《智慧书·第四辑·一五一至二百》第27则
Avoid Familiarities in Intercourse. Neither use them nor permit them. He that is familiar, loses any superiority his Influence gives him, and so loses respect. The stars keep their brilliance by not making themselves common. The Divine demands decorum. Every familiarity breeds contempt. In human affairs, the more a man shows, the less he has, for in open communication you communicate the failings that reserve might keep under cover. Familiarity is never desirable; with superiors because it is dangerous, with inferiors because it is unbecoming, least of all with the common herd, who become insolent from sheer folly: they mistake favour shown them for need felt of them. Familiarity trenches on vulgarity.
注释摘要
这则格言讲的是一套关于社会距离的审慎策略，标题与正文第一句合在一起就是完整的判断：不要容许熟悉套近乎——你自己不要用，也不要允许别人对你用。葛拉西安在这里用了他最擅长的双关结构，西班牙原文里的“familiaridad”同时指向“亲近”和“轻慢”两层意思，而英文译本用的“familiarities”多少冲淡了这种危险感。他的逻辑链很清楚：熟悉消解影响力，影…