About this quote

Stop polishing an image while your skills lag behind — a fall will expose what you avoided fixing. Ask where pride is protecting bad habits, then trade excuses for concrete work and preparation.

When to use it

• In a team debrief after early success: say, 'Human pride is not worthwhile. There is always something lying in wait to take the wind out of it,' then schedule a risk review and skills training.
• When you feel tempted to boast about a win, repeat the line to yourself and list three weaknesses you need to fix before celebrating.
• Use the sentence as a short journal prompt: identify where pride has kept you from learning, then write one concrete step to change it.
• Tell a friend who’s overconfident before a big pitch: 'Human pride is not worthwhile. There is always something lying in wait to take the wind out of it,' and offer to run a practice session.