अपात्रं पात्रता याति यत्र पात्रं न विद्यते ।
अस्मिन्देशे द्रुमो नास्ति एरण्डोऽपि द्रुमायते ॥
apātraṁ pātratā yāti yatra pātraṁ na vidyate |
asmin deśe drumo nāsti eraṇḍo’pi drumāyate ||
(Mahāsubhāṣita-saṅgraha: 1985)
“An unfit person attains [i.e., is consider to have attained] fitness when a fit person is not present. In a land where there are no trees, even a castor-oil plant seems like [i.e., is considered to be] a tree.”