They key is finding the midpoint between overly modest self-effacement and tiresome and relentless self-congratulation.

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In accordance with the Buddhist practice of self-effacement, his name and photo are absent from the foundation's website, handouts and buildings.

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But there is also suffocation, self-effacement, and hierarchies of status and dominance that beget humiliation, resentment, and webs of toxic rivalry.

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Everyone likes a speech that is reflective and honest, and one way to set the stage is by using tactful self-effacement.

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That said there is a fine line between self-effacement and self-loathing, and unfortunately for Franklin Pierce, our 14th president, he stumbled over that line.

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When she plays at self-effacement, her humility is incandescent.

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Much of this self-effacement is self-serving.

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The word "secretary" conjures up images of a bygone era, of pearls and sweater sets, sensible heels and knee-length skirts, and the right mixture of efficiency and self-effacement to fade into the background while acting as a powerful man's right hand.

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He wears a quilted silver jacket with a gold scorpion embroidered on the back, and keeps on wearing it when the fabric is smeared with gore, but why would a man so clearly defined elsewhere by the spirit of self-effacement take such a risk?

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