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You say that the images of your ancestors are reflected in your appearance. Do you not know that because of your folly you have nullified their reputation? Thus their splendor cannot shine fully in your shadow.

— Buonaccorso da Montemagno De nobilitate (On Nobility) (1428)

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More quotes by Buonaccorso da Montemagno

All that boasting about family proclaims the merits of others, not one’s own.

De nobilitate (On Nobility) (1428)

If you wish to deserve illustrious titles, you must make yourself outstanding. Virtue cannot be inherited.

De nobilitate (On Nobility) (1428)

I maintain that nothing the ignorant crowd thinks in this case should be taken note of, given that it often falls into the greatest errors and that its opinions rarely agree with wisdom.

De nobilitate (On Nobility) (1428)

Wealth gathered for display represents unnecessary labor. Virtue, not beautifully adorned furniture, is the ornament of an illustrious mind.

De nobilitate (On Nobility) (1428)

Thus an abundance of goods is the greatest help to the adornment of nobility. When, under conditions of affluence, the mind is exposed to virtue, it can develop more brilliantly, and virtue can be seen more resplendently. For these reasons, nobility lies in family and in wealth.

De nobilitate (On Nobility) (1428)

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Buonaccorso da Montemagno (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.