Most egotistic and modest people you have met?

steddyeddy

Most modest person I met is a physics lecturer who used to lecture me on physics. The man set up the young scientist awards and invented the smoke alarm. The man is an absolute gent and a very modest and down to earth man. He didn't even mention his claim to fame I only found out about it through someone else.

The most egotistical has to be a lawyer that our department consults with on some issues. He insists on being called doctor whatever (having a PhD), insists on being flown first class everywhere and talks introduces himself to people at parties as being a bit higher up than the scientists.

Links234

ME! I'm the most modest person who has ever lived! Tales of my modesty will be told for centuries!

gavindublin

I dont remember the modest ones.

the most egotistical one is definitely Russel Brand. What a **** wit.

steddyeddy

gavindublin wrote: »

I dont remember the modest ones.

the most egotistical one is definitely Russel Brand. What a **** wit.

I agree there. Complete and utter twonk.

mosstin

steddyeddy wrote: »

Most modest person I met is a physics lecturer who used to lecture me on physics. The man set up the young scientist awards and invented the smoke alarm. The man is an absolute gent and a very modest and down to earth man. He didn't even mention his claim to fame I only found out about it through someone else.

The most egotistical has to be a lawyer that our department consults with on some issues. He insists on being called doctor whatever (having a PhD), insists on being flown first class everywhere and talks introduces himself to people at parties (we work in scientific research) as being a bit higher up than the scientists.

Perhaps he means 'taller' than the scientists?

steddyeddy

mosstin wrote: »

Perhaps he means 'taller' than the scientists?

He was actually ha ha. Just to point out (and it goes without saying hopefully) I have met some d1ckish scientists and very down to earth lawyers.

Tail Docker

So, Eddy, you never mentioned before what line of work you're in. You're an intellectual eh? Golly. News to me anyway.

mosstin

steddyeddy wrote: »

He was actually ha ha. Just to point out (and it goes without saying hopefully) I have met some d1ckish scientists and very down to earth lawyers.

Short lawyers you mean?

speedboatchase

Why is "modesty" considered a virtue? I much prefer people who say of the accomplishments: "I worked hard and I deserved it."

steddyeddy

Tail Docker wrote: »

So, Eddy, you never mentioned before what line of work you're in. You're an intellectual eh? Golly. News to me anyway.

No such thing as an intellectual.

steddyeddy

speedboatchase wrote: »

Why is "modesty" considered a virtue? I much prefer people who say of the accomplishments: "I worked hard and I deserved it."

Well I don't think it's a virtue necessarily. I do think egotistical people often have an ego blown out of proportion with their accomplishments.

Tail Docker

steddyeddy wrote: »

No such thing as an intellectual.

Scientist? :pac:

steddyeddy

Tail Docker wrote: »

Scientist? :pac:

What about them?

Banjo String

I've met Niall Quinn on numerous occasions over the years, he lives locally and can be seen in the village regularly.

Downright nice and modest individual.

MRnotlob606

a girl I was speaking with recently, she won a scholarship to trinity. .But just said she was in college in Dublin. I told her that she should be proud of herself as it was a great achievement.I found her modest.

steddyeddy

Same goes for Daniel Day Lewis and Chris Hadfield. Brendan O Carrol is supposed to have a bit of an ego but im not sure.

gugleguy

Modest:Caught in a torrential downpour in cnoc na feola at the base of the mourne mountains a lady stopped her car to pick me up on my way to the village community centre. Around 5 years ago now.
Egotistical: pat rabbitte.see why in cabinet reshuffle thread in Politics forum.can't paste in link using a smartphone.

Call Me Jimmy

MRnotlob606 wrote: »

a girl I was speaking with recently, she won a scholarship to trinity. .But just said she was in college in Dublin. I told her that she should be proud of herself as it was a great achievement.I found her modest.

No need to brag about it!

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

steddyeddy wrote: »

Most modest person I met is a physics lecturer who used to lecture me on physics. The man set up the young scientist awards and invented the smoke alarm..

Duane Pearsall and Stanley Bennett invented the smoke alarm and Tony Scott was a founder of the Young Scientist. Which one lectured you?

steddyeddy

Uriah Muscular Sunroof wrote: »

Duane Pearsall and Stanley Bennett invented the smoke alarm and Tony Scott was a founder of the Young Scientist. Which one lectured you?

Tony scott invented the ionisation smoke alarm. Sorry I should have pointed that out. The smoke alarm is also mentioned.


Here's a great video of Tony

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRsJsEs59jQ

Hotfail.com

I know plenty of people I'd call "slyly egotistical", wouldn't exactly tell the world that they're great but are constantly insinuating that they're better than you in their speech and mannerisms.

To be honest I can't think of many people I'd call modest...

bumper234

Most modest: Brian O'Driscoll

Most egotistical: Pighead

pq0n1ct4ve8zf5

A friend of my parents is a really successful visual artist, constantly in demand for exhibitions all over the world, getting write-ups in journals and stuff, actually earning a more than decent living from it too which is very impressive. You'd never know it though, my dad said he's gone to big Biennales and just run into him there, he'd never have mentioned he had work in it. Given the amount of networking and self-promotion that goes on in that line of work I find it doubly impressive.

I won't mention the line of work the egotist is in, but it is a fairly prestigious and demanding job. But he seems to think it makes his opinion on EVERYTHING more valid than everyone else's, and to make him a more important person than the hoi polloi. Especially in work contexts, his whole way of dealing with people is so dismissive and arrogant, I'm not sure if he realises how close he's been to getting a belt on several occasions. There's no fecking way he would have got where he is if he behaved that way on the way up too, so he must know he's doing it.

Jawgap

I worked in one of the better hotels in Dublin during the late 80s / early 90s......

The most modest I met were Richard Harris and Paul McGrath..........thorough gentleman, polite and no airs or graces.

The most egotistical.......any number of the politicians who used to come in, but Peeeeee Flynn sticks out......10 times worse in person than he was that time on the Late Late Show.

Tarzana

I reckon it must be hard not to develop a massive ego if you're a massive sheleb. I reckon not all the egotistical ones would be egotistical if they weren't famous. I mean, you just are constantly surrounded by yes men, hangers on and women who want to suck your dick in the jacks (and whatever the female equivalent of that is). At first, it probably seems faintly ridiculous and mad, but I'd you just get accustomed and completely lose touch with reality. I'm not necessarily condoning it, I just think it's a very odd position to find yourself in.

Tarzana

Hotfail.com wrote: »

I know plenty of people I'd call "slyly egotistical", wouldn't exactly tell the world that they're great but are constantly insinuating that they're better than you in their speech and mannerisms.

I worked with someone like that. Now, in fairness to her, she was a hard-working PhD student, but if you were to believe her, her experiments always worked first time round and she never took a long time to learn a technique. Always keen to stress that her experiments were working swimmingly, that kind of thing. One day though, I walked into our lab store room to find her weeping with frustration at an experiment going array!

pq0n1ct4ve8zf5

Tarzana wrote: »

I reckon it must be hard not to develop a massive ego if you're a massive sheleb. I reckon not all the egotistical ones would be egotistical if they weren't famous. I mean, you just are constantly surrounded by yes men, hangers on and women who want to suck your dick in the jacks (and whatever the female equivalent of that is). At first, it probably seems faintly ridiculous and mad, but I'd you just get accustomed and completely lose touch with reality. I'm not necessarily condoning it, I just think it's a very odd position to find yourself in.

Especially child stars. I always think it's gas when people are complaining about people like Justin Bieber being a shíthead, of course he feckin is! Since he's been a little kid people have either been crying and losing their minds because they love him so much or calling for him to be killed, he's the breadwinner for his entire family and he can't leave the house without being photographed and screamed at. Of course he's a shíthead!

Hotfail.com

Tarzana wrote: »

I worked with someone like that. Now, in fairness to her, she was a hard-working PhD student, but if you were to believe her, her experiments always worked first time round and she never took a long time to learn a technique. Always keen to stress that her experiments were working swimmingly, that kind of thing. One day though, I walked into our lab store room to find her weeping with frustration at an experiment going array!

Yeah that's the kind of thing I'd be talking about. This one guy in particular will always say he did everything one step quicker/better than you did, and kinda discounts everything he can't do well in as stupid or pointless.

It's more of an insecurity issue than ego thing now that I think of it, although he does genuinely seem to believe that everything he isn't good at is inferior to the areas he's talented in.

Calibos

Never knew the smock alarm was invented by an Irish man! Jaysus.

"So what did you accomplish in your life?"

"Ah, just saved millions of lives over the years..nothing much"

The scientific corollary though of course is the scientist who invented both leaded petrol and Ozone depleting CFC's. He has single handedly done more damage to the environment of earth than any other creature in the 4 billion year history of Earth

steddyeddy

Tarzana wrote: »

I reckon it must be hard not to develop a massive ego if you're a massive sheleb. I reckon not all the egotistical ones would be egotistical if they weren't famous. I mean, you just are constantly surrounded by yes men, hangers on and women who want to suck your dick in the jacks (and whatever the female equivalent of that is). At first, it probably seems faintly ridiculous and mad, but I'd you just get accustomed and completely lose touch with reality. I'm not necessarily condoning it, I just think it's a very odd position to find yourself in.

Oh I completely agree. I would think that only a modest man would not be changed by that.

steddyeddy

Calibos wrote: »

Never knew the smock alarm was invented by an Irish man! Jaysus.

"So what did you accomplish in your life?"

"Ah, just saved millions of lives over the years..nothing much"

The scientific corollary though of course is the scientist who invented both leaded petrol and Ozone depleting CFC's. He has single handedly done more damage to the environment of earth than any other creature in the 4 billion year history of Earth

He's the most down to earth man you could ever meet. He puts a lot of effort into getting people from disadvantaged areas and backgrounds into education as well. A true gent.

steddyeddy

Tarzana wrote: »

I worked with someone like that. Now, in fairness to her, she was a hard-working PhD student, but if you were to believe her, her experiments always worked first time round and she never took a long time to learn a technique. Always keen to stress that her experiments were working swimmingly, that kind of thing. One day though, I walked into our lab store room to find her weeping with frustration at an experiment going array!

That's me everyday. I think the thing is not to concentrate on how well everyone else is doing and focus on yourself.

Frank Lee Midere

Judging by this thread the scientists and the lawyers are cnuts altogether. Except Tony.

Ego is fine, btw, if it is accompanied by ability. There is often an inverse correlation however.

steddyeddy

Frank Lee Midere wrote: »

Judging by this thread the scientists and the lawyers are cnuts altogether. Except Tony.

Ego is fine, btw, if it is accompanied by ability. There is often an inverse correlation however.

I don't know about lawyers but the most accomplished scientists are generally the most down to earth in my experience. The ones who are in a position without merit or who haven't accomplished much are the most defensive and egotistical usually. Most lawyers I have met have been down to earth.

Lando Griffin

speedboatchase wrote: »

Why is "modesty" considered a virtue? I much prefer people who say of the accomplishments: "I worked hard and I deserved it."

Some of us didnt have to work hard at all you know.

Tarzana

Frank Lee Midere wrote: »

Ego is fine, btw, if it is accompanied by ability.

I don't think ego is justified by ability, TBH, it's pretty unpalatable either way.

Tarzana

steddyeddy wrote: »

I don't know about lawyers but the most accomplished scientists are generally the most down to earth in my experience.

What? Soooo many science professors I've come across are incredibly egotistic and arrogant. And they'd be very accomplished too.

Quote from of my professors in college about a conference he was going to "I'm flying business class so I'm not stuck in economy with the plebs".

wretcheddomain

Banjo String wrote: »

I've met Niall Quinn on numerous occasions over the years, he lives locally and can be seen in the village regularly.

Downright nice and modest individual.

Just looked at your location and then it all made sense. :rolleyes:

William F

Law students are by far the most egotistical people you'll ever meet.

Most of them are like that before they even start their studies.

Stheno

One can be a combination of both, I used work as a trainer, full of the knowledge that I had passed the exams my students were sitting, yet completely aware that they could give me scenarios I would have to think about.

Where does that place me? Trusted sage/egotist having all the answers/modest person who doesn't reveal the extent of their knowledge until pressed?

--LOS--

The majority of people I've come across in science are modest. Having said that probably some of the most modest and egotistical people I could think of are among my classmates and lecturers. Some guys that are really smart but still really nice and genuine but others who are smart and they know it kinda thing ¬_¬ One particular lad who is always late, and usually a good 15/20mins late to everything, even when there's important stuff on like presentations. It's so disruptive, it's so irritating, and not only that but when he comes in late he makes enough noise doing it. Someone said it to him one day, why are you always so late, his response was that it would be a waste of his time to be on time, that if he was there before the class or whatever started, then that would be a waste of his time to have to wait for a couple of mins max for it to start. Dear lawd. So instead the rest of us have to suffer the interruption every day.

steddyeddy

Tarzana wrote: »

What? Soooo many science professors I've come across are incredibly egotistic and arrogant. And they'd be very accomplished too.

Quote from of my professors in college about a conference he was going to "I'm flying business class so I'm not stuck in economy with the plebs".

Oh yea there are a lot alright. I still don't see the need for arrogance.