《智慧书·第三辑·一〇一至一五〇》第39则
Recognise unlucky Days. They exist: nothing goes well on them; even though the game may be changed the ill-luck remains. Two tries should be enough to tell if one is in luck to-day or not. Everything is in process of change, even the mind, and no one is always wise: chance has something to say, even how to write a good letter. All perfection turns on the time; even beauty has its hours. Even wisdom fails at times by doing too much or too little. To turn out well a thing must be done on its own day. This is why with some everything turns out ill, with others all goes well, even with less trouble. They find everything ready, their wit prompt, their presiding genius favourable, their lucky star in the ascendant. At such times one must seize the occasion and not throw away the slightest chance. But a shrewd person will not decide on the day's luck by a single piece of good or bad fortune, for the one may be only a lucky chance and the other only a slight annoyance.
注释摘要
承认有不走运的日子，这个说法本身就带着一种经验主义的果决。葛拉西安没有把它包装成神秘的天命，而是当作一件人人都遇到过的事来说：就是有那么一些天，干什么都不顺手，换一件事、换一个对手，不顺照样跟着。他把判断自己今天运气如何的标准压得很低——试两次就够了。这个"两次"看似随意，实则是一种出自宫廷生存直觉的经验法则：不值得在不顺的日子里硬扛，早点认清楚，省下的力…