Messilat Yesharim The Path of The Just by Rabbi Moses Hayyim Luzzatto
The principle of humility is that a man shall not think highly of himself for any reason whatsoever. This is the very opposite of what we understand by pride, and equally contrasted to each other are the consequences which follow from each of these traits respectively.
Upon examination, we find that humility depends upon both thought and action. A man must be humble at heart before he can adopt the ways of the meek. Whoever wishes to conduct himself humbly, without being humble at heart, is only an evil pretender, and of the company of those hypocrites who are the bane of mankind....
Humility in thought means that a man should be wholly persuaded of his unworthiness to be the recipient of praise and glory. A man of this sort will surely find it impossible to consider himself superior to any others. This attitude toward himself he will have not only because he is aware of his failings, but also because he realizes the insignificance of his attainments...
So God created the human beings in [the divine] image, creating [them] in the image of God, creating them male and female.
Then the Eternal God fashioned the man--dust from the soil--and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, so that the man became a living being.
"Anavah-Humility: Living a Life of Humility" by Rabbi Paul F .Cohen. Mussar Commentary p. 322
Within the Mussar teachings, anavah is not defined as 'making oneself small.' instead, humility is defined as recognizing the exact extent of our abilities, importance, and status...
"Anavah- Humility: Shabbat as a Return to Our Authentic Selves" by Rabbi Michelle Pearlman and Rabbi Sharon Mars in Mussar Torah Commentary, p.3, 6
Just as the Torah begins with Parashat B’reishit, Mussar practice begins with the middah of anavah. All other middot are accessed through this core character trait. The middah of anavah is essential for living with integrity. When we think of humility, we may imagine someone who is the picture of modesty and meekness. However, in Mussar, humility is not defined as being so humble that you disappear; rather, it is about having all of your character traits in balance so that the inner light of the soul shines pure and clear as originally intended. As Mussar teacher Alan Morinis puts it, “Being humble doesn’t mean being nobody: it just means being no more of a somebody than you ought to be.”
...In our own lives, we hide our authentic selves from the truth of our lives. When we live out of balance, despite the fact that we may be falling apart on the inside or on the outside, we betray our lives. We take up either too much or too little space; either we take away space from others, or we abandon them when they need us. Our sacred connection to anything important—our families, our communities, our work—all suffer when we neglect to live life with anavah in balance. Celebrated with intention, Shabbat provides the time, space, and opportunity to reconnect to our core essence, reacquire a sense of proportion, and connect anew with the people and projects in our lives with both humility and presence. Anavah, approaching our lives with humility, means not taking up too much space in the Garden, not trying to fool others with some disguise of our true selves; but to honestly offer our truest selves to the people and work we encounter in our lives.
(יח) לִפְנֵי־שֶׁ֥בֶר גָּא֑וֹן וְלִפְנֵ֥י כִ֝שָּׁל֗וֹן גֹּ֣בַהּ רֽוּחַ׃ (יט) ט֣וֹב שְׁפַל־ר֭וּחַ אֶת־[עֲנָוִ֑ים] (עניים) מֵחַלֵּ֥ק שָׁ֝לָ֗ל אֶת־גֵּאִֽים׃
(18) Pride goes before ruin,
Arrogance, before failure. (19) Better to be humble and among the lowly
Than to share spoils with the proud.
Tales of The Hasidim Later Masters, Martin Buber, p.249-50
Rabbi Bunim taught: Every person should have two pockets. In one pocket should be a piece of paper saying: "I am but dust and ashes." When one is feeling too proud, reach into this pocket and take out this paper and read it. In the other pocket should be a piece of paper saying: "For my sake was the world created." When one is feeling disheartened and lowly, reach into this pocket and take this paper out and read it. We are each the joining of two worlds. We are fashioned from clay, but our spirit is the breath of Adonai.
Marianne Williamson, “Our Greatest Fear”
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves,
Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, handsome, talented and fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us.
It is not just in some; it is in everyone.
And, as we let our own light shine,
we consciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our fear, our presence automatically liberates others.