The Art of Worldly Wisdom (23)

2009-12-30 23:01| 发布者: patrick| 查看: 654| 评论: 0

Be spotless: the indispensable condition of perfection. Few live without some weak point, either physical or moral, which they pamper even though they could easily cure it. The keenness of others often regrets to see a slight defect attaching itself to a whole assembly of elevated qualities, and yet a single cloud can hide the whole of the sun. There are likewise patches on our reputation which ill-will soon finds out and is continually noticing. The highest skill is to transform them into ornament. So Cæsar hid his natural defects with the laurel.

《处世之道——300则永恒的人间智慧》，Baltasar Gracian 著