《智慧书·第四辑·一五一至二百》第29则
Reticence is the Seal of Capacity. A breast without a secret is an open letter. Where there is a solid foundation secrets can be kept profound: there are spacious cellars where things of moment may be hid. Reticence springs from self-control, and to control oneself in this is a true triumph. You must pay ransom to each you tell. The security of wisdom consists in temperance in the inner man. The risk that reticence runs lies in the cross-questioning of others, in the use of contradiction to worm out secrets, in the darts of irony: to avoid these the prudent become more reticent than before. What must be done need not be said, and what must be said need not be done.
注释摘要
标题与正文合起来，完整断言在头一句就做完了：缄默是才能的封印。封起来才证明里头有东西。葛拉西安用了一个印刷时代的比喻——一封拆开的信谁都能读，也就毫无重量；而“宽敞的地窖”则来自建筑，暗示一个人的内在应当有层次，有专门的、深深的位置储藏要紧的事。这话里有一个概念主义的对句：能藏得深，是因为基底打得实。 他把缄默的两条根都挖了出来：一条是自控，一条是内在的节…