The Art of Worldly Wisdom(85)

Do not be a wildcard, a jack-of-all-trades. It is a fault of excellence that being so much in use it is liable to abuse. Because all covet it, all are vexed by it. It is great misfortune to be of use to nobody — scarcely less to be of use to everybody. People who reach this stage lose by gaining, and at last bore those who desired them before. These wildcards wear away all kinds of excellence: losing the earlier esteem of the few, they obtain discredit among the vulgar. The remedy against this extreme is to moderate your brilliance. Be extraordinary in your excellence, if you like, but be ordinary in your display of it. The more light a torch gives, the more it burns away and the nearer it is to going out. Show yourself less and you will be rewarded by being esteemed more.