254.勿因惡小而輕視它
勿因惡小而輕視它。福有雙至,禍不單行。幸與不幸常常都各尋同類。因此,所有人都想避開不幸,而與幸運(yùn)同行。就連頭腦簡(jiǎn)單的鴿子,也常飛往最白的墻壁。不幸之人一事無成--他本身、他的言語(yǔ)、他的運(yùn)氣,全都不順。不要叫醒厄運(yùn)之神,當(dāng)她還在沉睡之時(shí)。一次跌倒算不了什么,但是致命的損失就會(huì)接踵而至,你不知道何時(shí)才是盡頭。沒有幸運(yùn)是無暇的,也沒有厄運(yùn)是徹底的。對(duì)上蒼的安排,要有耐心;對(duì)塵世的無常,也須謹(jǐn)慎。
254.Never despise an evil, however small
Never despise an evil, however small, for they never come alone: they are linked together like pieces of good fortune. Fortune and misfortune generally go to find their fellows. Hence all avoid the unlucky and associate with the fortunate. Even the doves with all their innocence resort to the whitest walls. Everything fails with the unfortunate-h(huán)imself, his words, and his luck. Do not wake Misfortune when she sleeps. One slip is a little thing; yet some fatal loss may follow it till you do not know where it will end. For just as no happiness is perfect, so no ill-luck is complete. Patience serves with what comes from above; prudence with that from below.