Nah, I'd rather analize the sentence:

"Of course having a quality is not the same thing as pretending that you don't have the quality."

We must faux-filet it: Take off the personal baggage en simplify the unnecessary use of two different articles and other superfluous details.

- having a quality is not the same thing as having a quality which you pretend not to have -

Looks like an empty comparison to me as in both cases you still have the quality.

A cleverly veiled platitude? grin
(the nitpicking company)