《智慧书·第四辑·一五一至二百》第22则
Never contend with a Man who has nothing to Lose; for thereby you enter into an unequal conflict. The other enters without anxiety; having lost everything, including shame, he has no further loss to fear. He therefore resorts to all kinds of insolence. One should never expose a valuable reputation to so terrible a risk, lest what has cost years to gain may be lost in a moment, since a single slight may wipe out much sweat. A man of honour and responsibility has a reputation, because he has much to lose. He balances his own and the other's reputation: he only enters into the contest with the greatest caution, and then goes to work with such circumspection that he gives time to prudence to retire in time and bring his reputation under cover. For even by victory he cannot gain what he has lost by exposing himself to the chances of loss.
注释摘要
葛拉西安在这里说的是一句听起来很像战术指南的话，但其实他讲的是社会人的自我保全。标题和正文原本是一句话的两半：不要跟一个已经没有什么可失去的人争斗，因为一旦开战，你们之间就天然不对等。他所说的“nothing to lose”，并不仅仅指财产或地位，而是把羞耻也包括在内：一个人如果连羞耻都已经失去，就再也没有任何东西能约束他。这样一来，他的对手反而多了一层…