Every achievement brings a wonderful dividend of confidence. We try greater and
greater ventures, until we are brave enough to accomplish undertakings far
beyond what the average person imagines. When we reach that level of consummate
skill, it is a time of both celebration and extreme caution. We are justified to
rejoice, for this is the level of ability that we have been striving so long and
hard to attain. It is also the time for caution because the foolish will
eventually try something too great for them to handle. Pride and passion will
lead to their downfall.
Therefore, the more accomplished one becomes, the more circumspect one should
be. The higher one's skills, the more precarious one's road. The most powerful
followers of Tao are also among the most humble. By veiling their light until
the proper moments, they escape the greatest danger of all: hubris.
Deng Ming-Dao, "365 Tao - Daily Meditations", #93