雙語智慧書·不要為蠢人所累

197．不要為蠢人所累
　　不要為蠢人所累。不會識別蠢人的人，謂之蠢人；能夠識別蠢人，卻不與其保持距離，則更為愚蠢。和蠢人做伴是危險的，跟蠢人交朋友則是致命的。即便自身的小心和他人的注意也許會讓蠢人暫時安分一些，但是，蠢人終究還是會說蠢話、做蠢事，而且會因為壓抑太久而更為過分。沒有聲譽的人是不會幫助別人提高聲譽的。蠢人大多很倒霉，這是他們的報應(yīng)--他們必須為自己的行為付出代價。他們只有一樣東西還不太壞，那就是：盡管他們對智者沒用，但卻可以作為很有用的路標或警告。



197．Do not carry fools on your back
　Do not carry fools on your back. He that does not know a fool when he sees him is one himself; still more he that knows him but will not keep clear of him. They are dangerous company and ruinous confidants. Even though their own caution and others, care keeps them in bounds for a time, still at length they are sure to do or to say some foolishness which is all the greater for being kept so long in stock. They cannot help another's credit who have none of their own. They are most unlucky, which is the Nemesis of fools, and they have to pay for one thing or the other. There is only one thing which is not so bad about them, and this is that though they can be of no use to the wise, they can be of much use to them as signposts or as warnings.