《智慧书·第五辑·二〇一至二五〇》第11则
In Heaven all is bliss: in Hell all misery. On earth, between the two, both one thing and the other. We stand between the two extremes, and therefore share both. Fate varies: all is not good luck nor all mischance. This world is merely zero: by itself it is of no value, but with Heaven in Front of it, it means much. Indifference at its ups and downs is prudent, nor is there any novelty for the wise. Our life gets as complicated as a comedy as it goes on, but the complications get gradually resolved: see that the curtain comes down on a good dénouement.
注释摘要
天堂与地狱作为两个绝对化的极点，并不是这一则真正的主题，它们只是用来衬托中间状态的说理框架。葛拉西安真正要写的是地上，是人活在这两个极端之间必然承受的双重性。天堂全是福祉，地狱全是苦难，而人间的处境却是“两者兼具”——好的坏的都占，而且常常同时发生，分不开。这句话的推力在于消解一种常见的幻想，即一个人可以通过足够的智慧或德行，让自己的命运只留好运而剔除所有…