The Mask of Shame

Pride is no more than a mask that shame wears in order to hide from the self. It is a fig leaf that we wear to hide our shame from God. To see this, we have only to consider the pride that is so commonly taken in the clothes we wear. We clothe ourselves primarily to cover our nakedness (the quintessential symbol of shame). By turning the clothes we wear into a symbol of pride, pride is revealed as no more than a mask that shame wears.