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Symposium Theme
This year's Arts & Letters Symposium takes as its focus "Discovery through Humility," inspired by CBU Provost Dr. Charles Sands's choice of "humility" (taken from Psalm 25:9) as the guiding theme for the 2025-2026 academic year. Here are some thoughts about cultivating humility* within our scholarly and creative work for you to ruminate on:
Discover (v.): 1. To find (something or someone) unexpectedly or in the course of a search; 2. To become aware of (a fact or situation); 3. To be the first to find or observe something; 4. To divulge (a secret).
Humility (n.): 1. The quality of having a modest view of one's value or importance.
Arts and Letters (n.): 1. The study of the arts and literature, including visual, performing, and literary arts. 2. A term similar to the liberal arts, referring to degrees that teach critical thinking, communication, creative expression, and interdisciplinary connections.
Image description: A white man in a gray shirt with his hands on a Bible. (Image by pvproductions on Freepik)
He guides the humble in what
is right
and teaches them his way.
-Psalm 25:9 (NIV)
Image description: A wooden profile of a human with cogs and a magnifying glass.
The only wisdom we can hope to acquire is the wisdom of humility: humility is endless.
-T. S. Eliot, "East Coker" from The Four Quartets (1940)
Image description: A white man holds out dirt-covered hands towards the camera.
Image description: A white man holds out dirt-covered hands towards the camera.
Humility and human come from the Latin word, humus, dirt. A human being is someone, as we are reminded on Ash Wednesday, taken out of the dirt. A humble person is one who recognizes that and even rejoices in it!
-Richard Rohr, Radical Grace (1995)
Image description: The word "Humility" written on a wooden board shaped like an arrow, nailed to a broken tree. (Image by Felip Frazao - Fotlia)
Image description: The word "Humility" written on a wooden board shaped like an arrow, nailed to a broken tree. (Image by Felip Frazao - Fotlia)
Humility matters. It is at the core of our experience of life in Christ. So central is this quality of being that it may be said that humility is for a Christian what enlightenment is for a Buddhist, realization is for a Hindu, sincerity is for a Confucian, righteousness is for a Jew, surrender is for a Sufi. Humility is what others see of our purity of heart.
Humility matters. It is at the core of our experience of life in Christ. So central is this quality of being that it may be said that humility is for a Christian what enlightenment is for a Buddhist, realization is for a Hindu, sincerity is for a Confucian, righteousness is for a Jew, surrender is for a Sufi. Humility is what others see of our purity of heart.
-Mary Margaret Funk, Humility Matters for Practicing the Spiritual Life (2005)
Image description: A golden-skinned woman in running shoes against a golden landscape prepares to step forward.
If anyone would like to acquire humility, I can, I think, tell him the first step. The first step is to realise one is proud.
-C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (1952)
Image description: The hands of multiple people with different skin tones touching each other in the middle. (Image by rawpixel.com on Freepik)
Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less.
-Rick Warren, The Purpose-Driven Life (2002)
* Definitions from Oxford Languages (https://languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en/)
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