Modesty
Modesty and modest have two rather different meanings. The word is used as an antonym of boastfulness; a modest person does not draw attention to their own real or supposed accomplishments and desirable attributes. Terms related to "modesty" in this sense include "humility", "shyness", and "simplicity". A related usage is for some object or attribute that is, in fact, not very desirable; a "modest dwelling" would describe a hut, but not a palace.
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Famous quotes containing the word modesty:
“Although modesty is natural to man, it is not natural to children. Modesty only begins with the knowledge of evil.”
—Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778)
“My feelings about my work are, on the whole, not unfriendly. Boundless modesty and what people call “humility” are virtues scarcely conducive to one’s complacently dwelling upon one’s own work—particularly when one lacks them.”
—Vladimir Nabokov (1899–1977)
“If modesty disappeared, so would exhibitionism.”
—Mason Cooley (b. 1927)