The greatest achievement of the human spirit is to live up to one’s opportunities, and to make the most of one’s resources.
[Le plus grand effort de l’esprit est de se tenier à la hauteur de la fortune, ou au niveau des richesses.]
Luc de Clapiers, Marquis de Vauvenargues (1715-1747) French moralist, essayist, soldier
Reflections and Maxims [Réflexions et maximes], #583 (1746)
Alt. trans.: "The supreme achievement of the human spirit is to be equal to one's fortune, or to live at the level of one's means."
