Vanity of the Superb

[Amy Z]

Allyse wrote on the main list:

> But we do have canon evidence of Dumbledore's
> vanity. The way he cheerfully 
> tells Harry that his idea re the PS in the MoE was
> brilliant, even for him, always sets my teeth on
                 edge. 

Rowena wrote:

> It makes me smile. Perhaps because I've always
> pictured Dumbledore saying it lightly and with a
> twinkle in his eye. He's quite genuinely proud of that
> little brainwave but he's also laughing at himself for
> that pride.

Allyse:

> There may be more of Lockhart in Dumbledore 
> than we all care to admit. :)

Rowena:

>The major difference is Dumbley really is as good
>as he claims to be. His vanity is grounded in reality
>rather than an illusion.

Did you ever see the Stuart Smalley sketch on Saturday Night Live the 
time Michael Jordan was the guest?  It went something like this:

Stuart:  "Now, sometimes you must be a little nervous about playing in 
front of all those people.  Maybe you're worried you're not going to 
be able to bounce the ball right, or put it through the hoop."

Michael:  "Uh, no, not really."

Stuart:  "You must think, 'I'm not really very good at this.  There 
are lots of people who can do this better than I can.'"

Michael:  "No."

Stuart:  "Now, Michael, denial ain't just a river in Egypt."

Sometimes someone really *is* brilliant, the best in the world, and 
pretending otherwise would be false modesty.  (And the Stuart Smalleys 
of the world can't cope with it.)

Amy