雙語智慧書·不做無所不知之人

85．不做無所不知之人
　　不做無所不知之人。好的東西因其經(jīng)常被派上用場而總會被濫用，這是它的苦衷。當(dāng)所有人都妄圖得到它時，這些人也就容易對它產(chǎn)生憤怒。百無用處不是好事，對每人都有用也非善事。走到這一步的人是因為得到而最終失去。人們原本是求他，最后終于討厭他。這些無所不知者將磨損掉所有優(yōu)秀特質(zhì)，失去最初少數(shù)人的敬重，淪為平庸。治療這種極端狀況的靈丹妙藥就是把握好散發(fā)光芒的尺度。如果你愿意，完全可以在你的優(yōu)異之處追求完美，但在展現(xiàn)之時要適可而止?；鸢讶紵迷酵谋阍蕉?，也就更難持久。炫耀得越少，所得敬重則越多。


85．Do not be a wild card
　Do not be a wild card. 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 a 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 wild cards 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.