雙語智慧書·要明白平庸者無處不在

206．要明白平庸者無處不在
　　要明白平庸者無處不在。哪怕是在科林斯(1)，在最顯赫的家族，也不例外。每個人都可在自家門內進行驗證。出身顯赫的庸俗之人更糟糕，這種人有著所有庸俗之人的特點，就像一塊玻璃碎片有整塊玻璃碎片的特點一樣，只不過是更有傷害性而已。他們說話不經過大腦，還經常無知地譴責別人。他們是無知之徒、愚蠢的主顧、造謠的老手。你不必理會他們的話，也不用顧及他們的想法。重要的是：認識粗俗就是為了遠離它們，不管是主觀的還是客觀的。所有愚蠢都是粗俗，而粗俗之眾又都由蠢人組成。


206．Know that there are vulgar people everywhere
　Know that there are vulgar people everywhere, even in Corinth itself, even in the highest families. Every one may try the experiment within his own gates. But there is also such a thing as vulgar opposition to vulgarity, which is worse. This special kind shares all the qualities of the common kind, just as bits of a broken glass: but this kind is still more pernicious; it speaks for blames impertinently, is a disciple of ignorance, a patron of folly, and past master of scandal. You need not notice what it says, still less what it thinks. It is important to know vulgarity in order to avoid it, whether it is subjective or objective. For all folly is vulgarity, and the vulgar consist of fools.
　　
(1) 指科林斯灣內伯羅奔尼撒半島東北希臘南部的一個城市，在公元前7和6世紀是一個富裕的海上強國，以文化和教育揚名。