Gratitude Is a Disease of Dogs

“To anyone who will listen, Antoine Bernheim always diligently extols the merits of Bernard Arnault, but he cannot hide his bitterness. Since Arnault reached the heights of success and since Bernheim himself was semi-retired due to the clan struggles that tear Lazard apart, Arnault no longer asks him for advice or even gives him a friendly nod. Although he is the vice-president of LVMH, he no longer participates in the gala dinners organized by Arnault. He is no longer invited to Saint-Tropez in the summer. "Gratitude is a disease of dogs that is not transmissible to humans," the old lion sometimes tells his interlocutors, adding: "The only way to maintain good relations with Bernard Arnault is to stay away. You should not be indebted to him."”

“Antoine Bernheim, still a board member and vice president of LVMH. To the former managing partner of Lazard who provided him with the financial means for his ambitions, built his credibility in the business microcosm and in the political world, and helped him throughout his rise, he devotes only a few lines. However, the dedication of the book he sends to him is full of praise: on the entire front page, he writes that without him, he would be nothing and that his gratitude is total. Bernheim will thank him, adding, however, that he would have preferred to read this piece of glory in the body of the book rather than in the dedication1919...”