《智慧书·第一辑·一至五十》第20则
A Man of the Age. The rarest individuals depend on their age. It is not every one that finds the age he deserves, and even when he finds it he does not always know how to utilise it. Some men have been worthy of a better century, for every species of good does not always triumph. Things have their period; even excellences are subject to fashion. The sage has one advantage: he is immortal. If this is not his century many others will be.
注释摘要
这一则的标题与正文原本是一句贯通的话：所谓“时代之人”，并非泛泛地活在当下，而是指那个罕见的人——他恰好配得上自己的时代，自己的时代也恰好容得下他。葛拉西安劈头就说“最稀有的人依赖他的时代”，这在西班牙语原文里是一句冷峻的判断，几乎没有给读者喘息的余地。他并不认为时代会理所当然地善待卓越，反而说，许多人配得上一个更好的世纪，但那个世纪并没有降临在他们头上。…