"As favor and riches forsake a man, we discover in him the foolishness they concealed, and which no one perceived before"
About this Quote
When favor and riches accompany an individual, there is a tendency for their flaws to remain concealed, cloaked beneath the allure of social approval and material abundance. The possession of wealth and popularity often acts as a mask, providing a veneer of competence, wisdom, or even virtue, which others rarely question. People caught in the glow of prosperity tend to attract admiration, deference, and the benefit of the doubt; their behavior and decisions are interpreted through a lens tinted by their apparent success.
Once these external trappings fade, however, a transformation occurs in how the person is perceived. Without the shielding effects of fortune and popularity, their true character and capacity stand exposed. The foolishness previously hidden now becomes apparent, sometimes even stark. Shortcomings and inadequacies that seemed invisible or were willfully overlooked by peers are brought into sharp relief. People no longer feel obliged to flatter or excuse failings; indeed, they might even relish exposing flaws previously ignored or masked by deference.
De la Bruyère’s observation presses readers to question the authenticity of their judgments. Society is quick to equate wealth and favor with wisdom, but these are frequently accidents of birth, timing, or connection, rather than indicators of true merit. When such advantages are stripped away, reality surfaces: sagacity is revealed not in circumstances of ease, but under the scrutiny of adversity and loss.
The quote carries a subtle caution against conflating status with substance. Applause and privilege may temporarily obscure mediocrity, or even folly; time and changing fortunes so often unveil what was always there beneath a polished exterior. It is a reminder that lasting worth resides in the mind and character of the individual, not in the transient approval of the crowd or the comforts of material success. The ultimate measure is how one stands when the props and placations are gone, and only the naked self remains.
