雙語智慧書·與人為善

74．與人為善
　　與人為善。最野蠻的動物生活在人口最多的地方。那些沒有自知之明的人難以讓人接近，他們的頭銜改變他們的態(tài)度。想獲得別人的善意，卻對別人惡意相待，這自然行不通。這些人不過是一群不合群的、傲慢無禮的怪物--看他們那副德性！不幸的仆人不得不與其說話時，就如同要與老虎搏斗一般，再三忍耐、膽戰(zhàn)心驚。為了謀求高位，他們肯定曾低三下四地四處拍馬屁；一旦大權在握，就想讓所有人都感到不快，以雪舊恥。他的職位本來是要求他們和藹可親，但是因為傲氣或壞脾氣，他們讓人難以親近。用文明的方式來懲罰這種人，就是要對他們視而不見，不與他們交流，從而剝奪他們提高自身的機會。



74．Do not be unsociable
　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.