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The capital virtue that recognizes our total dependence on God.
A humble person considering his own defects has a lowly opinion of himself and willingly submits himself to God and to others for God’s sake.
Humility is also opposed to immoderate self-abjection, which fails to recognize God’s gifts and use them according to His will.
Humility is one of the seven capital virtues. The others are liberality, brotherly love, meekness, chastity, temperance, and diligence. They are called capital because all the virtues we strive to practice are said to flow from these seven capital virtues. Humility is opposed to the capital sin of pride.
Humility is not the highest of the virtues. That honor, by tradition, belongs to the three theological virtues, faith, hope and particularly charity. However, humility is the first of the capital virtues because it is opposed to pride, the first of the seven capital sins.
Catholic Encyclopedia on Humility
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