《智慧书·第三辑·一〇一至一五〇》第8则
The Path to Greatness is along with Others. Intercourse works well: manners and taste are shared: good sense and even talent grow insensibly. Let the sanguine man then make a comrade of the lymphatic, and so with the other temperaments, so that without any forcing the golden mean is obtained. It is a great art to agree with others. The alternation of contraries beautifies and sustains the world: if it can cause harmony in the physical world, still more can it do so in the moral. Adopt this policy in the choice of friends and defendants; by joining extremes the more effective middle way is found.
注释摘要
这则格言的标题与正文连在一起，本身就是一句完整的判断：通往伟大的道路，必须与别人同行。葛拉西安不是在讲一个世俗的合群劝告，他在讲一个更深的东西——人的性情与才能，如果单靠自己，很容易走偏、走窄，只有与气质迥异的人长期交往，才能在不知不觉中被校正、被补充。 全则最显眼的是他直接用了四体液说的性格分类。乐天易热的人（the sanguine man），应当跟迟…