《智慧书·第一辑·一至五十》第27则
Prize Intensity more than Extent. Excellence resides in quality not in quantity. The best is always few and rare: much lowers value. Even among men giants are commonly the real dwarfs. Some reckon books by the thickness, as if they were written to try the brawn more than the brain. Extent alone never rises above mediocrity: it is the misfortune of universal geniuses that in attempting to be at home everywhere, are so nowhere. Intensity gives eminence, and rises to the heroic in matters sublime.
注释摘要
葛拉西安这则格言的意思直白而锋利：看重强度，而非广度。标题里的 Intensity 和 Extent 构成一对，前者指集中的力度、密度、锐度，后者指铺开的范围、数量、规模。他一句话就说穿了：卓越在于质，不在于量。最好的东西总是少的、稀罕的；一旦数量上去了，价值就下来了。后面那几句是层层加码的延伸——即便在人群里，表面上的巨人常常是真正的矮子；有些人掂量书籍…