• Mt. 11: 28-29: "Learn from me for I am humble in heart..."

• Jn. 13.   1-20:  "For I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet .."

• Jn.3: 22 30:   He must increase, but I must decrease '

• Sirach 2- 4 -6; 3' 17-29: "Perform your tasks with humility."

• Phil. 2:6-11: "He emptied himself ..."

• Lk. 1: 46 - 55: " He lifted up the lowly..."

Clarification:

Modern psychology tends to emphasize self-assertion and misunderstands humility as self-depreciation. Both Scripture and St. Francis de Sales, throw light on the true nature of humility as an important attitude of Christian life. Humility is a biblical term, the richness of which cannot be expressed by terms like 'self-acceptance.'

Read On the Five Levels of Humility in "Spiritual Conferences of St Francis de Sales" Vol 1, pp. 75-76.

Two favourite and beloved virtues shone forth in the Sacred Person of Our Lord. He has particularly recommended them to us to indicate that through them our hearts are to be specially consecrated to his service and dedicated to his imitation: "Learn of me," he says, "for I am gentle and humble of heart" (Mt. 11: 29). Humility makes us perfect towards God and gentleness towards our neighbour (Introduction to Devout Life, Part III, Chapter 8).

Either let us not use expressions of humility at all, or say them with true interior awareness in keeping with what we utter externally... Let us not make a show of wanting to be the last unless we really wish to (Introduction to Devout Life, Part III, Chapter 5).

Abjection is the littleness, lowliness and meanness, which is in us without our thinking of it. But the true virtue of humility is the real knowledge and voluntary recognition of our abjection" (Introduction to Devout Life, Part III, Chapter 6).

His humility came from his heart; it was noble, honest and strong, and it made him indifferent to esteem or contempt. He accepted his persona] limitations and rated this experience very highly as an exercise in virtue. He once told me that he had concentrated three whole years on the effort to become humble in his own eyes, and that he loved and valued humility more than any other virtue. When he was treated disdainfully he never got angry. He never boasted, or set himself up above other people, but he had a proper regard for his dignity in so far as due respect served to edify his neighbour. (Elisabeth Stopp, "St. Francis de Sales: A Testimony by St. Chantal", p. 83).