Emperor Napoleon of France was a patron of art and paid immense honor to scholars and artists. Whenever such people would come to his court, they would receive considerable respect and honor. Napoleon's ministers would also follow these rules meticulously. Once Napoleon's court was held, and he was meeting people from various streams of art. Amongst them was a portrait painter who was extremely poor. Napoleon did not take much notice of him. When he entered the court, seeing his dirty clothes Napoleon and his ministers gave him no importance and ordered him to sit apart.
After a while, the portraitist was called on to show his talent, and he made an excellent portrait. Seeing his exquisite portraiture Napoleon got so impressed that he walked to that man and shook hands with him. Giving, him adequate honor Napoleon came to see him out. The portrait painter got marveled at this change of behavior. He asked Napoleon, "When I came in your court, everyone looked down upon me. No one gave me any respect and ordered me to sit away from everyone else, and now you have come to see me out. May I know the reason for this?" Napoleon said, "The respect displayed at someone's arrival primarily depends on that person's physical appearance and apparels, but the respect given at the time of departure is due to that persons virtues and talents."
Moral: Clothing can provide you only physical attractiveness. The true accomplishments are knowledge and talent. Therefore, person's final estimation should be based on qualifications and conduct.
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