《智慧书·第二辑·五一至一百》第40则
The Secret of Long Life Lead a good life. Two things bring life speedily to an end: folly and immorality. Some lose their life because they have not the intelligence to keep it, others because they have not the will. Just as virtue is its own reward, so is vice its own punishment. He who lives a fast life runs through life in a double sense. A virtuous life never dies. The firmness of the soul is communicated to the body, and a good life is long not only in intention but also in extension.
注释摘要
这一则的标题和正文在原文里是连成一句的判断句：长寿的秘密，就是过好这一生。话说得非常干脆，不留余地。葛拉西安在这里放下了他惯常的弯弯绕绕，直接给出一套道德算术：两样东西加速生命的终结——愚蠢和淫逸。前者对应理智的缺位，后者对应意志的溃败。他紧接着铺开对称结构：美德是自己奖赏自己，恶习是自己惩罚自己。这种对仗不只是修辞习惯，背后是古典道德哲学里一条很旧的信念…