The awareness of our own strength makes us modest.

Hear the quiet yet profound words of Paul Cézanne, painter of light and form, seeker of truth in brush and canvas: “The awareness of our own strength makes us modest.” In this short utterance lies a deep paradox, for one might think that the knowledge of strength would lead to pride, to arrogance, to the boasting of one’s own power. Yet Cézanne reveals the deeper truth: when a man truly sees the breadth of his strength, he also sees the vastness of what lies beyond him, and in that vision, humility blossoms.

For strength, when only half-known, intoxicates. The youth who first tastes victory believes himself invincible, and pride swells his chest. But the one who has tested his limits, who has struggled long and seen both triumph and failure, learns another lesson. He realizes that his power is real, but not infinite; his achievements are great, but not all-encompassing. It is in this awareness, in this balance of confidence and limitation, that true modesty is born.

Cézanne himself, though revered as one of the fathers of modern art, was known for his humility before nature and the endless task of creation. He once said he wished to “astonish Paris with an apple,” confessing that even the simplest subject held depths beyond mastery. His strength as an artist lay in his vision, his endurance, and his relentless pursuit of truth. Yet this very strength revealed to him the infinite complexity of the world, making him modest in the face of the mystery he sought to capture.

History offers us many mirrors for this teaching. Think of George Washington, who at the height of his power as commander of the American armies, could have seized the crown and made himself king. But because he was aware of his strength, he chose restraint, returning to his farm at Mount Vernon. His modesty came not from weakness, but from his clear understanding of the weight and consequence of power. In that awareness, he proved greater than many conquerors who boasted loudly of their triumphs.

So too in the life of Mahatma Gandhi. He led millions, shook an empire, and yet dressed in the garb of the poor. His strength lay not only in his will, but in his awareness of that will. He understood what it could accomplish, but he also knew its limits without truth, without unity, without faith. And in that awareness, he walked humbly, not to diminish himself, but to magnify the cause of his people. His modesty did not weaken him; it made him invincible.

Understand, O seeker, that false pride is born of ignorance. The arrogant man does not truly know his strength; he only imagines it. The one who truly knows it, who has tested it and measured it, is modest, for he sees both its power and its boundaries. He does not need to boast, for his actions speak louder than his words. He does not need to crush others, for he is secure in himself. His modesty is not weakness, but a deeper strength, a calmness that endures.

Let this be your lesson: cultivate awareness of your true powers, your talents, your resilience. Do not hide them from yourself, nor exaggerate them. Look upon them honestly. Then, when you see them clearly, walk humbly, knowing that they are gifts to be used, not weapons to be flaunted. Speak less of what you can do, and simply do it. For in modesty born of strength, there is a dignity that commands respect greater than any boast.

Thus is the teaching of Cézanne: to know one’s strength is not to grow proud, but to become modest. For the strongest souls are those who need not shout their power—they carry it quietly, like a hidden flame, steady and eternal, lighting the way for all who follow.