expression
do not befriend those beneath you
Proverb from the Analects of Confucius, warning against associating with people of lower character or ability. Used in classical or literary contexts.
「己に如かざる者を友とするなかれ」は論語の一節だ。
"Do not befriend those beneath you" is a passage from the Analects.
From the Analects of Confucius (論語). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the phrase is conventionally associated with Confucian teachings on friendship and moral self-cultivation.