It is indeed a desirable thing to be well-descended, but the glory belongs to our ancestors.
PlutarchLet us carefully observe those good qualities wherein our enemies excel us; and endeavor to excel them, by avoiding what is faulty, and imitating what is excellent in them.
PlutarchThe same intelligence is required to marshal an army in battle and to order a good dinner. The first must be as formidable as possible, the second as pleasant as possible, to the participants.
Plutarch