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Shorter Rules

St Basil the Great, tr. Lowther Clarke, 1925

Rule 198: What is Humility and How Shall We Attain It? (R. 62)

Humility is to consider all men superior to oneself according to the apostolic rule. A man attains it first by remembering the commandment of the Lord: “Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly of heart¹ (which He both showed and taught often and in many ways); secondly by believing His promise: “He that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”² Lastly by paying even and ceaseless attention in every matter to practices of humility and exercising himself therein. For even thus by constant practice a man will find it difficult to acquire the condition of humility; so at least we find generally with the arts. The same manner of acquiring applies to every virtue that is according to the commandment of our Lord Jesus Christ.

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