Pete,
Ref PPL (or ATPL for that matter)you're right no need for humility there, they are merely minor tests on the way to becoming a professional, but if you are the consummate professional you claim to be, you should know that.
My humility is actually due to the awe with which I am smitten when in the presence of the wisdom of airline management people, who can almost never get the sums right, but always know that any shortfall is clearly the fault of the greedy pilots.