The contempt of riches in the philosophers was a concealed desire of revenging on fortune the injustice done to their merit, by despising the good she denied them.
Francois de La RochefoucauldHowever great the advantages given us by nature, it is not she alone, but fortune with her, which makes heroes.
Francois de La RochefoucauldA man convinced of his own merit will accept misfortune as an honor, for thus can he persuade others, as well as himself, that he is a worthy target for the arrows of fate.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld