《智慧书·第五辑·二〇一至二五〇》第39则
Do not be Captious. It is much more important to be sensible. To know more than is necessary blunts your weapons, for fine points generally bend or break. Common-sense truth is the surest. It is well to know but not to niggle. Lengthy comment leads to disputes. It is much better to have sound sense, which does not wander from the matter in hand.
注释摘要
这则格言的标题与正文形成了一组对照：不要做吹毛求疵的人，做个通情达理的人要紧得多。两句话合在一起，是对一种认知德性的完整主张——他把“captious”和“sensible”对立起来，前者指那种专门在枝节上找茬、以挑剔为能事的习惯，后者指的是健全而稳当的判断力。值得注意的是，“sensible”在这里并不完全等于今天的“理智”，它带着古典意义上“善于感知、…