《道德情操论·卷六·论德性的品质·三·论自制》第14节
So far as our attention is directed towards the first standard, the wisest and best of us all, can, in his own character and conduct, see nothing but weakness and imperfection; can discover no ground for arrogance and presumption, but a great deal for humility, regret, and repentance. So far as our attention is directed towards the second, we may be affected either in the one way or in the other, and feel ourselves, either really above, or really below, the standard with which we seek to compare ourselves.
注释摘要
斯密在这里区分了人在评价自身品格与行为时自然参照的两个尺度。第一个是精确合宜与完美的观念，第二个是世上通常达到的那种接近这观念的普通程度。他说的不是两个可供随意挑选的标准，而是两种不同的注意力投向：当你把心思对准那个完美的范型时，你眼里全是自己达不到的地方；当你把心思转向周围人实际达到的水平时，你才可能觉得自己高出或低于某个位置。 第一个标准不是外在的教条…