Quote:
Originally Posted by Koir
"Despite that, I believe saying 'We might fail' is extravagant."
This sentence seems to introduce a concept that is the exact opposite of overconfidence; that is, being more sure of failure in something. I am not sure how the concept of "extravagance" (or having a conspiciously large amount of something) can be an accurate description of the person's belief in this situation. More explanation may be needed, or some way to contrast displaying a strong belief in failure with displaying humility before beginning a task or joining a new business group.
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I believe what she meant is that the Prime Minister was taking polite humility to an inappropriate (extravagant) extent by suggesting failure. He doesn't actually expect to fail - he just didn't want to seem impolitely confident.
Some suggestions:
"Despite that, I believe saying 'We might fail' is excessive."
"Despite that, I believe saying 'We might fail' is taking it too far."
"Despite that, I believe he went too far by saying 'We might fail.'"
I think 'extravagant' is normally used with the meaning of 'opulent' or 'lavish' (positive) or 'wasteful' (negative).