Why was the equal sign so humble?

This little gem of a math joke works by giving a simple punctuation mark a complex human emotion: humility. The humor hinges on the double meaning of the phrases "greater than" and "less than." In mathematics, these are strict comparisons of value, represented by the > and < symbols. In our social lives, however, feeling "greater than" someone implies arrogance, while feeling "less than" suggests insecurity. The equal sign, by its very nature, can be neither, making it the perfect symbol of a balanced and humble personality.

Beyond the wordplay, the equal sign has a surprisingly poetic origin. It was invented in 1557 by a Welsh mathematician named Robert Recorde, who was tired of repeatedly writing out "is equal to." He chose two parallel lines of the same length because, in his words, "noe 2 thynges can be moare equalle." So, from its very creation, the symbol was designed to be the ultimate representation of balance. It seems its humble nature was built right in from the start.