《智慧书·第三辑·一〇一至一五〇》第44则
Begin with Another's to end with your Own. "Tis a politic means to your end. Even in heavenly matters Christian teachers lay stress on this holy cunning. It is a weighty piece of dissimulation, for the foreseen advantages serve as a lure to influence the other's will. His affair seems to be in train when it is really only leading the way for another's. One should never advance unless under cover, especially where the ground is dangerous. Likewise with persons who always say No at first, it is useful to ward off this blow, because the difficulty of conceding much more does not occur to them when your version is presented to them. This advice belongs to the rule about second thoughts [xiii], which covers the most subtle manœuvres of life.
注释摘要
这则格言的标题与正文其实是一句完整的话：以他人的事务开场，以便用自己的事务收场。葛拉西安在这里教人一种“借势起头”的策略：你表面上是在推进对方的利益，实际上每一步都在为自己想达成的目的铺路。他最让人不安的一笔，是紧接着就把这个手法和“天上之事”的基督教教导放在一起，说基督教的教师们也在强调这种“神圣的狡计”。原文用“holy cunning”，这两个词在十…