SECRET 14

Death to Modesty

“My dear Watson,” said [Holmes], “I cannot agree with those who rank modesty among the virtues. To the logician all things should be seen exactly as they are, and to underestimate one’s self is as much a departure from truth as to exaggerate one’s own powers.”

—“THE ADVENTURE OF THE GREEK INTERPRETER”

 

 

 

 

 

No one ever accused Sherlock Holmes of being modest, much less someone who lacked confidence. At times his attitude was interpreted as rude, cocky, and even arrogant. But in reality, Holmes was simply being honest. He was the best, he knew it, and he saw no reason to hide the fact; it would be illogical to do so.

Modesty would also have been devastating to Holmes’s business. Remember, he wasn’t just any old private detective; he was a consulting detective. Other professionals and members of Scotland Yard came to him when they were stumped. What good would it have done for him to adopt an “Aw shucks, it was nothing” attitude? He was extraordinary, and to pay the bills, he had to let word get around. He wasn’t going to let a false sense of humility stand in the way and block his success.

Excessive modesty will get you nowhere. In fact, it can be just as damaging as excessive arrogance. If you keep downplaying your achievements and telling people, “It’s no big deal,” sooner or later they’ll start to believe you. At the same time, you don’t want to walk around like a proud peacock, alienating your friends and building a reputation as a world-class jerk. So what’s the solution? What’s the difference between arrogance and confidence?

In his best-selling collection of dialogues The Art of Happiness , the Dalai Lama addresses that very question. He distinguishes between two types of ego—one that focuses on selfish desires and another that focuses on service to others. “In order to fulfill that wish to be of service, one needs a strong sense of self, and a sense of self-confidence. This kind of self-confidence is the kind that leads to positive consequences.”

The Dalai Lama’s explanation of positive self-confidence is one we see illustrated in the character of Holmes. Although his manner could sometimes be abrasive, for the most part the detective knew how to communicate his excellence in a way that didn’t sabotage his career. He didn’t walk up to his clients and say, “I’m the best.” Instead, he demonstrated his abilities on the spot—usually through his now-famous habit of telling clients their life story after sizing them up for only a few seconds and seizing on the tiniest detail of their appearance. Holmes was constantly performing, showing people that he could back up his confident words with actions. But he also knew when to stop talking and get to work.

Holmes also rarely displayed his prodigious skills for purely egotistical purposes; he didn’t go out of his way to humiliate people or shame them with his superior intellect. Displaying his talent to new clients was a way of convincing them he was the right man for the job.

Nor did Holmes ever claim to know something that he didn’t actually know. His extreme self-confidence was always genuine and rooted in real knowledge. In other words, he was prepared. He knew he had done his homework, both literally and figuratively—remember the analysis of the 140 different types of tobacco ash?