"I'm now a legend. I am the greatest...... to live"
So sayeth Usain Bolt.

Elsewhere, it says

"Let another (wo)man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips."

Proverbs Chapter 27, verse 2, King James Version

These days, self praise seems to be encouraged and young musicians especially are being urged to "blow their own trumpet". However, it's still nice when peple are a little more modest about their achievements.. I'd rather have Chris Hoy's humility over Bolt's arrogance any day.

A few months back, I read an interesting article in The Inverness Courier where Claire Campbell of Abigail Gray spoke about her own natural reticence as regards self publicity....

"It’s not the Highland way," she said.
"We’re kind of quiet people. Shouting about ourselves on the internet is definitely not our way!"

http://www.inverness-courier.co.uk/Entertainment/Music/Claire-is-fighting-Highland-reticence-22122011.htm

No doubt many will disagree with me but I'm still pleased that many young people still think like that even although some form of self publicity and the use of social media now seems to be a necessary evil.

Dear Mr Bolt
A legend? I've never heard of you.
Oh dear - we must be on cross threads.
;-)
DTM

It's a fine line, Bolt almost goes too far, but he seems to be a genuinely affable guy from the documentary film I saw on him and he does walk the walk to back up his claims, he comes from a sport where confidence is integral to success, but not only self confidence, you have to let the others know where they stand - Lindford Christie used to take off his vest and display his incredible physique as a way of psyching out his opponents - opponents is the correct word because sprinting is more like prize fighting than racing.

This puts me in mind of an article I once read on Alasdair Gray's "Lanark" in which the writer of the article explains how in small town Scotland "showing off" was the worst offence that could be committed and "Who do you think you are?" or , "I kent his faither" was the worst thing anyone could say to you or about you.

Being confident can only help in whatever you choose to do, and I say that as someone who does not perform due to what might be called "stage fright".

I suppose if you can hear or read your own words and are comfortable with them, then who can criticise?

There's a lot to be said for humility, and I would suggest that it's a general Scottish trait, that we don't want to get above oorsels, It may be a trait that has held us back in a national sense, as it demonstrates lack of self confidence. As has already been said we suffer from the "kent his faither" syndrome, although it is arguably no bad thing, as it keeps our feet on the ground, and stops up from "gettin above oor station".

If anybody objects to Mr Bolt's utterances, if it is within their memories, and if it isn't, look it up, but cast your mind back to the 1960s when Muhammed Ali (Probably at the time he was known as Cassius Clay) declared that he was the greatest, he was the prettiest, he was everything."Float like a butterfly sting like a bee". I don't think there has ever been anybody so bombastic as he was at that time. Has it done him any harm? Apparently not. He is now regarded as an international treasure.

And, like Ali, Bolt seems to have a sense of humour, so I'm not entirely sure how seriously to take his every remark. In his sport he probably is the greatest so far, as Ali was. This reticence thing isn't just a Highland trait - it's supposed to be a British thing isn't it? I don't care for arrogance and self-promotion much myself, and agree with you JAJ regarding Chris Hoy's approach. Congratulations by the way on moving on from regularly quoting from the Daily Telegraph to the Bible now ;-)

I certainly don't want to see some young fiddler tearing up a session and then declaring to all that "I am the greatest!" - but that at least hasn't happened yet.

It's not the Highland way.

Indeed.

We're perhaps too much the other way.

I was sitting beside an elderly woman from Ullapool at a wedding once, she was reading the menu.

"Parma Ham and Melon, oh well, that is not for the likes of me."

"Of course it is" I said. "For goodness sake! Why on earth would you think that!? Why are we in the highlands and islands born and bred with an inbuilt inferiority complex!? Why do we dress up to go shopping? Why are we last in the queue at a buffet? Why do we not shout about things!"

"Oh Thormoid, I don't know!" she replied "but Murdo put my teeth in his sporran during the service and can't find them so I'm going to have to have the soup."

"Oh right, well can I eat your roll then? I'm starving"

If Bolt was from the Highlands perhaps he would not be so outwardly confident, but I would like to think he would still end up out on the lash with the Swedish ladies handball team after his success.

How do you recognise a confident scot?
He looks at YOUR shoes when talking to you!