《智慧书·第五辑·二〇一至二五〇》第2则
Words and Deeds make the Perfect Man. One should speak well and act honourably: the one is an excellence of the head, the other of the heart, and both arise from nobility of soul. Words are the shadows of deeds; the former are feminine, the latter masculine. It is more important to be renowned than to convey renown. Speech is easy, action hard. Actions are the stuff of life, words its frippery. Eminent deeds endure, striking words pass away. Actions are the fruit of thought; if this is wise, they are effective.
注释摘要
这一则的标题与正文原是一句完整的话：言行合一造就完人。葛拉西安在此不是泛泛地提倡道德修养，而是在他那一整套关于审慎、名声与自我塑造的框架里，精确地安放言与行各自的位置。他开篇即给出了一个三层的上升结构：说得好，是头脑的卓越；做得好，是心灵的卓越；而这两者又共同源自灵魂的高贵。这意味着言辞与行动不是平行并列的两种技能，而是内在同一个灵魂品质的不同表现。灵魂先…