"Vale of Humility between Two Mountains of Conceit"

"Vale of Humility between Two Mountains of Conceit" is a phrase describing North Carolina that originated from a speech given by Mary Oates Spratt Van Landingham [2] on 6 Mar. 1900. That day, she spoke on the "native literature" of North Carolina before the Mecklenburg Historical Society [3] in Charlotte [4]. Referencing North Carolina's location between South Carolina and Virginia, Van Landingham said, "Where there are mountains of conceit, there are apt to be valleys of humility [5]." The term has remained a source of tongue-in-cheek pride for North Carolinians.

Additional Resources:

Van Landingham, Mrs. John. "A State's Scant Literature: The Native Literature of North Carolina: Influences of the Past; Prospects for the Future." Glowing Embers. Charlotte, N.C.:The Observer Printing House. 1922. p. 30. http://books.google.com/books?id=qgdUAAAAYAAJ&lpg=PA24&ots=ZPUv-LIiyz&dq=%22The%20native%20literature%20of%20North%20Carolina%22%20landingham&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false [6] (accessed August 16, 2012).

Hovis, George. Vale of Humility: Plain Folk in Contemporary North Carolina Fiction [7]. Charleston: University of South Carolina Press. 2007.

Powell, Lew. "Valleys of whatever, mountains of whatever" North Carolina Miscellany (blog). University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. October 1, 2010. http://www.lib.unc.edu/blogs/ncm/index.php/2010/10/01/humility/ [8] (accessed August 16, 2012).