नमन्ति फलिनो वृक्षाः नमन्ति गुणिनो जनाः

नमन्ति फलिनो वृक्षाः नमन्ति गुणिनो जनाः।

शुष्ककाष्ठाश्च मूर्खाश्च न नमन्ति कदाचन॥

namanti phalino vṛkṣāḥ namanti guṇino janāḥ|

śuṣkakāṣṭhāśca mūrkhāśca na namanti kadācana||

chanakya 

The above subhashitam is in support of humility and flexibility..

The Meaning is

The trees which are heavily laden with fruits bend down

Similarly people of nobility and class are humble and give respect to others

However, the trees which have dried up and are mere logs would never bend.

The adamant and foolish people also never bend down or show flexibility.

Like all platitudes in life, the idea of humility is stressed here, and in that process the rigidity exhibited by some people are ridiculed.

But think, the reality is somewhere in between.. Humility and flexibility in the right place and at the right time are great.. However, excessive flexibility becomes just shameless compromise when core issues are at stake..

When we hear or read about some great virtue, we tend to assume that the virtue or quality which is an antithesis of the one we are dealing with is reprehensible..

That need not be so

Any thought or action or attitude is either great or not so great according to the situations alone.

Word analysis

फलिनो वृक्षाः trees that have fruits

नमन्ति bend down, are flexible

गुणिनः जनाः people with great qualities, nice people

अपि नमन्ति too bend down, are humble

मूर्खाः adamant, foolish people

शुष्ककाष्ठाः dry logs

च and

कदाचन न not once, never

नमन्ति bend down.