Grandmother's Cult of Superiority

"Above all, this inflexibly determined woman, who is filled with love and ambition for her grandson, instills in him the belief in his own superiority. This belief will guide him through all the important stages of his life and explain the audacity that often borders on recklessness."

"But their bond goes much deeper: the grandparents have devoted a genuine cult to their grandson since his birth, raising him to believe that he is the most handsome, intelligent, and strong. Nothing is ever good enough for him. His grandmother instills habits that he will keep for life: a taste for refined cuisine as well as chocolate, the need to go to bed early (which he will never abandon), and the sense of efficiency, of which she discreetly praises."

"However, Bernard Arnault's state of mind is different, as he shares a deep bond with his grandparents. His suffering is not on behalf of someone else. Later, when asked about the most significant and painful events in his life, he will never hesitate to answer: the death of my grandfather in 1959 and that of my grandmother in January 1985. "I see her on her hospital bed, reading articles about me," he confides to Yves Messarovitch in his book."