双语智慧书·不做无所不知之人
85．不做无所不知之人
不做无所不知之人。好的东西因其经常被派上用场而总会被滥用，这是它的苦衷。当所有人都妄图得到它时，这些人也就容易对它产生愤怒。百无用处不是好事，对每人都有用也非善事。走到这一步的人是因为得到而最终失去。人们原本是求他，最后终于讨厌他。这些无所不知者将磨损掉所有优秀特质，失去最初少数人的敬重，沦为平庸。治疗这种极端状况的灵丹妙药就是把握好散发光芒的尺度。如果你愿意，完全可以在你的优异之处追求完美，但在展现之时要适可而止。火把燃烧得越旺，消耗便越多，也就更难持久。炫耀得越少，所得敬重则越多。
85．Do not be a wild card
Do not be a wild card. It is a fault of excellence that being so much in use it is liable to abuse. Because all covet it, all are vexed by it. It is a great misfortune to be of use to nobody; scarcely less to be of use to everybody. People who reach this stage lose by gaining, and at last bore those who desired them before. These wild cards wear away all kinds of excellence: losing the earlier esteem of the few, they obtain discredit among the vulgar. The remedy against this extreme is to moderate your brilliance. Be extraordinary in your excellence, if you like, but be ordinary in your display of it. The more light a torch gives, the more it burns away and the nearer it is to going out. Show yourself less and you will be rewarded by being esteemed more.
不做无所不知之人。好的东西因其经常被派上用场而总会被滥用，这是它的苦衷。当所有人都妄图得到它时，这些人也就容易对它产生愤怒。百无用处不是好事，对每人都有用也非善事。走到这一步的人是因为得到而最终失去。人们原本是求他，最后终于讨厌他。这些无所不知者将磨损掉所有优秀特质，失去最初少数人的敬重，沦为平庸。治疗这种极端状况的灵丹妙药就是把握好散发光芒的尺度。如果你愿意，完全可以在你的优异之处追求完美，但在展现之时要适可而止。火把燃烧得越旺，消耗便越多，也就更难持久。炫耀得越少，所得敬重则越多。
85．Do not be a wild card
Do not be a wild card. It is a fault of excellence that being so much in use it is liable to abuse. Because all covet it, all are vexed by it. It is a great misfortune to be of use to nobody; scarcely less to be of use to everybody. People who reach this stage lose by gaining, and at last bore those who desired them before. These wild cards wear away all kinds of excellence: losing the earlier esteem of the few, they obtain discredit among the vulgar. The remedy against this extreme is to moderate your brilliance. Be extraordinary in your excellence, if you like, but be ordinary in your display of it. The more light a torch gives, the more it burns away and the nearer it is to going out. Show yourself less and you will be rewarded by being esteemed more.
