The story of the human race is the story of men and women selling themselves short.

The line encapsulates a central theme of Maslow’s humanistic psychology: that much human suffering and stagnation comes not only from external deprivation but from self-limitation—fear, conformity, and undervaluing one’s capacities. Read alongside Maslow’s ideas of self-actualization and “deficiency” versus “growth” motivation, it suggests that people often accept diminished versions of themselves, settling for safety, approval, or habit rather than pursuing fuller development. The “story of the human race” phrasing universalizes the claim, turning an individual psychological tendency into a civilizational pattern: progress is repeatedly slowed when individuals and societies normalize lowered expectations of what humans can become.