Fold Your Pride

Fold your pride
Like a letter that has served its purpose,
Tuck it quietly into your pocket,
And walk among ordinary people.

The loudest mountain
Still bows beneath the sky.
Why then should your heart
Stand taller than your own shadow?

Learn the beauty of a simple life,
To greet without looking down,
To listen without preparing a reply,
To wear humility more often than applause.

For the world has a curious way
Of correcting swollen hearts.

The fool you mocked today
May become tomorrow's teacher.
The stranger you ignored
May hold the key you desperately seek.

Do not laugh too quickly,
For fortune enjoys changing seats.
The throne you polish with pride
Can become the dust beneath your feet.

Fools have overturned kingdoms before,
Not because they possessed wisdom,
But because the wise
Mistook arrogance for strength.

The greatest deception is this:
To believe you cannot be deceived.

So fold your pride
Before life folds it for you.
Choose humility
Before humiliation chooses you.

For fools do not always lose,
sometimes they expose...
those who only thought
they were wise.