How to Read “When you are above and do not become arrogant, you are high but not in danger”
Kami ni ite ogorazareba takakushite ayaukarazu
Meaning of “When you are above and do not become arrogant, you are high but not in danger”
This proverb means that even if you hold a high position or power, your status won’t become unstable if you stay humble and don’t become arrogant.
When people in power become arrogant, they earn resentment from those around them. This increases the danger of eventually losing their position.
However, no matter how high your position is, if you don’t forget humility, you can maintain people’s trust. This allows you to keep your position stable.
This proverb is used for organizational leaders, managers, or anyone who has achieved success and gained attention. It serves as a warning to those whose attitudes change after success or promotion.
It’s also used to praise people who maintain humility despite holding high positions. Even in modern society, this remains a universal lesson about the importance of humility when gaining status or power.
Origin and Etymology
This proverb is believed to originate from the ancient Chinese classic “I Ching” (Book of Changes). The I Ching is an important Confucian text that has been passed down since before the Common Era.
In a chapter called “Qian,” there is a passage that states: “When you are above and do not become arrogant, you are high but not in danger. When you are below and do not worry, you are low but not in danger.”
The “Qian” chapter explains the way of heaven and discusses leadership and how rulers should behave. It teaches that if those in high positions don’t lose their humility, they won’t be in danger despite their elevated status.
This philosophy formed the core of political thought in ancient China about how those with power should conduct themselves.
The teaching came to Japan along with Confucian thought and spread as part of the samurai class education. During the Edo period, feudal lords and samurai valued it as an important lesson to learn.
The idea that those in higher positions should be more humble matched well with traditional Japanese values and took deep root. This proverb has been passed down through generations not just as practical wisdom, but as a profound teaching about human character and virtue.
Usage Examples
- Even after becoming department head, his attitude of listening to voices from the field truly embodies “When you are above and do not become arrogant, you are high but not in danger”
- Seeing his unchanged humility despite becoming successful and famous reminds me of the saying “When you are above and do not become arrogant, you are high but not in danger”
Universal Wisdom
Why do people become arrogant when they reach high positions? It’s because they mistake power and success for their own personal value.
The higher their position rises, the more praise and obedience they receive from others. They start believing they are special beings. This is a human weakness that hasn’t changed from ancient times to today.
However, history has repeatedly proven one truth: those who become arrogant will inevitably fall. Arrogant leaders eventually find people’s hearts turning away from them.
They become isolated and get tripped up. This happens because humans instinctively dislike arrogant people and trust humble ones. This is a fundamental law of human society.
This proverb has been passed down for thousands of years because it serves as both a warning to those with power and insight into the essence of human relationships.
No matter how high your position, it’s only temporary. However, the virtue of humility is an enduring value that comes from within a person.
Our ancestors understood that what protects a person is not external status but internal character. This proverb contains the profound insight that true stability comes not from the height of one’s position, but from the state of one’s heart.
When AI Hears This
When you view people in high positions as control systems, a surprisingly engineering truth emerges. In control engineering, “negative feedback” that automatically corrects when a system deviates from its goal is the key to stability.
For example, an air conditioner strengthens cooling when room temperature rises above the setting and weakens it when it drops. Without this self-correction function, the room would become either scorching hot or freezing cold.
Arrogance is exactly the loss of this feedback function. When your position becomes high, criticism from others and negative information about reality become harder to receive.
In other words, you stop getting correction signals that say “you’re deviating from your goal right now.” Control engineering calls this an “open-loop system,” which cannot respond to external changes and always runs out of control.
In fact, NASA’s rocket control detects and corrects trajectory deviations every 0.1 seconds. If this function stops, the rocket becomes uncontrollable within seconds.
On the other hand, humility is the attitude of intentionally accepting feedback. By collecting information with the premise that “I might be wrong,” you can constantly make course corrections.
The higher your position, the greater your influence, so even slight deviations can lead to massive organizational chaos. That’s exactly why people in higher positions need more sensitive feedback mechanisms—in other words, humility.
Ancient wisdom perfectly matches modern stability control theory.
Lessons for Today
What this proverb teaches you today is that success and promotion aren’t destinations—they’re the beginning of new responsibilities.
When you gain attention on social media, achieve results in a project, or get promoted—these moments are chances to stop and reflect on yourself.
In modern society, success is easily visible and opportunities that stimulate our need for approval have increased. That’s why we need to consciously make efforts to maintain humility.
Specifically: express gratitude to those around you especially when you succeed. Listen sincerely to opinions from people with less experience than you. Have the courage to admit failures without hiding them.
These small practices will stabilize your position.
What’s important is understanding that humility isn’t weakness—it’s strength. The attitude of knowing your limits and continuing to learn from others keeps you growing.
Position and titles are given from the outside, but humility is something you cultivate from within. That is the real power that will protect you, no matter what heights you reach.
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