《智慧书·第三辑·一〇一至一五〇》第24则
Get Yourself missed. Few reach such favour with the many; if with the wise 'tis the height of happiness. When one has finished one's work, coldness is the general rule. But there are ways of earning this reward of goodwill. The sure way is to excel in your office and talents: add to this agreeable manner and you reach the point where you become necessary to your office, not your office to you. Some do honour to their post, with others 'tis the other way. It is no great gain if a poor successor makes the predecessor seem good, for this does not imply that the one is missed, but that the other is wished away.
注释摘要
人生中分量最重的评语，往往不是当面的赞美，而是你消失之后那种不易察觉的失落感。葛拉西安这一则的标题与正文原是一句完整的话，拆成前后两半才格外有力：让人感到少了你不行——很少有人能从多数人那里得到这种眷顾，若是从明智者那里得到，那便是幸福的顶点。西班牙原文里 ser deseado 不单指被人想念，也含着一层“被需求、被渴求”的意思，这正是葛拉西安反复琢磨的…