《智慧书·第五辑·二〇一至二五〇》第44则
Create a feeling of Obligation. Some transform favours received into favours bestowed, and seem, or let it be thought, that they are doing a favour when receiving one. There are some so astute that they get honour by asking, and buy their own advantage with applause from others. They manage matters so cleverly that they seem to be doing others a service when receiving one from them. They transpose the order of obligation with extraordinary skill, or at least render it doubtful who has obliged whom. They buy the best by praising it, and make a flattering honour out of the pleasure they express. They oblige by their courtesy, and thus make men beholden for what they themselves should be beholden. In this way they conjugate "to oblige" in the active instead of in the passive voice, thereby proving themselves better politicians than grammarians. This is a subtle piece of finesse; a still greater is to perceive it, and to retaliate on such fools' bargains by paying in their own coin, and so coming by your own again.
注释摘要
这则格言的标题与正文第一句构成一个完整的意思：制造亏欠感，就是把受人恩惠这件事，翻转过来变成施人以恩。葛拉西安在这里剖析了一种极其精细的社交技巧，它的核心不在于否认自己受了恩，而在于重新定义施与受的方向，让施惠者反过来觉得他欠了你什么。 这里最精彩的句子是那一句“他们用主动式而非被动式来变位‘施恩’这个动词”。西班牙原文里的变位指的是拉丁文里的语法屈折，主…