He wrapped himself in quotations—as a beggar would enfold himself in the purple of Emperors.

Kipling’s image satirizes a person who borrows authority by draping himself in other people’s words. “Quotations” become a kind of costume jewelry: impressive at a glance, but not earned. The comparison to a beggar wrapping himself in imperial purple underscores the mismatch between outward display and inner substance—suggesting insecurity, pretension, or intellectual laziness. The line also hints at a broader critique of secondhand culture: when someone relies on citations as a substitute for thought or experience, language becomes camouflage rather than communication. At the same time, Kipling’s phrasing acknowledges the real power of famous words—power strong enough to be used as social disguise.