❤️    汇集了300则妙言警句，论及识人观事、慎断是非、修炼自我、防范邪恶等处世智慧和谋略。自1647年问世以来，深受读者喜爱，历经几百年时光之淘洗而不衰。读文自用，侵删。

61.

To excel in what is excellent. It is a great rarity among excellences. You cannot have a great man without something preeminent. Mediocrities never win applause. Eminence in some distinguished post distinguishes one from the vulgar mob and ranks us with the elect. To be distinguished in a small post is to be great in little: the more comfort, the less glory. The highest eminence in great affairs has the royal characteristic of exciting admiration and winning goodwill.

卓越之处求卓越。在各种优秀的特质中，这是最为珍稀的。伟人必然有其优异之处，平庸之人从来不能赢得人们的喝彩。在不平凡的岗位上出类拔萃，可使你别于俗世的庸才，而进入精英的行列。在微贱的岗位上就算做得出色，也是一件很微不足道的事情——越是容易成功，便越算不得荣耀。在崇高的事业上追求卓越可使你具有王者气质，将使众人赞叹不已，并赢得好感。

62.

Use good instruments. Some would have the subtlety of their wits proven by the poorness of their instruments. It is a dangerous satisfaction, and deserves a fatal punishment. The excellence of a minister never diminished the greatness of his lord. All the glory of exploits reverts to the principal actor; also all the blame. Fame only does business with principals. She does not say, "This had good, that had bad servants," but, "This was a good artist, that a bad one." Let your assistants be selected and tested therefore, for you have to trust to them for an immortality of fame.

善其事必先利其器。一些人以使用低劣的工具来证明其技高一筹。这是一种危险的自满，若遭遇重大挫折，实是咎由自取。臣子的优秀绝不会使君王的伟大有所减损。所有丰功伟业都归于领袖，就像他们也要承担所有责难一样。名誉女神只与领袖打交道，她从不说“这人有良臣，那人有劣将”，她只是说“这人高明，那人低劣”。因此，你需要仔细地挑选并考察助手，因为你要依赖他们以成就不朽的盛名。

63.

To be the first of the kind is an excellence, and to be eminent in it as well, a double one. To have the first move is a great advantage when the players are equal. Many a man would have been a veritable Phonix if he had been the first of the sort. Those who come first are the heirs of Fame; the others get only a younger brother's allowance: whatever they do, they cannot persuade the world they are anything more than parrots. The skill of prodigies may find a new path to eminence, and prudence accompanies them all the way. By the novelty of their enterprises sages write their names in the golden book of heroes. Some prefer to be first in things of minor import than second in greater exploits.

抢先为上，若还能表现优异，则是好上加好。在棋手水平旗鼓相当的情况下，谁先走第一步，谁就占有很大的优势。许多人如能抢占先机，原本可以独占鳌头。领先之人才是名望的继承人，后来者只能作为次子，分到一点残羹冷炙。不管后来者如何费尽心机，总有鹦鹉学舌之嫌。杰出的天才总会小心谨慎，采用技巧另辟蹊径，以求卓越。因其事业之新，得以名垂青史。某些人却宁为鸡头，而不为凤尾。

64.

Avoid worry. Such prudence brings its own reward. It escapes much, and is thus the midwife of comfort and so of happiness. Neither give nor take bad news unless it can help. Some men's ears are stuffed with the sweets of flattery; others with the bitters of scandal, while some cannot live without a daily annoyance no more than Mithridates could without poison. It is no rule of life to prepare for yourself lifelong trouble in order to give a temporary enjoyment to another, however near and dear. You never ought to spoil your own chances to please another who advises and keeps out of the affair, and in all cases where to oblige another involves disobliging yourself, it is a standing rule that it is better he should suffer now than you afterwards and in vain.

远离烦恼。这种谨慎会有好的回报，它能让你避免许多纷扰，带来舒适与幸福。不要告诉别人坏消息，自己也不要接受这种消息，除非它对自己有益。有的人的耳朵已经被甜蜜的恭维话塞满了；有的人则听多了苦涩的谣言；还有的人，如果哪天没有烦恼便坐立不安，就像米斯利达提斯 (1) 那种人，每天都要吃点毒药。为了赢得他人的好感而使自己郁闷终生，也不是生活的法则，不管你与他多么亲密。别人帮你出谋划策，但却不担负任何责任，你不要为了赢得他的欢心而错失自己的机会。并且，只要帮助别人便意味着为难自己，要记住：最好不让他现在得到满足，以免你以后白白忍受痛苦。

 (1) 本都国王，传说他常服用少量毒药使身体产生抗毒能力，以防被毒死。

65.

Elevated taste. You can train it like the intellect. Full knowledge whets desire and increases enjoyment. You may know a noble spirit by the elevation of his taste: it must be a great thing that can satisfy a great mind. Big bites for big mouths, lofty things for lofty spirits. Before their judgment the bravest tremble, the most perfect lose confidence. Things of the first importance are few; let appreciation be rare. Taste can be imparted by intercourse: great good luck to associate with the highest taste. But do not profess to be dissatisfied with everything: it is the extreme of folly, and more odious if from affectation than if from Quixotry. Some would have God create another world and other ideals to satisfy their fantastic imagination.

培养高雅的品味。和聪明才智一样，高雅的品味是能够培养的。透彻的领悟能力可刺激你的胃口，增加你的快乐。判断一个人的精神是否高贵，可看其品味是否高雅——只有伟大的事物才能满足伟大的心灵。嘴巴越大，能吞下的东西才越多；那些高尚的事业只有崇高之人能为之。在鉴赏大家面前，即便是最勇敢的人也会胆战心惊，最完美的人也会丧失信心。一流的事物是罕见的，因此，不要轻易欣赏。品味可通过人际交往而传授。能与品味最高雅的人结交，将是一大幸运。但是，千万不要宣称自己对什么都不满意，这是极其愚蠢的。若出于装腔作势，那就比出自不切实际的幻想更让人讨厌。有人会期望上帝另造一个世界，另造其他理想的事物，以满足他们不可思议的幻想。

66.

See that things end well. Some regard more the rigour of the game than the winning of it, but to the world the discredit of the final failure does away with any recognition of the previous care. The victor need not explain. The world does not notice the details of the measures employed, but only the good or ill result. You lose nothing if you gain your end. A good end gilds everything, however unsatisfactory the means. Thus at times it is part of the art of life to transgress the rules of the art, if you cannot end well otherwise.

使结局完美。有些人注重行事是否合乎规范，而非是否成功。但是，对世人而言，最终失败的结局是耻辱的，它抵消了人们对你之前遵循规矩的所有认可。获胜之人无须解释。世人只注重结果，而非你所用方法的细节。如果你可以达到预期的目标，荣誉就不会减损。无论你采用的手段如何令人不满，只要有好的结局，那么一切将被镀金。因此，有些时候，逾越规则正是生活的规则——如果只有不拘泥于手段才能成功的话。

67.

Choose an occupation that wins distinction. Most things depend on the satisfaction of others. Esteem is to excellence what the zephyr is to flowers: the breath of life. There are some callings which gain universal esteem, while others more important are without credit. The former, pursued before the eyes of all, obtain the universal favour; the others, though they are rarer and more valuable, remain obscure and unperceived, honoured but not applauded. Among princes conquerors are the most celebrated, and therefore the kings of Aragon(1) earned such applause as warriors, conquerors, and great men. An able man will prefer occupations of distinction which all men know of and utilize, and he thus becomes immortalized by universal suffrage.

选择能够获得殊荣的行业。大部分事情都要靠他人是否满意来决定其好坏。如美丽的花朵需要春风助力才有生机一样，你的卓越需要别人的尊重：有些职业为众人尊敬；也有些职业尽管更为重要，却没有名誉。前者有目共睹，人人向往；后者罕见而更为珍贵，更有价值，可惜始终默默无闻，虽可敬，却无人喝彩。君主之中，有战功之人最受赞颂，阿拉恭 (1) 诸王正是凭此为人称颂为“勇士”、“征服者”、“伟人”。能人应该选择有名且有用的显赫职业——众心所向，才能永垂不朽。

 (1) 指位于西班牙东北部的一个古国。

68.

It is better to help with intelligence than with memory. The latter needs only recollection, the former requires thought. Many persons omit what is appropriate to the moment because it does not occur to them; a friend's advice on such occasions may enable them to see the advantages. It is one of the greatest gifts of mind to be able to offer what is needed at the moment: for want of that many things fail to be performed. Share the light of your intelligence, when you have any, and ask for it when you have it not, the first cautiously, the last anxiously. Give no more than a hint: this finesse is especially needful when it touches the interest of him whose attention you awaken. You should give but a taste at first, and then pass on to more when that is not sufficient. If he thinks of No, go cleverly in search of Yes. Most things are not obtained simply because they are not attempted.

点拨其心智，胜于助其回忆。前者需要思考，后者只需回忆。许多人不能在恰当的时候做恰当的事，只是因为他们一时未能想起来。在这种情况下，朋友的提醒可让他们看清事物的利弊。能审时度势、提供当下所需是人的一大天赋——缺少了它，许多事就无法继续。如果你有见事之明，就应为他人指点迷津。如果你没有，就请他人帮助你。前者你要慎重，后者你要急切。为人引路时须谨慎行事，点到即可。如果事关当事人的利益，而你已提醒他小心，则更需讲究这个技巧。一开始，你只需让他有所领悟；如果还不够，就应提供更多的信息。假使对方不以为然，你就应运用技巧让他赞同。很多事情没有结果，只是因为没有尝试罢了。

69.

Do not give way to every common impulse. He is a great man who never allows himself to be influenced by the impressions of others. Self-reflection is the school of wisdom. To know one's disposition and to allow for it, even going to the other extreme so as to find a balance between nature and art. Self-knowledge is the beginning of self-improvement. There are some whose humors are so monstrous that they are always under the influence of one or other of them, and put them in place of their real inclinations. They are torn asunder by such disharmony and get involved in contradictory obligations. Such excesses not only destroy firmness of will; all power of judgment gets lost, desire and knowledge pulling in opposite directions.

不要冲动行事。从不为他人印象所左右的人是了不起的。自我反省可以提升智慧。了解自身秉性，并加以注意，甚至有意识地反其道而行，平衡修养与天性。提升自我始于认识自我。有的人性情怪异、变幻莫测，这样或那样的情绪摆布他们，代替了他们真正的意愿。他们的心智因这种不和谐而分裂，于是做事总是自相矛盾。这种放浪的性格会破坏他们的意志，打击他们的判断力，并使他们的欲望与理智背道而驰。

70.

Know how to refuse. One ought not to give way in everything nor to everybody. To know how to refuse is therefore as important as to know how to consent. This is especially the case with men of position. All depends on the how. Some men's No is thought more of than the Yes of others: for a gilded No is more satisfactory than a dry Yes. There are some who always have No on their lips, whereby they make everything distasteful. No always comes first with them, and when sometimes they give way after all, it does them no good on account of the unpleasing herald. Your refusal need not be point-blank: let the disappointment come by degrees. Nor let the refusal be final: that would destroy dependence; let some spice of hope remain to soften the rejection. Let politeness compensate and fine words supply the place of deeds. Yes and No are soon said, but give much to think over.

学会拒绝。与人相处，有求必应是不切实际的。懂得如何拒绝，与懂得如何承诺同样重要，特别是对居于高位的人来说，更是如此。任何事都取决于你如何去做。有些人的拒绝比另一些人的承诺更让人感激。因为镀了金的“不”比干巴的“是”更得人心。有很多人总把“不”字挂在嘴边，事事令人厌恶。他们总是先拒绝，虽然后来也可能让步，却无法获得任何好处，因为他们一开始就让人失望。拒绝别人不要直截了当，要让别人渐渐地接受被拒绝的事实。绝不彻底回绝什么事——如果是那样，别人就再也不会依赖你。因此，要留一些希望，让你的拒绝更柔和。既然没有好处，就要用好言好语来补偿。“是”和“不”说起来很快，但说之前却是颇费脑筋。

71.

Do not vacillate. Do not let your actions be abnormal either from disposition or affectation. An able man is always the same in his best qualities; he gets the credit of trustworthiness. If he changes, he does so for good reason or good consideration. In matters of conduct change is hateful. There are some who are different every day; their intelligence varies, still more their will, and with this their fortune. Yesterday's white is today's black: today's No was yesterday's Yes. They always give the lie to their own credit and destroy their credit with others.

不要左右摇摆。不要让你的言行因性情或做作而反常。能者常因保持最好的状态而获得人们的信任。如果他有所改变，那也是因为他有恰当的理由和周全的考虑。行为反复无常十分有害。有些人天天都不一样——他们的才智无定数，他们的意志更多变，于是运气也无常。昨天的白变成了今天的黑，昨天的“是”到今天变成“不”。他们自毁名誉，也损害了别人对自己的信任。

72.

Be resolute. Bad execution of your designs does less harm than irresolution in forming them. Streams do less harm flowing than when dammed up. There are some men so infirm of purpose that they always require direction from others, and this not on account of any perplexity, for they judge clearly, but from sheer incapacity for action. It needs some skill to find out difficulties, but more to find a way out of them. There are others who are never in straits, their clear judgment and determined character fit them for the highest callings: their intelligence tells them where to insert the thin end of the wedge, their resolution how to drive it home. They soon get through anything: as soon as they have done with one sphere of action, they are ready for another. Affianced to Fortune, they make themselves sure of success.

要当机立断。相比计划执行得不好，拟定计划时的犹豫不决更有害。被阻挡的河流比流动的河流更危险。有些人总是迟疑不决，需要他人指点。其实，这并非由于事情复杂（其实他们判断得很明确），而是因为他们没有行动力。找出问题所在需要技巧，而找到解决之道则更需技巧。另一些人决不会陷入困境，因为他们有着清晰的判断能力和坚定的个性，他们适合最高的事业。智慧告诉他们从何着手，毅力告诉他们怎样成功。他们很快就能办好任何事情：只要做完一件事，他们就已为下一件事做好了准备。如果有好的时运，他们定会成功。

73.

Utilize slips. That is how smart people get out of difficulties. They extricate themselves from the most intricate labyrinth by some witty application of a bright remark. They get out of a serious contention by an airy nothing or by raising a smile. Most of the great leaders are well grounded in this art. When you have to refuse, it is often the polite way to talk of something else. Sometimes it proves the highest understanding not to understand.

安然退避。这是聪明人走出困境的法宝。机智地运用一句巧言，他们就能从最错综复杂的迷宫中脱身。用一句空话或一个微笑，他们可摆脱严肃的争论。大部分伟人都擅长此道。当你必须拒绝某件事时，转换话题通常是最礼貌的方式。有时候，装作不理解就是最高明的理解。

74.

Do not be unsociable. The truest wild beasts live in the most populous places. To be inaccessible is the fault of those who distrust themselves, whose honours change their manners. It is no way of earning people's goodwill by being ill-tempered with them. It is a sight to see one of those unsociable monsters who make a point of being proudly impertinent. Their dependants, who have the misfortune to be obliged to speak with them, enter as if prepared for a fight with a tiger armed with patience and with fear. To obtain their post these persons must have ingratiated themselves with everyone, but having once obtained it they seek to indemnify themselves by disobliging all. It is a condition of their position that they should be accessible to all, yet, from pride or spleen, they are so to none. It is a civil way to punish such men by letting them alone, and depriving them of opportunities of improvement by granting them no opportunity of intercourse.

与人为善。最野蛮的动物生活在人口最多的地方。那些没有自知之明的人难以让人接近，他们的头衔改变他们的态度。想获得别人的善意，却对别人恶意相待，这自然行不通。这些人不过是一群不合群的、傲慢无礼的怪物——看他们那副德性！不幸的仆人不得不与其说话时，就如同要与老虎搏斗一般，再三忍耐、胆战心惊。为了谋求高位，他们肯定曾低三下四地四处拍马屁；一旦大权在握，就想让所有人都感到不快，以雪旧耻。他的职位本来是要求他们和蔼可亲，但是因为傲气或坏脾气，他们让人难以亲近。用文明的方式来惩罚这种人，就是要对他们视而不见，不与他们交流，从而剥夺他们提高自身的机会。

75.

Choose a heroic ideal; but rather to emulate than to imitate. There are exemplars of greatness, living texts of honour. Let everyone have before his mind the chief of his calling not so much to follow him as to spur himself on. Alexander wept not on account of Achilles dead and buried, but over himself, because his fame had not yet spread throughout the world. Nothing arouses ambition so much in the heart as the trumpet-clang of another's fame. The same thing that sharpens envy, nourishes a generous spirit.

选择一位英雄作为偶像，你要赶超他，而非一味模仿他。世上有很多种杰出人物，他们是荣耀的活教材。人们应该在自己的领域中挑选一位顶级人物作为自己效法的对象。不是为了亦步亦趋地追随，而是为了激励自己做得更好。亚历山大曾在阿基里斯墓前痛哭流涕，不是为这位英雄已逝而哭 (1) ，而是为了自己尚未能像阿基里斯一样闻名于世而泣。世上最令人雄心勃发的，莫过于他人的盛名在心中吹起的号声。它可以加剧一个人的妒忌，也可助长一个人的大志。

 (1) 阿基里斯为荷马史诗《伊利亚特》中的英雄。据说亚历山大曾在阿基里斯墓前哭泣，因嫉妒其名垂千古。

76.

Do not always be jesting. Wisdom is shown in serious matters, and is more appreciated than mere wit. He that is always ready for jests is never ready for serious things. Jokers resemble liars in that men never believe either, always expecting a lie in one, a joke in the other. One never knows when you speak with judgment, which is the same as if you had none. A continual jest soon loses all zest. Many get the repute of being witty, but thereby lose the credit of being sensible. Jest has its little hour, seriousness should have all the rest.

不要总开玩笑。智慧体现在严肃的事情中，且比耍小聪明更易获得人们的赞赏。总是准备调侃的人绝不会准备做严肃的事。爱开玩笑之人如同爱说谎之人一样——人们从不信任他们，总认为前者是在开玩笑，后者是在说谎。人们永远不知道那些爱开玩笑的人什么时候能运用其判断力说正经的话，这相当于是在说他没有判断力。无休止的玩笑很快便失去其应有的趣味。很多人以其诙谐风趣而闻名，却因此失去明判善断的赞誉。偶尔开开玩笑是可以的，但是大部分时间应该严肃起来。

77.

Be all things to all men－a discreet Proteus, learned with the learned, saintly with the sainted. It is the great art to gain everyone's suffrages; their goodwill gains general agreement. Notice men's moods and adapt yourself to each, genial or serious as the case may be. Follow their lead, glossing over the changes as cunningly as possible. This is an indispensable art for dependent persons. But this savoir faire calls for great cleverness. He only will find no difficulty who has a universal genius in his knowledge and universal ingenuity in his wit.

做人须八面玲珑。要做一个言行谨慎的普罗特斯 (1) 。与学者交往，应显示自己的学识；在圣人面前，要显得圣洁。这是博取他人支持的秘诀，因为获得众人的好感就能赢得普遍的支持。留意人们的心情，调整自己，亲切或者严肃，视情况而定。效仿他们，并尽量巧妙地掩饰你的变化。如你有求他人，这一个技巧就不可缺少。但是，这一处世技巧对人的聪明程度要求很高，只有博闻强识、灵活智巧的人才能运用自如。

(1) 是希腊神话中的海神，他能任意改变自己的外形。

78.

The art of undertaking things. Fools rush in through the door; for folly is always bold. The same simplicity which robs them of all attention to precautions deprives them of all sense of shame at failure. But prudence enters with more deliberation. Its forerunners are caution and care; they advance and discover whether you can also advance without danger. Every rush forward is freed from danger by caution, while fortune sometimes helps in such cases. Step cautiously where you suspect depth. Sagacity goes cautiously forward while precaution covers the ground. Nowadays there are unsuspected depths in human intercourse, you must therefore cast the lead at every step.

做事有道。蠢人仓促行事，因为愚蠢总是鲁莽。他们头脑简单，疏于防范，这也使他们在失败后不感到羞耻。但是，审慎之人做事则十分谨慎，小心探查前路是否有危险。小心谨慎可避免每次因鲁莽而陷入危险，尽管有时候时运可助人一臂之力。如果不知前路深浅，小心慢行才是。即便有所防范，明智之人依然小心谨慎，慎重前行。如今，人际交往中有许多不可预知的陷阱，走每一步都投石问路，是很有必要的。

79.

A genial disposition. If with moderation it is an accomplishment, not a defect. A grain of gaiety seasons all. The greatest men join in the fun at times, and it makes them liked by all. But they should always on such occasions preserve their dignity, nor go beyond the bounds of decorum. Others, again, get themselves out of difficulty quickly by a joke. For there are things you must take in fun, though others perhaps mean them in earnest. You show a sense of placability, which acts as a magnet on all hearts.

轻松快活的个性。如果适度，快活的个性会是一项才能，而非缺点。些许快乐可以调剂一切。大人物有时也会娱乐，这让他们赢得人们的喜爱。但是，在这种情况下，他们应一直保持尊严，不失礼。有的人则用玩笑作为迅速脱离困境的方法——因为有些事应该一笑而过，尽管别人郑重其事。这是一种平易随和的表现，如同磁铁一般吸引众人。

80.

Take care to get information. We live by information, not by sight. We exist by faith in others. The ear is the sidedoor of truth but the frontdoor of lies. The truth is generally seen, rarely heard; seldom she comes in elemental purity, especially from afar; there is always some admixture of the moods of those through whom she has passed. The passions tinge her with their colours wherever they touch her, sometimes favourably, sometimes the reverse. She always brings out the disposition, therefore receive her with caution from him that praises, with more caution from him that blames. Pay attention to the intention of the speaker; you should know beforehand on what footing he comes. Let reflection assay falsity and exaggeration.

获取信息要谨慎。生活中，我们亲眼所见之事为少数，要知晓其余的事，都得依靠他人提供信息。但是，耳闻多为谎言，而非真相。通常情况下，真相常由眼见得知，很少依靠耳闻。真相绝少来得纯粹，尤其是那些来自远方的，其中往往融入传播者的情绪。这些情绪改变了真相的色彩，使之可喜或可恶。这种“真相”总是带着人们的倾向，所以，当它来自那些高声颂扬之人时，我们要多多留心。当它来自责备者之时，我们更要留心。注意说话者的意图，提前了解他的立场，要用深思来防范虚假和夸张。

81.

Renew your brilliance. It is the privilege of the Phonix. Ability is wont to grow old, and with it fame. The staleness of custom weakens admiration, and a mediocrity that's new often eclipses the highest excellence grown old. Try therefore to be born again in valour, in genius, in fortune, in all. Display startling novelties, rise afresh like the sun every day. Change too the scene on which you shine, so that your loss may be felt in the old scenes of your triumph, while the novelty of your powers wins you applause in the new.

勇于推陈出新。这是凤凰般的人物才有的特权。才能总会变旧，盛名转眼成空。习以为常磨损了钦佩，初来乍到的平庸之才常使老旧的能人暗淡无光。所以，你应该在勇气、才能、运气等所有方面进行更新。你要展示令人惊叹的新奇之处，如同太阳每天重新升起，同时，还要改变光芒的背景，这样，你的离去在昔日成功的舞台上引人怀念，而你的新才能在新的舞台上将迎来人们的喝彩。

82.

Drain nothing to the dregs, neither good nor ill. A sage once reduced all virtue to the golden mean. Push right to the extreme and it becomes wrong; press all the juice from an orange and it becomes bitter. Even in enjoyment never go to extremes. Thought too subtle is dull. If you milk a cow too much you draw blood, not milk.

凡事无论好与坏，不要走极端。一位圣人 (1) 将所有的美德归结为中庸之道。极端正确则走向错误。榨干橘子的汁液，橘子就会变得苦涩。享乐也不能过于极端。思虑过细使人迟钝，过度挤奶，得到的恐怕只能是血。

(1) 指希腊七贤之一的克莱俄布卢。

83.

Allow yourself some venial fault. Some such carelessness is often the greatest recommendation of talent. For envy exercises ostracism, most envenomed when most polite. Envy counts it to perfection as a failing that it has no faults; for being perfect in all it condemns it in all. It becomes an Argus, all eyes for imperfection, only for its own consolation. Blame is like the lightning; it hits the highest. Let Homer nod now and then and affect some negligence in valour or in intellect-not in prudence-so as to disarm malevolence, or at least to prevent its bursting with its own venom. You thus leave your cloak on the horns of Envy in order to save your immortality.

容许自己有无伤大雅之过。有时，此类不经意的疏忽，反而显示了你最优秀的才智。嫉妒常常表现为对人的排斥，越是斯文有礼就越是恶毒。嫉妒把每个完美都当成是错误，那是因为完美本身并没有错误，因为绝对完美，嫉妒心才对之谴责。嫉妒心就像神话中的百眼巨人阿格斯 (1)，所有的眼睛都用来寻瑕摘疵，以安慰自己。指责如同闪电一般，专挑那些最高的东西袭击。让荷马 (2) 也偶有败笔吧，甚至还可让他貌似缺乏勇气或智慧，但不要缺乏谨慎，以使他人的恶意消除，或者至少阻止恶意的毒液蔓延。这样，你便可像斗牛士一样，把披风留给嫉妒的牛角去顶撞，而你不朽的名声则得以保全。

(1) 希腊神话中的阿格斯，有一百只眼睛遍布全身，即便在睡着的时候，也有两只眼睛始终警惕地睁着。

(2) 荷马：希腊史诗《伊利亚特》和《奥德赛》的作者。贺拉斯在《诗艺》中说：“高明如荷马有时也瞌睡”，是指荷马这样的大诗人也有败笔之就。

84.

Make use of your enemies. You should learn to seize things not by the blade, which cuts, but by the handle, which saves you from harm: especially is this the rule with the doings of your enemies. A wise man gets more use from his enemies than a fool from his friends. Their ill-will often levels mountains of difficulties which one would otherwise not face. Many have had their greatness made for them by their enemies. Flattery is more dangerous than hatred, because it covers the stains which the other causes to be wiped out. The wise will turn ill-will into a mirror more faithful than that of kindness, and remove or improve the faults referred to. Caution thrives well when rivalry and ill-will are next-door neighbours.

善用对手。处事如同操刀——抓刀刃会伤手，抓刀柄则可防身。对付敌人更需奉行这一原则。明智之人在对手身上发现的用处比蠢人在朋友身上发现的用处还要多。恶意常常可以激励我们克服本来不愿面对的重重困难，大多数人成就其伟业，都应归功于自己的对手。比憎恶更危险的是谄媚，别人的谄媚掩盖了你的缺点，而别人的憎恶则促使你消除瑕疵。智者把别人的恶意视为一面比善意更真实的镜子，以减少或改正有关缺陷。每个人与对手或敌人比邻而居时，都会变得十分小心。

85.

Do not be a wild card. It is a fault of excellence that being so much in use it is liable to abuse. Because all covet it, all are vexed by it. It is a great misfortune to be of use to nobody; scarcely less to be of use to everybody. People who reach this stage lose by gaining, and at last bore those who desired them before. These wild cards wear away all kinds of excellence: losing the earlier esteem of the few, they obtain discredit among the vulgar. The remedy against this extreme is to moderate your brilliance. Be extraordinary in your excellence, if you like, but be ordinary in your display of it. The more light a torch gives, the more it burns away and the nearer it is to going out. Show yourself less and you will be rewarded by being esteemed more.

不做无所不知之人。好的东西因其经常被派上用场而总会被滥用，这是它的苦衷。当所有人都妄图得到它时，这些人也就容易对它产生愤怒。百无用处不是好事，对每人都有用也非善事。走到这一步的人是因为得到而最终失去。人们原本是求他，最后终于讨厌他。这些无所不知者将磨损掉所有优秀特质，失去最初少数人的敬重，沦为平庸。治疗这种极端状况的灵丹妙药就是把握好散发光芒的尺度。如果你愿意，完全可以在你的优异之处追求完美，但在展现之时要适可而止。火把燃烧得越旺，消耗便越多，也就更难持久。炫耀得越少，所得敬重则越多。

86.

Prevent scandal. Many heads go to make the mob, and in each of them are eyes for malice to use and a tongue for detraction to wag. If a single ill report spread, it casts a blemish on your fair fame, and if it clings to you with a nickname, your reputation is in danger. Generally it is some salient defect or ridiculous trait that gives rise to the rumours. At times these are malicious additions of private envy to general distrust. For there are wicked tongues that ruin a great reputation more easily by a witty sneer than by a direct accusation. It is easy to get into bad reputation, because it is easy to believe evil of anyone: it is not easy to clear yourself. The wise accordingly avoid these mischances, guarding against vulgar scandal with sedulous vigilance. It is far easier to prevent than to rectify.

预防流言蜚语。乌合之众是多头怪兽。他们长着多双伺机制造恶意的眼睛，一个滥施诽谤的舌头。一旦有一桩丑闻被传播，你清白的名声就会被玷污。如果流言再给你一个浑名绰号，你的声誉便危机四伏。一般而言，流言蜚语源于你身上的某些突出弱点或可笑缺陷。有时，这是个别嫉妒我们的人故意捏造出来的，以引发众人的猜忌。要毁掉他人的声誉，出自卑劣口舌的嘲讽比直接的控诉还要容易。恶名易得，因邪恶容易让人相信却难以消除。因此明智之人应避免这类灾祸，保持警惕防止那些卑劣的流言。预防可比纠正容易得多。

87.

Culture and elegance. Man is born a barbarian, and only raises himself above the beast by culture. Culture therefore makes the man; the more a man, the higher. Thanks to it, Greece could call the rest of the world barbarians. Ignorance is very raw; nothing contributes so much to culture as knowledge. But even knowledge is coarse If without elegance. Not alone must our intelligence be elegant, but our desires, and above all our conversation. Some men are naturally elegant in internal and external qualities, in their thoughts, in their words, in their dress, which is the rind of the soul, and in their talents, which is its fruit. There are others, on the other hand, so gauche that everything about them, even their very excellences, is tarnished by an intolerable and barbaric want of neatness.

文明和高雅。人类生来野蛮，文化使人类高于动物。因此，是文化造就了人；人越文明，便越伟大。正因如此，古希腊人将世界上的其他人称为野蛮之人。无知就是未开化——最能教化人类的莫如知识。但是，若不高雅，即便有知识，也显得粗鄙。我们的才智，我们的欲求，特别是言谈，都要显得高雅才行。有些人天生就秀外慧中，他们的思想、言谈、衣着（如同灵魂的果皮）和才干（如同灵魂的果实）都显得高雅；相反，有的人粗俗不堪，极度缺乏教养，令人无法忍受，这使得他们的一切（甚至包括最优秀的品质）都失去了光芒。

88.

Let your behaviour be fine and noble. A great man ought not to be little in his behaviour. He ought never to pry too minutely into things, least of all in unpleasant matters. For though it is important to know all, it is not necessary to know all about all. One ought to act in such cases with the generosity of a gentleman, with conduct worthy of a gallant man. To overlook forms a large part of the work of ruling. Most things must be left unnoticed among relatives and friends, and even among enemies. All superfluity is annoying, especially in things that annoy. To keep hovering around the object or your annoyance is a kind of mania. Generally speaking, every man behaves according to his heart and his understanding.

举止高贵大方。大人物从不拘于小节。谈话时他不刺探各个细节，特别是谈论不太愉快的话题时。知道事物全貌很重要，但不必知道所有细节。当事情令人不快，你要表现得如绅士般宽容大度，展现出豪侠气概。忽略一些东西是管理工作的一大要点。亲朋好友，尤其是你的对手身上的很多事情，你都要学会视而不见。多余的东西让人厌烦，尤其是在事情本身就让人厌烦的时候。对不快之事始终耿耿于怀，是一种偏执狂。一般而言，人们都是根据本心与看法来做事的。

89.

Know yourself－in talents and capacity, in judgment and inclination. You cannot master yourself unless you know yourself. There are mirrors for the face but none for the mind. Let careful thought about yourself serve as a substitute. When the outer image is forgotten, keep the inner one to improve and perfect. Learn the force of your intellect and capacity for affairs, test the force of your courage in order to apply it, and keep your foundations secure and your head clear for everything.

了解自己。要了解自己的天赋、才智、判断和倾向。不了解自己的人无法掌控自己。世上有可以照脸的镜子，却没有照出心灵的镜子。那么，就用认真的自省来代替吧！当你忽略外部形象时，就会不断提升、完善内在形象。学会估量你的才智与做事能力，检验自己的勇气，以便加以运用。稳固你的根基，保持头脑清醒，以应对一切事情。

90.

The secret of long life. Lead a good life. Two things bring life speedily to an end: folly and immorality. Some lose their life because they have not the intelligence to keep it, others because they have not the will. Just as virtue is its own reward, so is vice its own punishment. He who lives a fast life runs through life in a doubly quick. A virtuous life never dies. The firmness of the soul is communicated to the body, and a good life is long not only in intention but also in extension.

长寿的秘密。要好好生活。有两样东西能提早结束生命：愚蠢和堕落。有的人丧生是因为不懂如何保命。有的人是因为不想求生而死亡。正如美德是人自身的奖赏一样，邪恶也是其自身的惩罚。行为放荡之人，生命将加倍的短暂；而行善之人则得以永生。精神的强健传递给肉体，美好的生命不但充实有意义，而且还将得以延长。