《智慧书·第二辑·五一至一百》第35则
Do not play Manille. It is a fault of excellence that being so much in use it is liable to abuse. Because all covet it, all are vexed by it. It is a great misfortune to be of use to nobody; scarcely less to be of use to everybody. People who reach this stage lose by gaining, and at last bore those who desired them before. These Manilles wear away all kinds of excellence: losing the earlier esteem of the few, they obtain discredit among the vulgar. The remedy against this extreme is to moderate your brilliance. Be extraordinary in your excellence, if you like, but be ordinary in your display of it. The more light a torch gives, the more it burns away and the nearer 'tis to going out. Show yourself less and you will be rewarded by being esteemed more.
注释摘要
这一则的标题“Do not play Manille”里的Manille指的是当时流行的一种西班牙纸牌戏Ombre里的王牌，也就是主牌里点数最高、能吃掉其他所有花色那张。玩过牌的人都知道，王牌虽强，整局都被所有人盯着打，越用越磨损得厉害，最后往往是最早被丢弃的。葛拉西安拿这个来比喻那种因为太过能干、处处被需要、结果把自己耗尽的人。这种人不是真的万能，而是被…