thank you Jothar! That was a breath of fresh air!!
and just to add two more quotes:
“mi zos oleh min hamidbar” (shir hashirim) – real greatness arises from someone who lives a life of “desert,” meaning without excessive gashmiyus.
“hizaharu m’bnei haaniyim shemehem taitzai torah.”
be careful with the sons of the poor because torah will come out of them.
(sorry about the missing sources)