“Selfishness is one of the principal fruits of the corruption of human nature; and it is obvious that selfishness disposes us to over-rate our good qualities, and to overlook or extenuate our defects.”
Boy, ain’t that the truth. We are all guilty here, or at least most of us are. Don’t take Wilberforce’s words to mean that you must work to tear yourself down or that you shouldn’t be proud of your good qualities. He doesn’t say that at all. He merely suggests that we should be aware of our own self-focus. We all have good qualities, or strengths, but we should be humble about it and not think of ourselves too highly. Usually, somewhere, there’s someone else who’s just as good, if not better. And, at the same time, at least be aware of your weaknesses or, as he says, “defects.” You have them. So do I. The wise person is aware of them, and at least works to mitigate their impact on our actions. Even better, find others to travel life’s journey who are strong where you are weak.