Since the 1960s, many psychologists and educators have been urging us to boost children's self-esteem at all costs. Now, we are starting to hear that we are suffering from a terrible epidemic of narcissism. Meanwhile, all of the world's great religions warn us that pride is a sin. Yet if we try too hard to be humble, where will we find the strength to achieve greatness? In this engaging book, Laurie Endicott Thomas looks to the humanities as well as the sciences for lessons about how to find the sane middle ground between narcissism and dependency.