- English translation
His money lets him talk down even to his own father.
- Literal wording
With his fine money, he speaks to his father from the hilltop.
- Meaning and lesson
Wealth can give a person enough social power to behave arrogantly even toward those who would ordinarily command respect. The image of speaking from a height denotes condescension, not a physical location.
The saying criticizes the social habit of deferring to the rich and tolerating their hauteur. It targets both wealth-based arrogance and others’ willingness to treat money as a warrant for superiority, rather than claiming that every wealthy person behaves this way.
- When it is used
Used critically when money enables someone to disregard normal respect or act superior to others, especially when people indulge that behavior because of the person’s wealth. It comments on wealth-based deference, not on all wealthy people.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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