No one beneath you can offend you. No one your equal would.

The saying reframes “being offended” as a matter of perceived status and self-command. If an insult comes from someone “beneath” you, it is implicitly unworthy of your attention; taking offense would grant it undue power. If it comes from an equal, the line suggests that a person of comparable maturity and dignity would not stoop to gratuitous offense in the first place. The aphorism thus functions as advice in emotional discipline: protect your peace by refusing to outsource your self-respect to others’ words, and by expecting civility among true peers. It also hints at a moral ideal of equality—real equals treat one another with restraint and respect.