《乌合之众·第二编·群体的意见与信念·群体的领袖及其说服手段》第26节
Prestige lost by want of success disappears in a brief space of time. It can also be worn away, but more slowly by being subjected to discussion. This latter power, however, is exceedingly sure. From the moment prestige is called in question it ceases to be prestige. The gods and men who have kept their prestige for long have never tolerated discussion. For the crowd to admire, it must be kept at a distance.
注释摘要
勒庞在这里讨论的是名望的脆弱性，以及它如何在群体心理的舞台上被赋予、又可以被轻易收回。他想说明的要点很简洁：名望不是一种可以长久储存的固定资产，它是一种即时的、依赖于群体感性的心理关系。一旦支撑这种关系的条件消失，名望本身也会迅速崩解。 他以失败为例，指出这是一种让名望在极短时间内瓦解的典型方式。当一个人或一个观念获得成功，群体的崇拜几乎会自动赋予其不可置…