《智慧书·第二辑·五一至一百》第38则
Let your Behaviour be Fine and Noble. A great man ought not to be little in his behaviour. He ought never to pry too minutely into things, least of all in unpleasant matters. For though it is important to know all, it is not necessary to know all about all. One ought to act in such cases with the generosity of a gentleman, conduct worthy of a gallant man. To overlook forms a large part of the work of ruling. Most things must be left unnoticed among relatives and friends, and even among enemies. All superfluity is annoying, especially in things that annoy. To keep hovering around the object or your annoyance is a kind of mania. Generally speaking, every man behaves according to his heart and his understanding.
注释摘要
葛拉西安这一则讲的是大人物在行为上不该犯的一种错误，就是把自己变得过于细碎。标题「让行为举止雅致而高贵」与正文合在一起说到底是同一句话：高贵的人不应当在行为中显得小气。这里的「小」是全句的关键词，指的不是道德上的卑鄙，而是一种对细微事物过分执着、无法放手的心理姿态。他接着列举了这种姿态最典型的表现：对不愉快的事情刨根问底，尤其是明知道结果不会好的那些。这句…