Q: My question is about how to deal with pride, how to dissolve it without dismissing what I am.

John: Mark your words. Take care in what you use words for, and why. Don’t say things just because you can. If you have a pride issue that you’re dealing with, then when you speak it will most often be because of your pride. So then you could go on a bit of a word-fast; that for a period of time you no longer say something just because you can; that you’ll speak only when you’re clear.

You can also think about your thinking before you speak your thinking. What will carry you through in these two things is your sincerity.

Q: I can hold pride even without speaking, so how does that work?

John: But pride sure flies when you do speak. Your pride isn’t going to stop when you don’t speak, but if you’re not speaking for sincere reasons, even to do with your pride, that goes somewhere. There’s goodness in that. You don’t need to solve the issue. What does matter is that you move in a certain and tender direction.