15.广纳贤人

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15.广纳贤人

广纳贤人。手握强权的人有一项特权,即网罗足智多谋之才,以摆脱无知的恐惧,助其解决难题。极少数伟人明白如何充分利用这些谋士,这比提戈涅斯(1)的粗野趣味要远胜一筹,他喜欢让被俘的君王做自己的奴仆。这是人生中最好且最新奇的驭人之术——从禀赋来说,他们可做我们的主人,却成为我们的仆人,为我所用。知无涯,而生有涯:没有知识的生活就不是真正的生活。若够聪明,你可学有所成而不费吹灰之力——只需博采众长,便可成为集大成者。之后,当你代表大家在议事厅发言时,你之前请教过多少智者,就等于有多少智者在借你的口说话,于是,你便可借他人之力获大智之名。这些贤达人士提炼最好的书籍,提供智慧的精华。如果不能让圣贤为你服务,也要与之为友。

15.Keep ministering spirits

Keep ministering spirits. It is a privilege of the mighty to surround themselves with the champions of intellect; these extricate them from every fear of ignorance, these worry out for them the moot points of every difficulty. It is a rare greatness to make use of the wise, and far exceeds the barbarous taste of Tigranes, who had a fancy for captive monarchs as his servants. It is a novel kind of supremacy, the best that life can offer, to have as servants by skill those who by nature are our masters. It is a great thing to know, little to live: no real life without knowledge. There is remarkable cleverness in studying without study, in getting much by means of many, and through them all to become wise. Afterwards you speak in the council chamber on behalf of many, and as many sages speak through your mouth as were consulted beforehand: you thus obtain the fame of an oracle by others' toil. Such ministering spirits distil the best books and serve up the quintessence of wisdom. But he that cannot have sages in service should have them for his friends.

(1) 指公元前1世纪的亚美尼亚君王,出行时喜用被俘君王做随从。