Biography of Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino is an American director, screenwriter and actor, working mostly in the independent film genre. His films are successful at the box office and regularly receive nominations for prestigious awards such as the Oscars and Golden Globes. Quentin's direction is full of characteristic features: the style of filming, the reverse construction of episodes, the content of dialogues, the special aesthetics of scenes of violence.
Pictured: Quentin Tarantino
Childhood
Quentin Jerome Tarantino was born on March 27, 1963 in Knoxville, Tennessee. His mother, 15-year-old Connie McHugh, an external high school graduate, wanted official recognition of independence from her parents. It seemed to her that marriage would help her with this. She married unsuccessful actor Tony Tarantino, but the couple broke up before Quentin was born. Connie found out about her pregnancy after her lover left in an unknown direction. Neither she nor her grown son ever searched for Tony.
Quentin Tarantino in childhood and youth
Here's what Quentin said about his father in one of his interviews: Quentin's father wanted to become an actor, inspired by the example of his father, Dominic Tarantino, who starred in many Westerns in the early 30s. Tarantino has mixed roots: Italian, Irish, Cherokee Indians.
Left: Quentin Tarantino with his mother, right: Quentin's father, Tony Tarantino
The mother moved the child to Los Angeles, married a second time and began to build a career in the field of pharmacology. His stepfather, musician Curtis Zastoupil, adopted Quentin and even gave him his last name. However, the filmmaker returned the surname of his biological father at the very beginning of his creative career.
Tarantino has mixed roots: Italian, Irish, Cherokee Indians
In 1971, Connie filed for divorce again. Even before this, due to the extreme busyness of adults, television became Quentin’s main educator. He studied at a private Christian school, and his academic performance, as well as his discipline, deteriorated every year. After talking with his mother, Tarantino dropped out of school at 15.
Tarantino spent his childhood in Knoxville, Tennessee.
He found a job as a ticket attendant at a movie theater that showed films for adults. The teenager was not delighted with such a movie, although he approached his responsibilities responsibly. He spent his free time on acting courses. He couldn’t get roles, but within the studios he met many interesting people who had a strong influence on him.
Quentin Tarantino in his youth
An important milestone in the director’s life was his work in the rental of film cassettes, which was called “Video Archive”. Here he worked since 1985 in the company of Roger Avery, his future co-author. During that period, Tarantino formed an opinion about cinema, his own style and director's profession, and also tried his hand at writing. He watched, it seemed, all the more or less significant films of world cinema: Westerns by Sergio Leone, French new wave cinema, visionary directors like Terry Gilliam, crime dramas by Brian De Palma...
Directing activity
Quentin Tarantino's first film was the 36-minute monochrome short My Best Friend's Birthday. Quentin worked on this film for two years (from 1984 to 1986), in his free time from working at the video store. The main roles in the film were played by Quentin himself and his friend Craig Hamann, who also co-wrote the script. My best friend's birthday. Tarantino's very first film Perhaps the film would have opened the door for Hamann to big cinema, and out of hopelessness he would not have had to write the script for Alexander Nevsky's Showdown in Manila, but half of the film burned down in a fire in the film laboratory (later part of the film was restored). However, Quentin gained invaluable experience. The director did not complete any specialized courses. He is completely self-taught, learning everything about cinema on the job and from the films he watched.
Quentin Tarantino is a self-taught genius
Tarantino's directorial debut in big cinema is “Reservoir Dogs” (1991). Initially, he did not plan to invite already established actors, since he did not have the funds for this. To earn money for filming, Quentin sold a couple of scripts to film studios, which turned into the films Natural Born Killers (1994) and True Romance (1993), directed by Oliver Stone and Tony Scott, respectively. Tarantino also took part in the creation of the script for the film After Midnight, although his name is not listed in the credits.
Quentin Tarantino and Steve Buscemi on the set of Reservoir Dogs
In many ways, the fate of the film “Reservoir Dogs” was determined by chance (and the help of producer acquaintance Lawrence Bender): Harvey Keitel found the script at the right time. The famous actor helped attract attention to the project and himself played one of the main roles - Mr. White.
The success of "Reservoir Dogs" marked the beginning of Tarantino's brilliant career
There was not enough money on all counts: the artists appeared on camera in their own clothes, and the film was released without any advertising, other than word of mouth. Robert Kurtzman helped with the makeup, working for free, in gratitude for which Tarantino became his co-author and helped develop the idea implemented in the film “From Dusk Till Dawn” (1995).
Tarantino in the film "From Dusk Till Dawn"
At the very beginning of his career, Quentin showed how big a role he gives to non-trivial dialogues. Given the dynamics of the film and its genre, the characters speak a lot and willingly. Already in Reservoir Dogs, Tarantino’s love for non-linear storytelling, on-screen violence and references to popular culture can be seen. The enclosed location gave the event a theatrical effect.
Quentin Tarantino and Uma Thurman on the set of "Pulp Fiction"
When Quentin began working on Pulp Fiction (1994), the situation was already somewhat different. A whole galaxy of famous actors starred here, and practically no one had to be persuaded: John Travolta, Bruce Willis, Tim Roth, Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson.
"Pulp Fiction". Behind the scenes
For some, certain scenes and dialogues were written. The director has established his love for references to pop culture, important events and facts from his own biography. They are often not “Easter eggs”, as with other directors, but are harmoniously integrated into the plot. The legendary dance of Travolta and Thurman from the film “Pulp Fiction” The director’s style became increasingly clear: text inserts in the form of monologues and dialogues and a unique look at violence, aggression and the motives of these impulses. For the film, Tarantino received the Palme d'Or at Cannes, as well as an Oscar and a Golden Globe for the screenplay in tandem with Roger Avary.
Tarantino received the Palme d'Or at Cannes
In 1995, the world was presented with a film with an unusual structure, consisting of short stories, “Four Rooms.” She had four directors at once. In addition to Tarantino, Allison Anders, Alexander Rockwell and Robert Rodriguez were in the director's chair. Critics were not too fond of this almanac, but they saw the least shortcomings in the fragment for which Quentin was responsible. He was pleased with the opportunity to work with Tim Roth again and experiment with timing: the entire filming process fit into a couple of days.
Still from the film “Four Rooms”
The absence of Bruce Willis in the credits is explained by the rules of the Actors Guild: if you do not receive a fee, you lose this privilege. The star of “Die Hard” (1988) asked for the role and agreed to play for free, he enjoyed working with the director so much. A problem arose with Madonna after the film was completed. The singer did not like the way she looked on camera, so Madonna refused to participate in promotional events and advertise the film.
Quentin Tarantino and Bruce Willis
Quentin's next film, Jackie Brown (1997), participated in the main program of the Berlin Film Festival. The director had been looking at the original literary novel for a long time and adapted it himself. Tarantino was generally a fan of Elmore Leonard's works, and as a teenager he was detained while trying to steal one of the writer's books. Pam Grier, who played the main role in this film, had not previously received the opportunity to work in “Pulp Fiction”: Tarantino did not see her in that role, but noted her acting talent and invited her to collaborate at the first opportunity.
Pam Grier and Quentin Tarantino
Development of Kill Bill (2003) began shortly after Tarantino met Uma Thurman back in the 90s. Filming could not begin for various reasons: lack of interest from the studios, dissatisfaction on the part of the director towards his own script and constant alterations, and then the actress became pregnant, which also affected the schedule.
"Kill Bill". Behind the scenes
The casting was quite chaotic: some people were decided on right away, for example, Lucy Liu and Daryl Hannah, but Warren Beatty or Kevin Costner could have played Bill instead of David Carradine. Quentin drew inspiration from old Asian martial arts paintings, which he always loved. Sometimes he got so wild that he came up with new scenes right in the middle of the action. This made editing difficult: there was too much footage.
Quentin took inspiration from old Asian martial arts paintings, which he always loved
The film was received warmly, variations appeared with the expansion of its universe, but Quentin completed the project as planned - with only one sequel, smoothly continuing the first part - Kill Bill 2 (2004). The dilogy has become an ode to “aesthetic violence”: be it battles or rivers of blood, the director tries to give a certain style to what is happening on the screen.
Quentin Tarantino and Uma Thurman
In Sin City (2005), Tarantino directed only a short segment, giving a nominal debt to Robert Rodriguez for using his music in his work. Sin City. Scene with Quentin Tarantino (English) The director friends got a taste for it. As Tarantino would say in an interview 10 years later, they felt permissiveness and decided that they could do any thing on camera. Quentin called the appearance of “Grindhouse” (2007, Tarantino filmed a part called “Death Proof”) a mistake: a complete failure at the box office and negative ratings at the time of release. However, over time, the attitude of viewers and critics towards the film leveled off.
Quentin Tarantino on the set of "Grindhouse"
In total, Tarantino took 10 years to work on the script for Inglourious Basterds (2009). He came up with an alternative history of World War II, basing it on real events. The main roles here were played by actors from different countries: Brad Pitt, Melanie Laurent, Til Schweiger, Daniel Brühl. And again, the theme of violence as a method of solving problems in the absence of other means comes to the fore in the plot.
Quentin Tarantino is working on the film "Inglourious Basterds"
The director never chased box office receipts, but it was from this project that people began to talk about him as a commercially successful director, which, in particular, helped him obtain an impressive budget for subsequent projects. Unfortunately, “Inglourious Basterds” is the last film where Sally Menke, Tarantino’s friend and permanent assistant, was responsible for editing. She died a year later while walking her dog from heatstroke.
Quentin Tarantino and Sally Menke
With Django Unchained (2012), Tarantino was able to pay homage to spaghetti Westerns, another genre he was passionate about. He filmed a story about slavery, showing it from a slightly different angle and adding color. The cast featured both actors who had already starred with Quentin and those new to working with the master: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington. And again Tarantino shot twice - he took the main American awards in cinema - the Oscar and the Golden Globe for the screenplay.
Tarantino cameo in Django Unchained
In Django Unchained, DiCaprio tried on the image of an inveterate scoundrel. The actor was delighted to work with the master of modern cinema: The release of The Hateful Eight (2015) at a certain point turned into something unlikely. Tarantino was furious that the script was leaked online. He was especially upset by the fact that only a close and narrow circle of people had copies.
On the set of The Hateful Eight
He refused to continue working on the film, but succumbed to the persuasion of the film crew, in particular Samuel L. Jackson, and still completed the project. It is noteworthy that only four actors from the entire cast had not previously worked with Quentin: Gene Jones, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Channing Tatum and Demian Bichir.
The Hateful Eight (2015) was in jeopardy
In each film, the director pays tribute to colleagues of the past and present, makes reference to some important aspects of modernity, or interprets famous events in his own way. He does not believe that he should be limited in the use of obscene language, so from time to time fans organize calculations of how many times, for example, the word “fuck” will be uttered during the film. The same applies to the sight of blood or brutal murders. However, this is not violence for the sake of violence, but something more meaningful and integrated into the action.
Career
Start of a film career
Back in the mid-80s, Tarantino began writing scripts, but not a single film studio wanted to take on their film adaptation. Together with a friend, Roger Avery, they began filming an amateur film, “My Best Friend's Birthday,” which they were never able to finish - part of the footage was lost in a fire. But later the script for this film became the basis for another film by the director - “True Love”.
In 1992, he made his debut as a director with the feature-length film Reservoir Dogs. Quentin worked on the script for his debut full-length film for only three weeks. Initially, the film was planned to be shot with minimal financial costs, using black and white film and with the participation of Tarantino's friends as actors. But by some miracle, this script ended up in the hands of Harvey Keitel, who, in exchange for one of the main roles, took on the trouble of attracting actors and organizing financial support for the filming.
As a result, the film's budget increased significantly, the film was well received by the public and critics, receiving a total of eight awards from various international festivals.
Pulp Fiction
The director gained real popularity in 1994, when the film “Pulp Fiction” was released. This film was awarded several prestigious awards, and for the first time the director’s innovative style was fully demonstrated - the film is divided into several chapters, which are shown in violation of the chronology of events, the film itself contains many references to old films unknown to a wide range of viewers, plus Tarantino’s signature dialogues. This film became a fundamental event in the director’s further film career.
After Pulp Fiction
After completing work on the film Pulp Fiction, Quentin took part in the production of the film Four Rooms, which included four chapters, each of which was shot by a different director. The film was received rather coolly, but it became the first collaboration between Tarantino and his friend Robert Rodriguez.
In 1997, Quentin’s third film, “Jackie Brown,” was released, based on his favorite novel “Rum Punch.” However, this work was also received rather coldly, after which Quentin stopped directing for six years, focusing mainly on producing other people's films.
Return to directing
Tarantino returned to feature-length filmmaking in 2003, releasing two parts of Kill Bill, a rather gritty film starring Uma Thurman. The film reflects the director's long-standing passion for East Asian cinema, especially Chinese fantasy, replete with action scenes.
His next work, Inglourious Basterds, where the creators played with an alternative ending to the Second World War and a number of different stereotypes, was conceived in the early 2000s, but was released only in 2009. Initially, Michael Madsen was invited to play the leading role, and the release The film was planned for 2004. But work on the film required much more time than planned and the director began filming Kill Bill. In some countries, this film was received very ambiguously.
Passion for Westerns
In 2011, Quentin began filming the western Django Unchained, the script of which was based on the story of a freed slave trying to find his wife. The director explained his approach to the topic of slavery as a desire to explore a topic that had never been thoroughly explored in film before. The film's script was about and the Golden Globe.
In mid-2014, Quentin planned to begin work on another western, The Hateful Eight, but six months before filming, the film script ended up on the Internet, where it was posted by one of the agents of the actors who had already received roles in The Hateful Eight - it was either agent for Bruce Dern, or Tim Roth, or Michael Madsen.
Initially, the director wanted to completely abandon the filming of this film, releasing its script as a book, but then the plot of the film was reworked and the film was finally filmed. It was released at the very end of 2020 in two versions at once, one of which, widescreen, was longer in duration and contained a number of alternative takes of some scenes. In general, the film was positively received by viewers and received good reviews from film critics.
What is Tarantino doing now?
Now the director is working on his ninth feature film, which tells about the murders committed in the late 60s by Charles Manson's gang. At the beginning of 2020, the creators announced the title of the planned film – “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” Filming wrapped in mid-2020 and featured Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio, with Ennio Morricone to compose the soundtrack. This film will be Quentin's first work based on real events.
The director previously collaborated with producer Harvey Weinstein, but after the scandal surrounding Weinstein's allegations of sexual harassment, Tarantino decided to find another distributor for his film. As a result, an agreement to distribute the film was concluded with Sony Pictures. The premiere of the film is scheduled for mid-summer 2020.
Unrealized project about the Vega brothers
Tarantino was seriously thinking about making a film about Vincent and Vic Vega, characters from his first films, starring Travolta and Madsen. However, work on this project was constantly delayed, and soon the director abandoned the idea.
Plans to leave the profession
He seriously stated that he intended to make ten films, after which he wanted to end his directing career. Thus, having made two more films, Quentin can retire, and, according to him, he has been hatching such plans for a long time.
But Tarantino is known for his ability to change decisions that have already been announced, and he himself made an important caveat - if a really worthwhile idea comes to his mind, he may well make another film on top of the already existing ten.
Actor, screenwriter, producer
Quentin's film career spans a wide variety of fields. Even before his directorial debut, he appeared in The Golden Girls (1985) with Betty White. Tarantino is characterized by small roles and cameos, including in his own films.
Quentin Tarantino and George Clooney
The most significant work in the niche of acting was the collaboration with friend Robert Rodriguez: Quentin starred in his film about vampires “From Dusk Till Dawn” (1995) along with George Clooney. It is noteworthy: for this role he was nominated for both the Golden Raspberry Award, among the worst, and the Saturn Award, among the best. In 1995, Tarantino appeared in his friend Robert Rodriguez's film Desperado. Quentin Tarantino in the film “Desperado” Another area of the director’s activity is writing scripts. In the vast majority of cases, he comes up with subjects for his paintings, but at the beginning of his career he had to sell some copies. Tarantino used the material to film True Love (1993) by Tony Scott, and Oliver Stone reworked Quentin's text in Natural Born Killers (1994) so much that he initially demanded that his name be removed from the credits. The sale of these two scripts is directly related to the creation of Reservoir Dogs (1991) - there was a catastrophic lack of money for the production of Tarantino’s debut film.
Quentin's film career spans a wide variety of fields.
The basis for From Dusk Till Dawn (1995) was subsequently co-written with Robert Kurtzman.
Having gained weight and having a certain taste, Tarantino produced films that he did not direct: “Hostel” (2005), “Planet Terror” (2007), “Hell Ride” (2008) and others. They are very different in quality, skill level of actors and other details, but stylistically close to Quentin.
Movies
Even at the beginning of his career, Tarantino announced that he planned to “release” 10 films. Well, as we see, 90% of the plan has been completed - 9 successful films in 27 years.
On July 26, 2020, the ninth film of the legendary director, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” was released worldwide.
I suggest you familiarize yourself with the entire list of Quentin’s film masterpieces.
- “Reservoir Dogs” (1992).
Tarantino's first film that changed the history of Hollywood cinema. Became the starting point of independent American cinema.
The film is about a perfectly planned robbery that goes wrong miserably. The main characters are trying to find out the reason.
- “Pulp Fiction” (1994).
The work that brought Quentin real fame.
The film develops several storylines.
Problems of reality are intertwined with philosophical reflections.
- “Jackie Brown” (1997).
The film is based on the story of a flight attendant who helps an arms dealer by smuggling money for him. But she was unlucky and fell into the hands of FBI agents. Now we have to get out of this situation.
- “Kill Bill” (2003), “Kill Bill 2” (2004).
The main character, Black Mamba, restores justice throughout the entire film, punishing everyone who once betrayed her.
- “Death Proof” (2007).
The story is about a maniacal stuntman Mike, who kills young girls and then tries on the role of the victim himself. The two storylines are united by one main character.
- “Inglourious Basterds” (2009).
An interweaving of several stories from the Second World War, full of revenge and reprisals.
- “Django Unchained” (2012).
Western from Tarantino. Very successful.
The film is about a white slave, Django, who went to serve a criminal hunter in order to get his wife back.
- “The Hateful Eight” (2015).
Vile movie. Lots of murders. But a very interesting story. Several personalities ended up in the same house. It remains to understand what connects them. Another Western by Quentin and again successful.
- “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” (2019).
The plot is based on the “Golden Age” of Hollywood, 1969. Two friends, an actor and a stunt double, try to catch the “bird of happiness” by the tail and find themselves drawn into an unusual story.
Personal life of Quentin Tarantino
Tarantino has not been married for a long time and has no children. On this occasion, he repeatedly stated that he gave up the opportunity to start a family in order to make films. The creative process requires freedom, and the spouse and offspring require attention and time, which the director does not have. At the same time, he never labeled himself as an inveterate bachelor or childfree.
Quentin Tarantino was a confirmed bachelor
Throughout his career, Quentin met with famous colleagues from the world of cinema. His longest relationship was with Mira Sorvino. Tarantino has more than once been credited with having an affair with Uma Thurman, but, apparently, the nature of their relationship is friendly.
Tarantino was credited with having an affair with Uma Thurman
In the early 2000s, the director had an affair with colleague Sofia Coppola, which was preceded by a short-term relationship with Vivica Fox, the Kill Bill actress.
Tarantino dated Francis Ford Coppola's daughter
In 2009, while promoting Inglourious Basterds in Israel, Tarantino met local singer Daniela Pick. They began an affair, and in 2020 the couple got engaged. The relationship was difficult, the couple came together and then diverged due to the director’s hot temper, but on November 28, 2020, they got married.
Quentin Tarantino and his wife Daniella Pick
Quentin Tarantino now
In 2020, the director worked on a film about Charles Manson and his sect called “The Family.” The film “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” appeared on screens in the summer of 2020, starring Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio (the director called their duet the best since Robert Redford and Paul Newman) and Margot Robbie.. “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” Trailer The plot centers on the rapidly losing popularity of Western star Rick Dalton and his stuntman Cliff Booth. Young director Roman Polanski and his wife Sharon Tate settle next door to Rick. In real life, Sharon became a victim of members of the Charlie Manson Family, but this time Tarantino remained true to the principles and presented an alternative version of this story.
Quentin Tarantino on the set of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
During filming, Tarantino already had to make adjustments. Burt Reynolds was cast in one of the roles, but died suddenly of cardiac arrest. By decision of the director, he was replaced by Bruce Dern.
Quentin Tarantino - a legend
The film's release was fraught with controversy over the film's unsavory portrayal of Bruce Lee. In Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, he was shown to be hysterical, starstruck, and eventually get what he deserved. Because of this episode, the daughter of the late actor Shannon Lee got into a fight with Tarantino. Perhaps for this reason, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was not released in China, where Lee is considered almost a national hero, which significantly reduced the box office. But Tarantino refused to cut or change the scene with Bruce Lee for the sake of opportunism.
Still from the film “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
Quentin is attached as director for the next installment of the Star Trek franchise. This big studio project is not a typical job for Tarantino. Karl Urban, who has long been a part of this fantastic universe, does not believe that the director will not fit into the new format; on the contrary, he will be able to show the true dangers of space.
2020: Quentin Tarantino at the premiere of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Although it seemed that the Black Mamba had found peace and her story had been told inside and out, Quentin may still return to work on Kill Bill 3. From time to time, rumors about a threequel appear in the press, and some stars willingly share their thoughts on this matter. So Ronda Rousey would like to play the role of the grown-up daughter of Uma Thurman’s heroine, if such a plot twist is planned. The idea was also supported by Vivica A. Fox, who starred in the original duology.
Pride and Gluttony
Still from the film "Pulp Fiction".
If Tarantino's feature debut can be considered the first step towards his future greatness, then his second film, Pulp Fiction (1994), became his ascension. The American Film Academy awarded Tarantino's script, and at the Cannes Film Festival the film received the main award - the Palme d'Or. There is no need to talk about dozens of other less significant awards. “Pulp Fiction” instantly became a cult film, is considered one of the important milestones in the development of independent cinema and is still included in the top ten in many ratings.
Why were both elite European film critics and ordinary working people eating popcorn in front of the VCR so unanimous in their assessment of this film? The form played a significant role in this. In his second film, Tarantino brought his “hopscotch”, inspired by the French directors of the “New Wave” (or, if you prefer, cinematic-Cortazarian), to almost perfection. The film's narrative is not only divided into chapters, it is also shown in reverse order, intertwined. This technique not only provoked, but also helped the viewer to look at everything that was happening from different angles, panoramic. And such an opportunity is really necessary, given the second feature of the film - its scale.
Still from the film "Pulp Fiction".
“Pulp Fiction” tells about the working life of the crime boss’ henchmen – Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield (John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson), who later became one of the most famous film duets. The boss's simple task - to pick up a suitcase from his guilty accomplices - ends not only in bloody violence, but also in Jules' divine insight. Fate will also bring them together with two romantic petty bandits (Tim Roth and Amanda Plummer), who decided to rob the diner.
Tarantino will create another cult film duet - Vincent Vega and Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman). Show me one person who hasn't seen the scene where they do the twist in a restaurant. Or the moment when Vincent sticks an adrenaline needle into the heart of Mia, who is dying from an overdose. These scenes are still directly quoted or mentioned in various films, an example of this is Life Itself (2018) by Dan Fogelman.
Still from the film "Pulp Fiction".
But even these plot twists were not enough; in “Pulp Fiction” there is also the story of professional boxer Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis), who refused to lie down in the ring in a fixed match and gets into an unpleasant twist.
All these characters and lines are intertwined in a tight knot, which is very difficult to untangle, given that the action develops nonlinearly. Therefore, the viewer is captivated and carried away, he tries to at least understand and compare something, not to mention the very meaning of what is happening. But in fact, the meaning is perhaps the main reason for the success of Pulp Fiction. The fact is that it is here, perhaps, that Tarantino exposes vices like nowhere else. There is pride here (a boxer refuses to give up a match, a killer believes in the presence of God in his life), and greed (robbers counting on a quick profit), and gluttony (there are scenes with food throughout the film, and in the dialogues of Jules and Vincent it occupies one of the main places). Each of these characters created by Tarantino craves something, but, in fact, no one gets what they want.
“Pride comes before misfortune, and arrogance before a fall. It is better to live in humility with the poor than to share the loot with the proud.”
