It’s unusual to tell others not to do something because you’re projecting they’re secretly doing it to compete with you, or that they’ll be depressed when they don’t do what you did.

Doubly so when the rationale is “I’m so fucking awesome”

Triply so when it’s something you’re passionate about, presumably inherently.

Quadruply so when it’s your child. Its tough as a kid hearing your parents come up with elongated excuses why you can’t dream and work towards a future.

When you let people find their own way, you might even learn something from it (ex. 70 yo Gauss learns he didn’t need to tie his mental state to his work because his son doesn’t suddenly become depressed from not matching dads output)

Re: second half, sounds about right, confused at relevancy though (is the idea the child would only do it to pursue nepotistic spoils and an additional reason is the spoils aren’t even good?)

I posit Gauss knew he was a GOAT and had ego. But I also posit he loved his children.

So, a nepotistic delivery was beneficial for his family, and advising his son to seek excellence outside the shadow cast by Gauss himself wasn't stamping on dreams (in my view) it was seeking the happiest outcome.

Without overdoing it, the suicide rate for rich kids with famous parents isn't nothing. There are positive examples, Stella McCartney comes to mind. She isn't wings.

For what it’s worth, his children were quite successful by all accounts. Two of the boys became successful businessmen after emigrating to the US and one of the boys became a director of the railway network in Hannover. Seems as though they weren’t harmed by their upbringing.