Why is pride often seen as a negative virtue?

Question

When is pride a good quality and when isn't it?

Answer 1

pride isn't good when it leads you to think you are better than someone else for no apparant reason, but your own selfish pride.

pride can be good, when you have pride in yourself for an achievement, you can have pride in your country and have pride 4 other people.  

Answer 2

pride is good if u deserves it and u deserves it when u have proved something really big.

It isnt good when you cant or havent proven it but still holds it.

It is seen as a negative virtue as it might block you from further thinking.

Answer 3

Pride, in a definitional sense, is being aware of what makes you good.  Few people consider this by itself to be a bad thing.  An olympic-level runner SHOULD be proud of running fast... it would be closer to delusion to believe otherwise.

If pride itself isn't necessarily a problem, it is associated with one.  And that is arrogance (what the ancient Greeks would call hubris).  It is the notion that being good in one way makes you superior in other ways.  That you can treat other people or authorities with contempt.

The opposite of arrogance is modesty.  Modesty is just as impossible without pride as arrogance is.  It comes from the same root as 'moderation'... a modest person knows what makes him good, but doesn't exaggerate that point.

So the real issue is not being proud, but rather what pride means to you.  A person who cannot resist taking more for himself than he is due for his greatness is a social thief, and no more welcome than any other kind of thief.  It is unfortunate that so many mistake the precursor for the crime itself.

Answer 4

Pride is seen as negative because with Pride, may come conceitedness. people can be full of pride, always thinking they are better than anyone else. With sports, being competitive, people have their pride and show off.

People can have pride and not be conceited. that's the best way to go. You know you're a positive person, have great accomplishments, you deserve all the pride you can get. But don't show off or rub it in that you are better.  

There's a fine line.

Pride is a great thing but it's how you use it and when you use it.

Answer 5

Pride is often seen as a negative virtue because its not actually a necessity in life, its just an added bonus. Pride can be a good quality though, especially when having pride as a group, ie: pride for your country or community. However, it can be not so good when pride gets in the way of saying sorry or sorting out a long dispute...

Answer 6

Pride in ones self is usually one believing that they are more than reality.

Pride in anothers accomplishments would be the best use of pride until it leads a person to believe in themselves above reality.

Answer 7

Pride is good only when you are proud of yourself for achieving something or you can be proud of someone else for achieving a goal or being able to do something really impressive.Pride that goes to the extent of thinking that you are more important than others and look down on them because you think you are superior is not good at all.

Answer 8

Pride leads to arrogance. Arrogance leads to zealotry. Zealotry presents narrow-mindedness, irrationality, dictatorship.

Answer 9

Pride, like wine, is good in moderation,

filling your soul with a healthy zest for life,

setting free your shackled passions for the world to behold

A gift from the god's; sweet nectar of life

the sensual world's magic potion

Take it enough and your fully alive

too much and your lost in the ocean

The ocean of pleasure thats never enough

but always just what you desire

craving more and more you get what you want

your soul is the fuel for the fire