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kanejim57's review
5.0
"...there is something about advocating humility that makes people, especially the author, feel a little uncomfortable... Humility stands alone among the virtues in that as soon as you think you have it, you probably don't. And, yet, the reverse does not follow."
When I first started reading John Dickson's work about humility, I was not sure, at first, where he was going and I was also not sure, at first, if I was going to like it. But, when I read this statement, "The most influential and inspiring people are often marked by humility," I was hooked and looked forward to the rest of the book. Published by Zondervan, Humilitas draws on both Classical philosophy, Christianity, Psychology, and contemporary leadership theory, to make a point about the value of this elusive virtue and character trait that Dickson believes is vital for us today in regards to live a fruitful, and humane, life.
Dickson begins with making a case for humility in the opening chapter of eleven chapters in which he makes the statement that was quoted above and then, takes the reader on a journey to the past and traces the development of humility through a study of Classical philosophy and examines humility's role, and, at times, lack of respect, throughout history. Along the way he cites both historical and contemporary figures in the world of sports, politics, and business to illustrate the place and value of humility.
And while Dickson's historical sketches and perspective is very helpful in setting the table regarding the place and need of humility, it is in the latter chapters of the book that he makes a case for humility as a key part of a person's character development. And key to his case is the impact of Jesus Christ and the Judeo-Christian influence on the concept of humbling one's self and becoming a servant that was unique and was the opposite of the self-promotion of Greek and Roman philosophy.
And while Dickson's breadth of knowledge is made clear, he offers some very practical steps to begin to develop the trait of humility in one's life and concludes with a poignant quote about humility from the late CS Lewis "If anyone would like to acquire humility, I can, I think tell him the first step. The first step is to realize one is proud. And a biggish step, too. At least, nothing whatever can be done before it."
A book in which faith is embraced as a positive and not a negative; in which the motivational aspect of humility is seen as a leadership quality as opposed to the gluttonous view of self-promotion; and that humbling oneself to serve others is a sign of strength and not weakness, Humilitas, is a book that deserves to be read in courses on leadership as well as philosophy and religion.
On my rating scale this book is a '5' a great read.
Notice: I received a copy of this book via the Amazon Vine program. I was not required to write a favorable review.
When I first started reading John Dickson's work about humility, I was not sure, at first, where he was going and I was also not sure, at first, if I was going to like it. But, when I read this statement, "The most influential and inspiring people are often marked by humility," I was hooked and looked forward to the rest of the book. Published by Zondervan, Humilitas draws on both Classical philosophy, Christianity, Psychology, and contemporary leadership theory, to make a point about the value of this elusive virtue and character trait that Dickson believes is vital for us today in regards to live a fruitful, and humane, life.
Dickson begins with making a case for humility in the opening chapter of eleven chapters in which he makes the statement that was quoted above and then, takes the reader on a journey to the past and traces the development of humility through a study of Classical philosophy and examines humility's role, and, at times, lack of respect, throughout history. Along the way he cites both historical and contemporary figures in the world of sports, politics, and business to illustrate the place and value of humility.
And while Dickson's historical sketches and perspective is very helpful in setting the table regarding the place and need of humility, it is in the latter chapters of the book that he makes a case for humility as a key part of a person's character development. And key to his case is the impact of Jesus Christ and the Judeo-Christian influence on the concept of humbling one's self and becoming a servant that was unique and was the opposite of the self-promotion of Greek and Roman philosophy.
And while Dickson's breadth of knowledge is made clear, he offers some very practical steps to begin to develop the trait of humility in one's life and concludes with a poignant quote about humility from the late CS Lewis "If anyone would like to acquire humility, I can, I think tell him the first step. The first step is to realize one is proud. And a biggish step, too. At least, nothing whatever can be done before it."
A book in which faith is embraced as a positive and not a negative; in which the motivational aspect of humility is seen as a leadership quality as opposed to the gluttonous view of self-promotion; and that humbling oneself to serve others is a sign of strength and not weakness, Humilitas, is a book that deserves to be read in courses on leadership as well as philosophy and religion.
On my rating scale this book is a '5' a great read.
Notice: I received a copy of this book via the Amazon Vine program. I was not required to write a favorable review.
ktrip17's review
4.0
Personally, I would actually probably rate this book a 3-3.5 because although there were a lot of really great points and snippets of wisdom, I did wish there was a bit more of that and a little less illustration of the points. Each chapter felt like a couple of powerful sentences surrounded by pages and pages of stories and illustrations. I rounded up to 4 stars because although it wasn’t quite what I was hoping for/expecting, I do think that this was an insightful book and does a good job of making the material accessible to a wide audience.
bsitzer's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed John's style of writing. It's authentic and he makes it clear that this is an exploration for him as well (on the topic of Humility).
The origins of Humility I found interesting. The ancient Greek references and suggesting how modern society has came to be in terms of humility is thought provoking. Especially in terms of what it could mean for the future.
Humility itself is a life-long pursuit. In terms of both the epistemology of it and also the ontological matters which makes it (as John mentions at the end of the book) always come full circle to pride.
The origins of Humility I found interesting. The ancient Greek references and suggesting how modern society has came to be in terms of humility is thought provoking. Especially in terms of what it could mean for the future.
Humility itself is a life-long pursuit. In terms of both the epistemology of it and also the ontological matters which makes it (as John mentions at the end of the book) always come full circle to pride.
lmbartelt's review against another edition
4.0
This book was assigned as part of a leadership group at my church. It's a short book, packed with insight about how humility can be the key to leading and serving. At times it was a bit much from a historical standpoint because the author is an historian but we took the book a few chapters at a time so it wasn't overwhelming.
Certainly not a book I would have picked for myself but I'm glad I read it and had the chance to discuss it with others.
Certainly not a book I would have picked for myself but I'm glad I read it and had the chance to discuss it with others.
readingwithmeredith's review
3.0
There is a lot of great insight and wisdom in this book on humility. Once I could get past the authors tone and writing style, I enjoyed the book more.
lydiajlong's review
4.0
A nice, quick read. I loved John Dickson's friendly tone. When he would begin to reference the historicity of Jesus, he would reassure his non-Christian audience in polite and friendly ways. I appreciated his care for his readers in multiple different aspects; his kindness was evident through his writing! I thought the book was laid out well and the progression of thought was great. Be warned though, you won't really find "practical tips" on how to be humble, which I think is the point! That side of my was eager to read a chapter on the "top 20 ways to be humble tomorrow" but that's not happening. Overall, this is a great stepping stone and will give you a beautiful picture and framework for what a humble life can look like.
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