It is the humble individual, who does not seek greatness for himself, who ultimately merits honor and distinction.

For three years Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel disagreed. These said: The halakha is in accordance with our opinion, and those said: The halakha is in accordance with our opinion. Ultimately, a divine voice emerged and said: Both these and those are the words of the living God, but the halakha is in accordance with the opinion of Beit Hillel. Now, since both these and those are the words of the living God, why were Beit Hillel privileged to have the halakha established in accordance with their opinion? It is because they were agreeable and forbearing, and would teach both their statements and the statements of Beit Shammai. Moreover, they would cite the statements of Beit Shammai before their own statements…This teaches you that concerning anyone who humbles himself, the Holy One, blessed be He, exalts him, and anyone who exalts himself, the Holy One, blessed be He, humbles him. Likewise, concerning anyone who seeks greatness, greatness flees from him, and anyone who flees from greatness, greatness seeks him.

Rav Yehuda said that Rav said: Concerning anyone who acts haughtily, if he is a Torah scholar, his wisdom departs from him; if he is a prophet, his prophecy departs from him.

Rabbi Eliezer HaKappar says: Do not be like a lintel that people cannot reach, or like an elevated threshold that obscures faces, or like a slightly elevated threshold that strikes the feet. Rather, be like a low threshold on which everyone treads, as eventually even if the entire structure is demolished, the threshold remains in its place. (Eiruvin 13b; Pesaĥim 66b; Avot deRabbi Natan, version A, chap. 26)