Intellectual Humility Poem

By Sue Ellson

I could be right
I could be wrong
With intellectual humility
I won’t sound the gong

I’ll look, I’ll listen
I’ll see other points of view
I’ll be open to ideas
And seek the new

I’ll acknowledge mistakes
Apologise if misconstrued
Adjust and be flexible
Be aware and valued

I do not have all the answers
On every topic around
I’ll maximise my strengths
But keep my feet on the ground

I choose to respect
Alternative perspectives
Knowing others is intelligent
And that includes my relatives

To truly be me
I must know myself
Wisdom helps manage
The choices I am dealt

Humble I will be
With all ideas
My mind’s capacity
Manages what it hears

Without judgment
And with empathy
I’ll be an active participant
Of intellectual humility

Today I attended a networking event hosted by the Glen Eira City Council (local council). I caught up with Marie-Claire Ross, a Leadership Coach I met more than 20 years ago at a business event. We started chatting about the concept of leadership and she mentioned the term ‘intellectual humility‘ and my mind lit up!

I have been attending the ‘Wisdom Within’ course at the Melbourne School of Philosophy and this week, we covered ‘Knowing Thyself’ and the difference between being and becoming and how ‘Knowing others is intelligence; Knowing yourself is true wisdom’ (a quote from Lao Tzu). So I have reflected on both of these topics and created this poem, that I hope you can relate to and think about when dealing with some of the more difficult people we meet in life. With love, Sue Ellson 🙂

Photo: Water puddle in the Cloudehill Garden in Olinda on 6 January 2025.

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