A Solo Nobody Enjoys
"Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth." -- Prov. 27:2
Self-praise is an expression of vulgar vanity. You can depend upon it, the self-praiser is not worthy of the praise he bestows upon himself. Instead of possessing the merit for which he praises himself, you will find as a rule that he is most lacking in that particular respect.
Bragging is poor business. It never makes anybody think more of you. Nor does it ever enhance anybody’s opinion of you. Suppose you do possess merit? You can’t make people believe it by telling them about it. They have to see it in you and feel it, or it is not there for them.
Some one speaks of "the modesty of high goodness." High goodness is always modest. It is never boastful, and never makes a vain show of itself. It never clamours for public recognition. It does not need to. It is like a rose. A rose does not need to advertise itself. It has a self- revealing fragrance which makes its presence known wherever you put it. If you are a good man, if you are a good woman, it is not necessary for you to advertise the fact. It will advertise itself.
"The sufficiency of my merit is to know that my merit is not sufficient," said St. Augustine. The man who feels that his merit is not sufficient, and who feels that he is least deserving of praise, is the man who most deserves it.
You may deserve praise, but let another do your praising and not yourself. Likely another will, if you keep quiet. But if you begin singing an anthem of self-praise, you will be left to sing it alone. Songs of self-praise are always sung as a solo. The soloist may enjoy it, but nobody else does.
