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Thus, the best fathers do not love wicked sons but rather cast them out and reject them. Therefore, nothing from those paternal services to the country devolves upon the children if the paternal virtue does not shine in them. Just as brilliance never glitters in a dark mirror, so virtue cannot shine in the destructive and wicked children of virtuous parents.

— 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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