《智慧书·第三辑·一〇一至一五〇》第11则
Have Friends. 'Tis a second existence. Every friend is good and wise for his friend: among them all everything turns to good. Every one is as others wish him; that they may wish him well, he must win their hearts and so their tongues. There is no magic like a good turn, and the way to gain friendly feelings is to do friendly acts. The most and best of us depend on others; we have to live either among friends or among enemies. Seek some one every day to be a well-wisher if not a friend; by and by after trial some of these will become intimate.
注释摘要
这则格言的入题本身就带着概念主义特有的机锋："朋友是第二个存在"。这句话不是抒情，而是精确的断言：在没有朋友之前，你的存在只完成了一半。后一半要在别人的评价、记忆与谈论中才能成形。葛拉西安随后把这一点完全铺开——"每个人都是别人所希望他成为的样子"，这不是说人要讨好别人，而是说一个人的形象、声望、甚至他的社会性存在，都取决于他人在心中对他的塑造。要让他们把…