Humility is the first sign of wisdom

At one door I took great pains to get a man to buy a book. He gave back the Gita, so I gave him a smaller book. When I asked for a donation, he said he had no money. I asked for a penny and explained that it would give him sukriti. Finally, he came back with a handful of change. However, he also tried to hand back the Chant and Be Happy, saying, "Why don't you give it to someone else?"

I said, "I would except that our aim is to give them to the most intelligent people."

He said, "That rules me out."

I said, "This book teaches that humility is the first sign of wisdom. Since you are showing humility, this proves that you are intelligent." Finally, with a smile, he relented and took the book….

Vaisesika Dasa