2 answers
Aeman
Student
Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
6
Questions
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How to differentiate between being arrogant or confident while talking about your skills or expressing yourself ?
I always find it hard to maintain a line between confidence and arrogance i cant keep track of when i switch from being confident to being arrogant or otherwise its the opposite like when i try to humble myself i go too down on myself to the point that i even care about other peoples feelings even while doing or telling something which is right.
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2 answers
Andrew Dinh
Consultant
12
Answers
San Francisco, California
Updated
Andrew’s Answer
This is such a good question, and honestly something a lot of people struggle with. The main difference between confidence and arrogance is intention. Confidence is about knowing your strengths and being comfortable sharing them. Arrogance is when you start putting others down or acting like you’re better than them. If you focus on being self-aware and respectful, you’re probably coming across as confident, not arrogant.
A few tips:
Talk about effort, not just talent. For example, say “I’ve worked really hard to improve my communication skills” instead of “I’m just a great communicator.”
Give credit where it’s due. Mentioning teammates, mentors, or experiences that helped you grow keeps you grounded.
Stay curious. Confident people know they still have more to learn.
And don’t worry too much about overcorrecting... caring about how you come across already means you’re being thoughtful, not arrogant.
A few tips:
Talk about effort, not just talent. For example, say “I’ve worked really hard to improve my communication skills” instead of “I’m just a great communicator.”
Give credit where it’s due. Mentioning teammates, mentors, or experiences that helped you grow keeps you grounded.
Stay curious. Confident people know they still have more to learn.
And don’t worry too much about overcorrecting... caring about how you come across already means you’re being thoughtful, not arrogant.
Thank you so much, Andrew!
Aeman
Yasmin Mohamed Alamin
Clinical Nutrition Student
63
Answers
Cairo, Cairo Governorate, Egypt
Updated
Yasmin’s Answer
Hi Aeman 👋🏻...
A lot of people struggle with this, so you’re not alone. The line between confidence and arrogance is actually simpler than it feels... it's less about what you say and more about how you say it.
Confidence is when you talk about your skills honestly, without comparing yourself to others or putting anyone down. It sounds like:
“I’m proud of the work I did on this project. I learned a lot and I’m getting better.”
Arrogance usually shows up when the focus shifts to proving you’re better than everyone else, or when you stop being open to learning. It sounds like:
“No one else could do this as well as I did.”
Here’s a way to check yourself in real time:
If you’re talking about your effort, growth, or achievements, you’re being confident.
If you’re talking about your worth compared to someone else’s, that’s when it slips toward arroganc
On the other side, when you “humble yourself too much,” you’re shrinking your value to make others comfortable. That’s not humility, that’s self-erasing. You can stay grounded without minimizing your strengths.
A helpful habit is to stick to facts and let your work speak. For example:
“I managed the team’s schedule and solved a lot of the workflow issues,” instead of “I’m not that good, but I guess I helped.”
Confidence is truthful. Arrogance is exaggerated. Humility is grounded. Self-doubt is unfair to yourself. Most people live somewhere in the middle and learn to adjust with practice.
You’ll get better at this the more you speak about your skills with clarity rather than emotion.
A lot of people struggle with this, so you’re not alone. The line between confidence and arrogance is actually simpler than it feels... it's less about what you say and more about how you say it.
Confidence is when you talk about your skills honestly, without comparing yourself to others or putting anyone down. It sounds like:
“I’m proud of the work I did on this project. I learned a lot and I’m getting better.”
Arrogance usually shows up when the focus shifts to proving you’re better than everyone else, or when you stop being open to learning. It sounds like:
“No one else could do this as well as I did.”
Here’s a way to check yourself in real time:
If you’re talking about your effort, growth, or achievements, you’re being confident.
If you’re talking about your worth compared to someone else’s, that’s when it slips toward arroganc
On the other side, when you “humble yourself too much,” you’re shrinking your value to make others comfortable. That’s not humility, that’s self-erasing. You can stay grounded without minimizing your strengths.
A helpful habit is to stick to facts and let your work speak. For example:
“I managed the team’s schedule and solved a lot of the workflow issues,” instead of “I’m not that good, but I guess I helped.”
Confidence is truthful. Arrogance is exaggerated. Humility is grounded. Self-doubt is unfair to yourself. Most people live somewhere in the middle and learn to adjust with practice.
You’ll get better at this the more you speak about your skills with clarity rather than emotion.
Hi, thank you so much I'm really grateful for your answer!
Aeman