When the traveler came to Kotzk, … [and] at last found Rabbi Leibele, he saw him dressed as a simple Jew and sitting with the Hasidim as an equal among equals.
At that moment an ordinary Jew dressed in ragged clothing approached, and the Hasidim rose to meet him.
The visitor asked, “Is that a great Torah scholar?”
“No, he is the son of a laborer.”
“Is he wealthy, at least?”
“You yourself can see how he is dressed.”
“So why do you honor him?
They responded, “Because he is humble.”
When the traveler returned and told this story, Rabbi Leibele’s relatives laughed and said, “If he is not learned, from a great family, or wealthy, why shouldn’t he be humble?”
But when that retort made its way back to Kotzk, someone commented, “No—if he is not learned, wealthy, or from a great family, then the fact that he is humble is remarkable.”
Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz