Dad knew very well that everything he had was given to him from God.
He understood the importance of hard work, but also realized who it was that gave you the opportunity to earn what you did.
I do not recall Dad ever boasting about anything. Amazing considering how successful and also how self-assured he was in so many different things that he did.
When his colleagues would praise him he would often downplay what they said of him.
One time a very wealthy, and I would add from what I know about this man, ungodly engineer, who built the apartment building we lived in called my Dad over to his home to have my Dad pick up some money for an ongoing business deal. Well as my Dad was leaving this engineer looked at the brand new suit that Dad was wearing by a well-known Roman tailor and said to him: “You know that suit is just like the one my butler wears!”
Saying that to someone in Italy would was considered a very serious offense and most would have dropped the client. Not my Dad. My Dad did not do anything to retaliate. For that reason, for many years, he continued to make money from his offender. The loser was the offender, because Dad charged him plenty. Dad was able to do this only because he was humble kept himself from being offended.
As far as I can remember Dad never made himself out to be great or greater than someone else.
He understood jealously and envy and avoided them like the plague. In this he demonstrated real humility.