Kamala Harris Butchers Definition of Humility, Gets Lost in Her Own Speech Again
Kamala Harris delivered an extended and at times confusing answer on the concept of “humility” during a Sunday interview at the Australian Real Estate Conference (AREC), where she appeared as a guest speaker.
The session was hosted by real estate executive John McGrath, who described Harris as “humble” and asked what advice she might offer to professionals in his industry about staying grounded.
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Harris responded with a lengthy and abstract reflection on the idea of humility, during which she clarified, “I do not aspire to be humble” and “would not recommend it.”
“I think that one must be humble. But to aspire to be humble would be quite inauthentic … If one understands that, just, I mean, there’s so much that is magnificent and awe-inspiring about this world and its people,” Harris said.
“And when you take the moment to just listen to an individual’s story, whether it’s someone you’re sitting next to on the plane or standing in line with at the grocery store, there is so much about this world that we know and we don’t know. And that is very humbling.”
Harris continued, “To realize the dreams that people have, the struggles that they’ve overcome, and the magnificence of that. To realize the beauty of the human spirit, that we are by nature, I think, as a species, we don’t give up.”
“Part of the key to our survival is that we are adaptable,” she added.
“But we are also ambitious. I applaud ambition. I applaud ambition. I think it is a good thing to reach, but not without also understanding that in so doing, one must do the hard work. One must understand the context in which they exist. One must be respectful.”
The former vice president also referenced her upbringing as a formative influence on her view of humility, recalling how her mother was treated due to her race and accent.
“I grew up in an environment where my — whether it was my mother, who was … like I said, 5 feet tall, a brown woman with an accent — and I would see how she was treated sometimes,” Harris said.
“And I grew up then seeing, when I would see that — infrequently, though it happened — where there was some assumption that because of her appearance, she was not what she actually was. She was one of the most intelligent people you could meet.”
Harris said those experiences shaped her understanding of inequality.
“I realized how there is a certain level of unfairness in the world in terms of how people determine a hierarchy and then place others in that stratum,” she said.
“And I learned to dislike it immensely. And understand that I think it’s a flaw to exist in a way that one thinks they are superior to another based on some very arcane measure of the work of another.”
She concluded her remarks by saying, “And maybe it is that way of thinking that makes me have a certain level of humility.”
“It is because I see the strength and the value and the magnificence and the majesty of so many, regardless of what they do, where they live, and I’m humbled to be among them.”
Following her comments, McGrath replied, “Well said,” and the audience responded with extended applause.
Harris’s public speaking style has drawn scrutiny in the past. During her 2024 presidential campaign, political analysts and commentators raised concerns that her frequent use of ambiguous phrasing and complex, nonspecific language could undercut her public messaging.
Harris went on to lose the 2024 general election to President Donald Trump, falling short in all seven battleground states and the national popular vote. Trump gained support across several key voting blocs, including younger nonwhite voters.
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