Pride cometh before the fall. Winning with grace is one of the most valuable life lessons to learn. It is perfectly acceptable to be proud of a hard-won win. However, taking the harder path and remaining humble in your victory is the best way to advance your goals. When you win and remain prideful, it takes your eye off the next prize. It pushes potential allies away.

Historically, pride and arrogance have ruined the lives of some of the most successful people of all time. Before the housing crisis in 2008, the big banks and bankers were proud. They had no problem selling houses to people with no income and doubling down on sub-prime mortgages. They were proud of their success and proving their superiority in the system. Their pride caused them to lose sight of reality and when the shared delusion of an infinitely stable housing market came crashing down they lost everything.

CS Lewis once said, “A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.”

Be humble, hungry for success, and always longing to serve your fellow man. If you can remain humble in victory people will come to you, they will follow you. You can mend bridges with your rivals and build a better tomorrow. Do not be dragged down into pettiness or play into the hands for those who insult you. You won, let your win be proof enough, boasting devalues your win and yourself. Do not give the people who lost ammunition, do not engage in trading insults. Let their anger come without comment and it will pass all the sooner and maybe with reflection they will come to embrace your victory or at the very least respect the maturity and sportsmanship shown. Stay humble. Stay hungry.