Ahem, when Newton said this, he didn't mean Descartes, but Hooke. Besides, the original intention was to satirize Hook. (Hook said that Newton copied his own achievements, and Hook was a famous dwarf ...) Newton said that his character was very poor. Then as a result, everyone automatically ignores the background and regards this as evidence of the modesty of a generation of great men.

Seriously, this sentence mainly means that people should be modest. The famous saying about modesty is:

Dissatisfaction is the upward wheel. -Lu Xun

If you humble yourself, you will depend on many people; If you are arrogant, more people will go. -Ge Hong

Those who rely on the size of the country, cherish the people and want to see the enemy are called arrogant soldiers. Wei Xiang

If debauchery fails, it is a disaster to be full. Yong Zhang

Empty people are the foundation of virtue. -Fang Xiaoru

What does it matter if you are full of profits? Be careful! Be careful! Zhu Shunshui

Life is a serious illness, just one word "pride". —— Wang Yangming

Without arrogance or rashness, you can learn from others or yourself. -Tan Sitong

The stupidest thing in life is that the bad news has passed, and the worst thing in life is that you are good at talking about people. -Shen Juyi

Enrichment is easy to be a disaster, and modesty is often a blessing. -Zhang

Complacency is a terrible trap for us; Besides, we dug this trap ourselves. -Lao She

It is normal for a mediocre and militant person to go out on his high horse and go home with his tail between his legs. Xuefeng Feng

We shouldn't put our eyes on our heads, so that we can fall from the sky with our own feet and break what we want. Xuefeng Feng

Modesty makes people progress, while pride makes people lag behind. We should always remember this truth. Mao Zedong

We can't make achievements, just like a ball that others can't shoot. We can jump very high with a tap. The greater the achievement, the more modest and prudent you should be. -Wang Jinxi

I doubt the word "pride". Anyone who is a little self-motivated and capable always believes in himself and is a man of his own mind. The more assertive people are, the more confident they are. This is not bad. A little proud. If he is put in the right position, he will be modest, otherwise he will not get along. Deng Xiaoping

Proud people always destroy themselves in pride. -Shakespeare

Anyone who owes too much luck to his intelligence is likely to have an unfortunate ending. bacon

Modesty is an indispensable virtue. -Montesquieu