That demon!

From Spurgeon's sermon, "Fear Not"

That demon of pride was born with us,
and it will not die one hour before us.

It is so woven into the very warp and woof of our nature,
that until we are wrapped in our winding-sheets we shall
never hear the last of it.

If any man tells me that he is humble, I know him to be
profoundly proud; and if any man will not acknowledge this
truth- that he is desperately inclined to self-exaltation;
let him know that his denial of this truth is the best proof of it.

We do not hate flattery, any one of us- we all like it.

We do not like it if it is labeled "flattery";
but we like it if it is given in a little underhand fashion.

We all love praise.