Two very prominent Roman generals were conversing when one of them, who came from an old Patrician family, told the other, a man of humble beginnings; “If you only had a family tree, you’d have everything.” To which the other general replied “That’s the difference between us-you’re at the bottom of your family tree; I’m at the top of mine.” Moral: only losers find it necessary to flaunt the successes of their ancestors.
I remember reading long ago (I'm 45 years out of college) what must be essentially the same story. The version I read went: Old Patrician: "Your low birth puts you beneath me". Young General: The differance between my birth and yours is that your family ends with you, while mine begins with me!
That story has been very helpful to me at times through the years.