《菜根谭》英译（心地干净、方可学古）

心地干净，方可读书学古，不然，见一善行窃以济私，闻一善言假以覆短，是又籍寇兵而赍盗粮矣。<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

Only a person of pure moral character can appreciate the fine nature of the ancient sages through the study of ancient works. Otherwise, bad people would be able to appropriate the good deeds of the worthies of antiquity for their own nefarious ends, and quote their wise words to disguise their own evil actions. That would be equivalent to supplying weapons to enemies and victuals to bandits.

（保罗·怀特 译）

Unless all the distracting thoughts are removed from the mind, one can never set out his studying ancient works and emulating sages and men of virtue of antiquity. Otherwise, whenever having a good deed at sight he will exploit it to meet his own ulterior motives, or whenever hearing a good word he will use it as a pretext to disguise his own weakness. Such doings are similar to supplying weapons to enemy and provisions to bandits.

（周文标 译）