“The secret of great fortunes without apparent cause is a crime forgotten, for it was properly done”
— Honore de Balzac
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Simplified Meaning:
When somebody seems to have a lot of money without any clear reason, it's possible that they did something bad to get it, but people have forgotten about it because they did it so smartly. Imagine a businessman who suddenly becomes very rich. People might think he worked hard or got lucky. But maybe, long ago, he did something wrong, like cheating or stealing, but he was clever enough not to get caught or for people to remember. This idea warns us to look carefully at how some people got their wealth. It suggests that sometimes, big money might hide past wrongdoings. We should be cautious about admiring or trusting people solely for their wealth because there might be hidden truths about how they got it.
