The meaning of this word boastful, I think, will becomes clearer for us if we can come up with some examples. We will first look at a few tyrannical leaders and popular figures in secular history; and then some biblical figures.
Julius Caesar (100-44 B.C.). Caesar was known for his ruthlessness in battle. His famous boast followed a military victory in Asia Minor. In three words he said, “Veni, vidi, vici.” (I came, I saw, I conquered).1
Genghis Khan (1162-1227). “Genghis Khan’s most famous boast is a chilling declaration of divine wrath: ‘I am the punishment of God. If you had not committed great sin, God would not have sent a punishment like me upon you.’”2
Adolf Hitler (1889-1945). “The Führer of Nazi Germany openly bragged about his ruthlessness, using historical atrocities to justify his actions and declaring that the victor is above the truth.” He said, “The victor will never be asked if he told the truth.”3
Idi Amin. “The brutal dictator of Uganda famously boasted about his absolute power and even declared himself the uncrowned “King of Scotland”. He said, “There is freedom of speech, but I cannot promise freedom after speech.”4
Salvador Dali (1904-1989). “Salvador Dalí was just as famous for his audacious boasts as he was for his surrealist art. He treated his entire life as a performance, famously proclaiming, ‘The only difference between a madman and myself is I am not mad’. Dalí frequently declared himself a genius, boasting about his own superiority and claiming that his art transcended ordinary human logic.”5
Oscar Wilde (1854-1900). Arriving at the New York customs office in 1882, the famously witty Irish playwright reportedly made his self-worth perfectly clear. He said, “I have nothing to declare except my genius.”6
Muhammad Ali. “Muhammad Ali was as skilled with words as he was in the ring. His poignant sayings about sports and life figure to remain iconic for generations to come alongside the lore of his historic fights.”
Here are a couple of his most well-known boastful quotes:
“I am the greatest. I said that even before I knew I was. I figured that if I said it enough, I would convince the world that I was really the greatest.”
“Float like a butterfly. Sting like a bee. You can’t hit what your eyes don’t see.”7
1 The Best Quotations, at https://best-quotations.com/catquotes.php?categ=0935.
2 YouTube, @ The Art of Thinking 42, July 4, 2023.
3 Tyrants Quotes, at https//www.azquotes.com/quotes/topics/tyrants.html.
4 10 Worst Human Dictators, at https://muc.fandom.com/wiki/10_worst_human_dictators.
5 Surrealism in the Art of Dali, at https://alyakhemji.medium.com/surrealism-in-the-art-of-dali-bf84f7b965d7.
6 Oscar Wilde quotes, at https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0928492/quotes/.
7 Muhammad Ali’s 10 Best Quotes, at https://www.espn.com/boxing/story/id/15930888/muhammad-ali-10-best-quotes.
Stephen Nielsen 