Literal translation
without money they will not know you, with money you will not know yourself
Meaning
without money nobody knows you, with money you no longer know yourself
Explanation
This saying contrasts the opposite effects of poverty and wealth on human relationships. The first part, sènso argènt te couneissieran pas (without money they will not know you), from the verb counèisse, to know, describes the social indifference shown to someone who has nothing : no one seeks their company or even acknowledges them. The second, emé d'argènt te couneissiras pas (with money you will not know yourself), a reflexive form of the same verb, describes the opposite effect of wealth on the individual : fortune ends up making a person lose their own sense of self, changing them so much that they no longer recognize themselves. The grammatical parallel, two negative clauses built on the same verb conjugated for different persons, underlines the reversal : in poverty, it is the regard of others that is missing ; in wealth, it is self-awareness that is lost. Its register is one of disillusioned wisdom about money, granting esteem to neither extreme.