The Art of Worldly Wisdom(107)

Show no Self-satisfaction. You must neither be discontented with yourself, which is  weak-spirited,  nor self-satisfied, which is folly. Self-satisfaction arises mostly from ignorance: and it would be a happy ignorance not without its advantages if it did not injure our credit. Because a person cannot achieve the superlative perfections of others, he contents himself with any mediocre talent of his own. Distrust is wise, and even useful, either to evade mishaps or to afford consolation when they come, for a misfortune cannot surprise a man who has already feared it. Even Homer nods at times, and Alexander fell from his lofty state and out of his illusions. Things depend on many circumstances: what constitutes triumph in one set may cause a defeat in another. In the midst of all incorrigible folly remains the same with empty self-satisfaction, blossoming, flowering, and running all to seed.