Truth

Egotism is an alphabet of one letter

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This old proverb, now labeled as Scottish, obviously
is referring to the letter ‘I’, for an egotist only thinks of himself or
herself. Though not specifically listed in a book which is now available before
the late 19th century, the thought predates this. In Plain Matters of Fact, Undenied and Undeniable,
‘Containing Constructive Journies from the Richmond (VA) Inquirer of 1828’; on
page 40, in an article titled ‘Henry Clay and the Bargain’:                                                         

“Mr. Clay, it is
thought, presents himself the most devoted egotist upon earth? The letter ‘I’
is the most favorite one in the
whole alphabet,
with Mr. Clay.”

The earliest available mention of this exact
proverb in print is actually in a series of proverbs in The Insurance Journal, Hartford Connecticut, January, 1885, in an
article ‘Siftings from Chaff’. In
1893 it was listed in a book titled Proverbs,
Maxims and Phrases of All Ages: Classified Subjectively and Arranged Alphabetically, Volume 1,
Compiled by Robert Christy, published in London and New York, on page 293.

Faith

We shouldn’t blow our own horn

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“Don’t blow your own
horn, or trumpet,” is metaphor found originally in the Bible. In Matthew 6:2,), in
the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warns against the practice of proclaiming our
own virtues to be praised by others for our charitable gifts using strikingly
similar phraseology. The New World
Translation is closest on this:

“…When you go making gifts of mercy, do not blow a trumpet ahead of you, just
as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be
glorified by men…” Remember that the
original text on this was written in the early 1st century, so
naturally the wording would be slightly different, but the meaning is the same. So let us be humble and
thankful for all God has blessed us with and give of ourselves without
self-glorification.

Humility

Humility must guide us

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We have all heard the old
adage “Don’t blow your own horn, or trumpet,” or “Don’t toot your
own horn.” The thought which formed this metaphor is originally from the Bible. In Matthew 6:2, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warns against the
practice of proclaiming our own virtues to be praised by others for our
charitable gifts using strikingly similar phraseology. The New World Translation is closest on this:

“…When you go making gifts of mercy, do not blow a trumpet ahead of you, just
as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be
glorified by men…” Remember that the original text on this was written in the early 1st century AD, so naturally the wording would be slightly different, but the meaning is the same. Knights should be humble.