Fame

उत्तमा: आत्मना ख्याता: पितुः ख्याताश्च: मध्यमाः |
अधमा: मातुलात् ख्याता: श्वशुरात् च अधमाधमा: ||

Uttamaa-haa aatmanaa khyaataa-haa 
     Pitu-hu khyaataashcha madhyamaa-haa
Adhamaa-haa maatulaat khyaataa-haa 
     Shvashuraat cha adham-aadhamaa-haa.

Meaning:
Superior (Uttam) are those who are famous on their own merit.
Average (Madhyam) are those who are famous due to their father.
Inferior (Adhama) are those who are famous due to their (maternal) uncle (maatula).
And worst of all (Adhamaadham) are those who are famous due to their father-in-law (shvashura).

This is an interesting subhaashit which tells us in a rather amusing manner, how we should be known in society. In India, we also have this saying that your standing is decided by whether you are known by your forefathers or your forefathers are known by you.

And if we extend this to Indians as a society, then we should be ashamed that we still bank on our historic golden past to sing praises of our culture or our prosperity. Whenever somebody criticizes India or tries to put it down, we start reminding them how we are the most ancient civilization, and how we had great inventors like Aryabhatt & Charaka etc etc. We glorify India only through its past... only through our ancestors. It's a big question whether we can proudly assert Durlabham Bhaarate Janma today!

But even at an individual level, it is important how we are known. The best fame is that which is self-earned—our efforts, our own achievements, howsoever small they might be. That recognition is better than one which has been inherited.

This shloka can also be interpreted in terms of wealth—superior being those who enjoy their own earned wealth and the worst being those who enjoy the wealth given by their father-in-law.