1.Everything is at its acme

　　Everything is at its acme,especially the art of making one’s way in the world.There is more required nowadays to make a single wise man than formerly to make Seven Sages,and more is needed nowadays to deal with a single person than was required with a whole people in former times.

　　1.萬物已近極致

　　萬物已近極致，為人處世的藝術(shù)更是如此。當今若想成就一位智者，花費的工夫比造就希臘七賢①還要多；現(xiàn)在要應(yīng)付一個人，所需的智謀比從前應(yīng)付整整一個民族還要多。

　　2.Character and intellect

　　Character and intellect:the two poles of our capacity;one without the other is but halfway to happiness.Intellect does not suffice,character is also needed.On the other hand,it is the fool’s misfortune,to fail in obtaining the position,the employment,the neighbourhood,and the circle of friends that suit him.

　　2.品性與智慧

　　品性與智慧，是組成人類才能的兩個要素。要走向幸福生活，缺少哪一個都將半途而廢。僅僅擁有智慧是不夠的，還要有好的品性。蠢人的不幸，在于沒有適合他的地位、職業(yè)、鄰居與朋友圈子。

　　3.Keep matters for a time in suspense

　　Keep matters for a time in suspense.Admiration at their novelty heightens the value of your achievements.It is both useless and insipid to play with the cards on the table.If you do not declare yourself immediately,you arouse expectation,especially when the importance of your position makes you the object of general attention.Mix a little mystery with everything,and the very mystery arouses veneration.And when you explain,be not too explicit,just as you do not expose your inmost thoughts in ordinary intercourse.Cautious silence is the holy of holies of worldly wisdom.A resolution declared is never highly thought of;it only leaves room for criticism.And if it happens to fail,you are doubly unfortunate.Besides you imitate the Divine way when you cause men to wonder and watch.

　　3.做事時常留有懸念

　　做事時常留有懸念。若你的成功出人意料，則更能受到欽佩。任何事若昭然若揭，都會讓人感到索然無味。若不急于公開自己所做之事，就會使人期待。若你地位顯赫，將更能引人注目。將任何事都染上一層神秘的色彩，正是神秘引起尊崇。即便是闡明情況，也不要過于直白，就像在日常交往中不會暴露自己真實的想法一樣。謹慎地保持沉默是世間智慧之精髓。公開聲明的決心從不會獲得高的評價，只給他人的品頭論足留下口實。若所行之事恰巧以失敗收場，你就會遭受雙重的打擊。若想引人驚奇與注意，就向那些緘默的神靈學習吧。

　　4.Knowledge and courage

　　Knowledge and courage are the elements of Greatness.They give immortality,because they are immortal.Each is as much as he knows,and the wise can do anything.A man without knowledge,a world without light.Wisdom and strength,eyes and hands.Knowledge without courage is sterile.

　　4.有識亦應(yīng)有膽

　　有識亦應(yīng)有膽，這是成為偉人的要素。知識與勇氣是不朽的，同樣可使人不朽。懂得多少，便有多偉大；若你學識淵博，則無事不可為。一個人無知，正如世界沒有光明。智慧與力量，就像雙眼與雙手。有識無膽者亦無所成。

　　5.Create a feeling of dependence

　　Create a feeling of dependence.Not he that adorns but he that adores makes a divinity.The wise man would rather see men needing him than thanking him.To keep them on the threshold of hope is diplomatic,to trust to their gratitude boorish;hope has a good memory,gratitude a bad one.More is to be got from dependence than from courtesy.He that has satisfied his thirst turns his back on the well,and the orange once sucked falls from the golden platter into the waste-basket.When dependence disappears,good behaviour goes with it as well as respect.Let it be one of the chief lessons of experience to keep hope alive without entirely satisfying it,by preserving it to make oneself always needed even by a patron on the throne.But let not silence be carried to excess lest you go wrong,nor let another’s failing grow incurable for the sake of your own advantage.

　　5.讓別人依賴你

　　讓別人依賴你。神之所以為神，不在于人們裝飾其雕像，而在于人們誠心誠意地崇拜它。智者寧愿他人時刻需要自己，而非感激自己。保持他人的希求是智慧的，期望別人的感激是愚蠢的；期盼讓人牢記，而感激使人忘卻。受人依賴，比受人恭敬更有益。人解了渴之后，往往轉(zhuǎn)身離開井邊；橘子一旦榨干，便會被人從金盤子中扔到垃圾筐里。當人們對你的依賴消失，良好的品行和尊敬也會隨著消失。努力保持人們對你的渴求之心，且不使其得到完全滿足，這是最重要的人生經(jīng)驗之一。此法讓你變得不可或缺，甚至連王座上的君主也永遠需要你。但是不要做得太過分，以免誤入歧途，也不要為了一己之私而讓別人陷入病入膏肓的絕境。

　　6.A man at his highest point

　　A man at his highest point.We are not born perfect:every day we develop in our personality and in our calling till we reach the highest point of our completed being,to the full round of our accomplishments,of our excellences.This is known by the purity of our taste,the clearness of our thought,the maturity of our judgment,and the firmness of our will.Some never arrive at being complete,somewhat is always awanting;others ripen late.The complete man,wise in speech,prudent in act,is admitted to the familiar intimacy of discreet persons,is even sought for by them.

　　6.至善至美的境界

　　至善至美的境界。我們并非天生完美之人，因此應(yīng)日求漸進，做到德業(yè)兼修，直至盡善盡美，稟賦圓成，成就非凡。完美與否，如何判斷？這正是大家所常說的：品味是否純正，頭腦是否清醒，判斷是否成熟，意志是否堅定。有些人從來達不到至善的境界，總是有所欠缺；另外一些人則大器晚成。完美的人，言辭中透出智慧，行事謹慎小心，會使賢達之人樂于與之為伍，甚至追隨。

　　7.Avoid victories over superiors

　　Avoid victories over superiors.All victories breed hate,and that over your superior is foolish or fatal.Superiority is always detested,let alone superiority over superiority.Caution can gloss over common advantages;for example,good looks may are cloaked by careless attire.There are some that will grant you precedence in good luck or good temper,but none in good sense,least of all a prince;for good sense is a royal prerogative,any claim of superiority in that is a crime against majesty.They are princes,and wish to be so in that most princely of qualities.They will allow a man to help them but not to surpass them,and will have any advice tendered them appear like a recollection of something they have forgotten rather than as a guide to something they cannot find.The stars teach us this finesse with happy tact:though they are his children and brilliant like him,they never rival the brilliancy of the sun.

　　7.不要比上司更耀眼

　　不要比上司更耀眼。所有的成功都會引起嫉恨，若超過上司，更是愚蠢，甚至是致命的。優(yōu)越者總是引起他人的憎恨，更別說超過位高權(quán)重之人。人要善于將自己的優(yōu)勢深藏不露。舉個例子，姣好的面容可以用不經(jīng)意的裝束來遮掩。也許有人不在乎你有好的運氣或是溫良的秉性，但是沒人會樂意——尤其是君主——你在判斷力上超過他，因為優(yōu)秀的判斷力是王者特有的能力，你一定要僭越，便是對其不敬。身為君主，自然希望在判斷力這一最高貴之特質(zhì)上遠勝一籌。他們可以允許旁人輔佐，卻不允許有人超越；要讓他們采納建議，就要像是幫他們回想起忘掉的東西，而不是指引他們?nèi)フ移渚脤げ坏弥�物。天上的星辰教會了我們這種愉快的處世策略：它們是太陽之子，并且與太陽一樣光亮，卻從不與太陽爭輝。

　　8.To be without passions

　　To be without passions.It is a privilege of the highest order of mind.Their very eminence redeems them from being affected by transient and low impulses.There is no higher rule than that over oneself,over one’s impulses:there is the triumph of free will.While passion rules the character,do not let it threaten your position,especially if it is a high one.It is the only refined way of avoiding scandals;nay,it is the shortest way back to good repute.

　　8.不被激情左右

　　不被激情左右。這是最優(yōu)秀的頭腦才有的品質(zhì)。這種優(yōu)良品質(zhì)使人免受短暫而低俗的沖動影響。沒有什么駕馭能高于駕馭自身及自身之沖動——這是一種意志上的勝利。即便激情控制了你的脾氣，也不要讓它威脅你的地位；如果地位不低，你更需注意。這是避免丑聞的唯一坦途，也是重獲榮譽的最短路徑。

　　9.Avoid the faults of your nation

　　Avoid the faults of your nation.Water shares the good or bad qualities of the strata through which it flows,and men those of the climate in which they are born.Some owe more than others to their native land,because there is a more favourable sky in the zenith.There is not a nation even among the most civilized that has not some fault peculiar to itself which other nations blame by way of boast or as a warning.It is a triumph of cleverness to correct in oneself such national failings,or even to hide them:you get great credit for being unique among your fellows,and as it is less expected of you it is esteemed the more.There are also family failings as well as faults of position,of office or of age.If these all meet in one person and are not carefully guarded against,they make an intolerable monster.

　　9.避免土生土長的缺陷

　　避免土生土長的缺陷。水流之品質(zhì)受河床土質(zhì)之好壞的影響，人之品性受出生之氣候優(yōu)劣的影響。有些人會比別人更受故鄉(xiāng)的恩澤，因為那里天清氣爽。任何國家（即便是最文明的國家）都有其獨特的缺陷——正是這些缺陷，讓別的國家聊以自慰或是小心防范。糾正自己的缺陷，或甚至隱藏起這些缺陷，是最明智的勝利。你在同胞中鶴立雞群，就會贏得好的聲譽，出人意料的成功總是更受欽佩。其他的缺陷則源自家庭、職位、職業(yè)和所處的時代。如果所有這些缺陷都體現(xiàn)在一個人身上，并且沒被小心約束，那定會讓他成為無法忍受的怪物。

　　10.Fortune and fame

　　Fortune and fame.Where the one is fickle the other is enduring.The first for life,the second afterwards;the one against envy,the other against oblivion.Fortune is desired,at times assisted:fame is earned.The desire for fame springs from man’s best part.Fame was and is the sister of the giants;it always goes to extremes--horrible monsters or brilliant prodigies.

　　10.財富與名望

　　財富與名望。一個變化無常，一個永恒持久。財富是為了今生，名望是為了來世。得利要防人嫉妒，得名要防人遺忘。人都渴求財運，有時也能達成愿望；名氣則是努力掙來的。對名聲的渴望源自美德。從古至今，名望總與巨人相伴，且往往會使人走向兩種極端——要么成為可惡的魔鬼，要么成為卓越的天才。

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