“The boaster seems to claim qualities to win reputation, though he either lacks them altogether or has less than he claims. The self-deprecator, by contrast, seems to disavow or to belittle his actual qualities. The intermediate person is straightforward, and therefore truthful in what he says and does, acknowledging the qualities he has without exaggerating or belittling.”
More from Aristotle
“It is the mark of an educated man to look for precision in each class of things just so…”
“Character is determined by choice, not opinion.”
“We cannot learn without pain.”
“What prompts us to action is desire; and desire has three forms—appetite, passion, wish.”