《智慧书·第一辑·一至五十》第9则
Avoid the Faults of your Nation. Water shares the good or bad qualities of the strata through which it flows, and man those of the climate in which he is born. Some owe more than others to their native land, because there is a more favourable sky in the zenith. There is not a nation even among the most civilised that has not some fault peculiar to itself which other nations blame by way of boast or as a warning. 'Tis a triumph of cleverness to correct in oneself such national failings, or even to hide them: you get great credit for being unique among your fellows, and as it is less expected of you it is esteemed the more. There are also family failings as well as faults of position, of office or of age. If these all meet in one person and are not carefully guarded against, they make an intolerable monster.
注释摘要
葛拉西安这则格言的标题与正文之间有一层他特有的翻转。标题说「避开你本民族的缺点」，听起来像是道德劝勉；但读到后面那个水的比喻就明白了，他讲的根本不是道德，而是质地：水流经的地层决定了它的好坏，人出生的气候也一样。他要说的是，有一些缺陷是你一来到世上就带着的，它们不是你选的，却会被人当作你的标签。更关键的是后半句：「修正这些民族性缺点，甚至把它们隐藏起来，是…