knowledge and information can overwhelm, leaving us unable to see the forest for the trees. Nor is it the same as being right. One can be correct about something, but wrong or hurtful in how they express it. Wisdom discerns what is true and essential. It knows how to apply knowledge, to choose the best course of action, to speak the word that heals rather than wounds. 

Solomon, remembered as the wisest of ancient kings, described wisdom in poetic terms: she is more valuable than rubies (Proverbs 3:15), a tree of life to those who embrace her (Proverbs 3:18), and a source of life and security (Proverbs 3:22–23). She will protect and guard you (Proverbs 4:6). Wisdom is to be sought as hidden treasure (Proverbs 2:4). 

Yet wisdom rarely comes through success. It is more often born in the crucible of failure, struggle, and pain. Hardship strips away illusion, forcing us to face our limits and reflect on our lives. Reflection is thoughtful humility, and from that humility, wisdom emerges. We see more clearly what is true, what is best and what is life-giving. 

Take a moment to reflect on your own life – perhaps on a relationship, a child, your work, your health. Use the practice of AWE to guide you: 

Aware – Become aware of the issue before you, naming it honestly. Wonder – Sit with it. Ask questions. Let it speak. Engage – Capture the wisdom you receive. Write it down. Act upon it. 

• St. Augustine: “True wisdom is to know God and to know oneself in His light.” (Confessions)

• Socrates: “The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.” (Dialogues of Plato)

• Tao Te Ching 12: “The wise do not seek fame or gain; they dwell in simplicity and truth.”

• James 1:5: “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” (NIV)

AWE 
Aware.  Which quote speaks to you? 
Wonder.  Contemplate what this means to you.
Enjoy/Engage/Experience.  What is your next step?

• St. Benedict of Nursia: “The way to God is through humility, for the humble are exalted in His sight.” (The Rule of St. Benedict)

• Julian of Norwich: “Humility is the gift that allows us to trust fully in God’s love.” (Revelations of Divine Love)

• Rumi: “Try to be a sheet of paper with nothing on it. Be humble.”
  (The Essential Rumi)

• Chandogya Upanishad 7.1.3: “Humility is the foundation of true knowledge.” 

• Proverbs 22:4: “Humility is the fear of the Lord; its wages are riches and honor and life.” (NIV)

AWE 
Aware.  Which quote speaks to you? 
Wonder.  Contemplate what this means to you.
Enjoy/Engage/Experience.  What is your next step?

• Simone Weil: “Acceptance of what is opens the soul to the reality of God.” (Gravity and Grace)

• Marcus Aurelius: “Accept whatever comes to you woven in the pattern of your destiny, for what could more aptly fit your needs?” (Meditations)

• Rumi: “Try not to resist the changes that come your way. Instead, let life flow through you.” (The Essential Rumi)

• Bhagavad Gita 2:47: “Perform your duty without attachment to results, and you will find peace.”

• Ecclesiastes 7:13: “Consider what God has done: Who can straighten what he has made crooked?” (NIV)

AWE 
Aware.  Which quote speaks to you? 
Wonder.  Contemplate what this means to you.
Enjoy/Engage/Experience.  What is your next step?

• Rumi: “Become humble as dust and ashes, and the door of wisdom will open.”
  (Mathnawi, VI, 2361)

• St. Teresa of Ávila: “Humility is the foundation of wisdom, for it keeps the soul anchored in God.” (Interior Castle)

• Laozi: “The wise are like water, humble and yielding, yet they carve mountains.” (Tao Te Ching 8)

• Henri Nouwen: “The humble, simple, and poor are the ones who often reveal to us the true face of God.” (Here and Now)

• 1 Peter 5:6: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” (NIV)

AWE 
Aware.  Which quote speaks to you? 
Wonder.  Contemplate what this means to you.
Enjoy/Engage/Experience.  What is your next step?

• St. John Chrysostom: “The highest point of philosophy is to be both wise and humble.”
  (Homilies on Matthew, Homily 15)

• Desmond Tutu: “Humility is the recognition that we are all connected, and wisdom is living in harmony with that truth.” (The Book of Forgiving)

• Albert Einstein: “A true genius admits that he knows nothing.” (The New Quotable Einstein, Princeton Univ. Press

• Tao Te Ching 64: “The wise remain small, for in humility they achieve greatness.”

• Philippians 2:3: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.” (NIV)

AWE 
Aware.  Which quote speaks to you? 
Wonder.  Contemplate what this means to you.
Enjoy/Engage/Experience.  What is your next step?

• St. Augustine: “True wisdom is to know God and to know oneself in His light.” (Confessions)

• Chandogya Upanishad 7.1.3: “Humility is the foundation of true knowledge.”

• Simone Weil: “Acceptance of what is opens the soul to the reality of God.” (Gravity and Grace)

• Rumi: “Become humble as dust and ashes, and the door of wisdom will open.”
  (Mathnawi, VI, 2361)

• St. John Chrysostom: “The wise and humble person shines like a lamp, guiding others to God.” (Homilies on Matthew)

• Proverbs 22:4: “Humility is the fear of the Lord; its wages are riches and honor and life.” (NIV)

AWE 
Aware.  Which quote speaks to you? 
Wonder.  Contemplate what this means to you.
Enjoy/Engage/Experience.  What is your next step?