Quote reinterpretated in Modern English:
“The less talent they have, the more pride, vanity and arrogance they have.
All these fools, however, find other fools who applaud them.”
Original Latin text:
“Quo quisque stultior, hoc pluris sibi videtur, et quemadmodum plurimis placet, ita plurimos probat.”
Literal translation:
“The more foolish a man is, the more he will think of himself, and just as he pleases very many people, so he finds very many to applaud him.”
Erasmus of Rotterdam,
“The Praise of Folly” (Moriae Encomium),
1509
Erasmus uses this line to criticize the way society often elevates foolishness and how people with little talent or wisdom tend to have an inflated sense of self-worth.
His satire points out how such individuals find others who are equally foolish to admire and support them, reinforcing their vanity and arrogance.
This was published in 1509 …