126.愚蠢并非做了蠢事,而在于做后不知掩飾
愚蠢并非做了蠢事,而在于做后不知掩飾。不要暴露你的欲望,要隱藏你的缺點。人人都難免犯錯,區(qū)別在于智者試圖隱藏自己的錯誤,愚人卻會肆意張揚他們的錯誤。與其說名聲取決于人做出的成績,不如說取決于人所隱藏的過錯。假如你不能保證自己一塵不染,就一定要審慎而行。大人物的過錯,如日食月食,每個人都能看見。不要將自己的過失全部透露給朋友,如果可以的話,也要向自己隱瞞。另一處世法寶也同樣有用:學會忘記。
126.Folly consists not in committing folly, but in not hiding it when committed
Folly consists not in committing folly, but in not hiding it when committed. You should keep your desires sealed up, still more your defects. All go wrong sometimes, but the wise try to hide the errors, but fools boast of them. Reputation depends more on what is hidden than on what is done; if a man does not live chastely, he must live cautiously. The errors of great men are like the eclipses of the greater lights. Even in friendship it is rare to expose one's failings to one's friend. Nay, one should conceal them from oneself if one can. But here one can help with that other great rule of life: learn to forget.