Page 239 - https://ia800806.us.archive.org/12/items/mwk-eng-book/Leading-a-Spiritual-Life.pdf

Confidence Yes,

Overconfidence No

Over-confidence is a common flaw in the character of those
who are lacking in humility. The virtue of modesty makes you
a realist – a person who is cut down to size.

onfidence is good, but over-confidence is bad.
CConfidence is very important in life for both men
and women. But when a person becomes over-confident,
he takes such great risks as are beyond his capacity to
deal with successfully. It is like fighting against the laws
of nature.
Why does a person become over-confident? The
reason lies in over-assessment of his capabilities.
Sometimes people rate their competence too highly and
plunge into situations that are beyond their control.

One historical example is that of the wrong decision-
making of Napoleon Bonaparte, the erstwhile Emperor
of France. He used to say that the word ‘impossible’ was
to be found only in the dictionary of fools. This was
sheer over-confidence and led him into the ill-conceived
attempt to invade Russia in the winter of 1812. The
Russian army at that time was not very strong, but
they had the advantage over the French army in being

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