107．勿自鸣得意

勿自鸣得意。你不能总是不满意自己，这是怯懦的表现；也不要骄傲自大，那是愚蠢的表现。自满大多源自无知，如果它不损害名声的话，它能让人有一种傻瓜一样的快乐感（并非一无是处）。有的人因为达不到别人的完美，所以一味苟安于自己的平庸。有怀疑是明智的，甚至是有用的，无论是为了躲避祸患，还是为了在祸患来时得到慰藉——因为祸患不会让已经提防它的人感到惊讶。荷马(1)偶尔也打盹，亚历山大(2)也是从高位上跌落后才清醒过来。世事有赖形势。在某种情况下，环境可助人取得胜利，而在另一种条件下，却可能使人遭受失败。在所有不可救药的愚蠢当中，总有凭空而来的自满在生长、开花、结果。

107．Show no self-satisfaction

Show no self-satisfaction. You must neither be discontented with yourself－and that were poor-spirited－nor self-satisfied－and that is folly. Self-satisfaction arises mostly from ignorance: it would be a happy ignorance not without its advantages if it did not injure our credit. Because a man cannot achieve the superlative perfections of others, he contents himself with any mediocre talent of his own. Distrust is wise, and even useful, either to evade mishaps or to afford consolation when they come, for a misfortune cannot surprise a man who has already feared it. Even Homer nods at times, and Alexander fell from his lofty state and out of his illusions. Things depend on many circumstances: what constitutes triumph in one set may cause a defeat in another. In the midst of all incorrigible folly remains the same with empty self-satisfaction, blossoming, flowering, and running all to seed.