《智慧书·第四辑·一五一至二百》第10则
Be careful in Speaking. With your rivals from prudence; with others for the sake of appearance. There is always time to add a word, never to withdraw one. Talk as if you were making your will: the fewer words the less litigation. In trivial matters exercise yourself for the more weighty matters of speech. Profound secrecy has some of the lustre of the divine. He who speaks lightly soon falls or fails.
注释摘要
这一则格言的标题与正文在葛拉西安笔下原本是一气呵成的：出言必须审慎，对待对手是出于策略上的警惕，对待他人则是为了维护体面。他劈头就将说话的对象分成了两类，标准不是亲疏，而是利害。对手是可能把你的话变成武器的人，所以防范他们是审慎本身的要求；而对外人保持言语上的分寸，并非为了真诚，而是为了维持自己在众人眼中的形象。这里的关键词是“appearance”，也就…