Wisdom Book

Chapter 10

hold on to the key
No matter what you do, you should grasp the key.Many people only focus on the insignificant parts of things, but ignore the core parts.They procrastinated and made many useless discussions, but they still didn't know what they should do.Their repeated circles not only exhausted themselves and exhausted their energy, but also hurt the people around him. Even so, they still couldn't grasp the key to the matter.People who are confused and confused tend to be like this. They waste all their time and patience on the little things that don't matter, and they don't have time to deal with the important things.

The wise are self-sufficient

There was a wise man① (①Ancient Greek philosopher Stephen lost his wife, children and all his property in a fire, he stood up from the ruins and said: "All I have is in this body.") Yes, that's all he has.There is also a friend ② (② refers to the ancient Roman politician and military strategist Canto the old.), who knows everything about the past and the present, and can even represent Rome and the rest of the world.If you want to survive independently, let yourself be this friend.If someone else's taste and talents are far less than yours, then you can completely abandon him.Just relying on yourself is enough.Be at ease like God and you will be very happy.Those who can survive alone are not savages.In many ways he was a wise man, even more like a god.

let everything take its course

Go with the flow, especially when you get along with other people and make big waves.During our lifetime, we will face many storms, and at this time, it is wise to find a safe haven before the storm subsides.A hasty response often makes things worse.Regardless of whether it is the way of nature or humanity, it is the wisest strategy to let everything go with the flow.A doctor who knows how to choose the right time to prescribe medicine is a wise doctor. Sometimes, no treatment will produce miraculous results.The best way to calm the turmoil of the world is to stay out of it.Temporary bowing now can lay the foundation for future conquest.It is very easy to dirty a river, but to make the muddy water clear is not something we can do with all our efforts. We can only leave it alone and let it become clear.Going with the flow is the best way to calm the chaos.

Know what to avoid when you are unlucky
It is impossible for a person to have good luck forever. When he has bad luck, everything will be hindered.Even if you change the way you do things over and over again, the bad luck remains the same.So to get an idea of ​​how lucky you are now, a few trials are enough.The same is true of human intellect. There are few people who can see everything. No one can keep clear and clear thoughts all the time. Even writing a beautiful letter depends on luck.Perfection only appears at a certain moment, even beauty is not always there.Some people cannot grasp the state of prudence well, either they are too cautious or not cautious enough.No matter what, it can only be perfect at the right time.That's why some people don't do well at one time and they do well at another.Sometimes, you will find that your thinking is clear and your mind is harmonious. At this time, you should seize the opportunity and don't waste it easily.It is unwise to judge whether your day is going well by whether one thing is going well.

Take the essence of everything

To extract the essence of everything is what people of good taste are happy to do.Bees search for pollen to make honey, poisonous snakes search for bitterness for poison.Different tastes lead to different pursuits of people.Some people pursue the essence, some people pursue the dross.Everything in the world has its benefits, and so do books.However, some people are born to be picky. There are thousands of advantages in a thing, but he always picks out the only shortcoming and criticizes it.They are like cleaners who rummage through other people's spiritual garbage, only focus on other people's shortcomings, and the end result is to lower their own taste.They are unlucky because they live on bitterness and rubbish.Those who live happily can find a little perfection in a thousand kinds of shortcomings.

don't just listen to your own voice

What good is it if you can only make yourself happy and not make others happy?A complacent person is bound to be looked down upon by others.Always focus on yourself, not on others.The act of talking to yourself is stupid, and it is doubly stupid to listen only to yourself in front of others.Some people keep asking those around them when they speak: "Am I right?" power to doubt.The same is true of vain people, who crave a response when they speak, and therefore expect every word they say to be backed up with a silly "well said."

Don't make excuses for being stubborn

Don't be obsessed with being on the wrong side just because your opponent is choosing the right side.Otherwise, before the war has even begun, you have already failed, and the result will inevitably be that you retreat in humiliation.Because of the cunning of the enemy, he can pre-empt the good side; it is your folly if you still stubbornly defend the bad side.Stubbornness in deeds is more dangerous than assertiveness in words.Like to sing naysayers and give up the truth, like to quarrel and underestimate the effect, these are the mistakes that stubborn people often make.Prudent people do not lose control of their emotions because of passion, they can always maintain reason, because they can foresee the benefits of reason in advance, and can use reason to correct their views after the fact.If you run into a stupid opponent, he'll change direction halfway, go off the track and go the wrong way.You just need to gain the upper hand to drive your opponents down the wrong lines.His opponent's stupidity will cause him to give up his advantages, and his stubbornness will cause him to be punished.

Sophistry is not available

Both vulgarity and sophistry will tarnish our reputation.Anything that jeopardizes our dignity is foolish.Sophistry is deceit. At first it seems reasonable, and it wins applause for its novelty and excitement, but it will not be long before its false character is exposed, and by then, you will definitely lose your reputation.Sophistry is so harmful that it can even subvert entire nations.People who take the road of sophistry are often those who cannot achieve great things by virtue of virtue. The fool will admire the art of sophistry, but the wise will be alert to it.Sophistry shows that a person's judgment is not sound, and he does not understand the reason for prudence in words and actions.Sophistry, founded on falsity, exists in the midst of inconstancy, and places life in danger at every moment.

Start with concessions, end with victory

Taking a step back at the beginning and you will end up winning is a strategy that can help you get what you want.Even in matters of life and death, Christian clergymen recommend this holy trick to people.It is very important to people that this kind of cover-up will control the will of others with obvious benefits.You first appear to be preparing for the affairs of others, but you are actually opening the way for your own interests.There is absolutely no way to move forward without a cover, especially when something risky is involved.Some people like to say "no" with their mouths. You have to be careful with these people and put forward your ideas tactfully so that they don't think it is difficult to say "yes".This motto is similar to the above No.13 motto, and it contains the most subtle and subtle skills in life.

hide the injured finger

When a finger is injured, it should be hidden to avoid further injury.Never complain to others, because people with evil intentions always target our pain and weakness.If a person always puts on a depressed look, he will become the laughing stock of others.The cunning is always viciously searching for your pain, and then trying to sting it, just to make you lose your mind with anger.A wise man usually ignores hints of malice, let alone talk about personal and family troubles.Sometimes Lady Luck likes to poke our wounds, usually where they are the worst.If you want pain to disappear and pleasure to continue, you should hide what is causing your pleasure and pain.

learn to discern the truth
Everything in the world is different from what it appears.What an ignorant person sees is only the surface. When you let him go deep into the surface, he will suddenly understand.A lie always goes first, and a fool always follows, and is therefore all the more foolish.The truth often travels with time, and they are always long overdue.The Creator has given each of us a pair of ears, and prudent people will set aside one to listen to the truth.Only superficial people believe shallow deceit.Retirement is required to discern the truth, for the wise are never in a hurry to judge.

take advice from others

In this world, there is no one who is so perfect that he does not need to take advice from others at any time.People who don't know how to listen to other people's opinions are hopelessly stupid.Even the most sages listen to well-meaning advice.A high-ranking king should learn to learn from others.Some people always reject people thousands of miles away, and when they are in trouble, no one will help them.Those who are stubborn should open the door of friendship, only in this way, the kind help will flow in continuously.We need a critical friend who can advise us and even rebuke us.We trust him and therefore give him this right.We will not indiscriminately impose respect and prestige on others, but deep down in our hearts, we need a confidant who can treat others with sincerity as a faithful mirror to correct our mistakes.We must cherish and value this mirror.

master the art of conversation

A person's true character can be revealed in conversation.Since conversation is the most frequent human activity, there is no human activity that requires more caution.Our success or failure depends on this.Letters are written after deep thought. We need to be cautious, and we must be more cautious in actual conversations, because whether you are cautious can be tested immediately on the spot.Those experts who know the art of communication can immediately grasp the thread of other people's thoughts through the movement of their tongues.A sage once said: "You can tell a person by listening to his words." Some people think that the art of conversation has no art at all, it is like wearing clothes, as long as it can be kept neat and tidy, there is no need for any modification.This view applies to small talk among friends, but in those refined places, the speech should be tactful, and occasionally insightful.If the conversation is to reach consensus, don't be too critical of others' words, otherwise you will be considered a grammarian.And don't be a sentence checker, or people will shun you and you won't be able to have a conversation.In conversation, prudence is more important than eloquence.

learn to blame others
Allowing others to take responsibility is a shield against malicious slander by others, and it is also a wise way to employ people.Malicious people will think that you let others bear the blame for failure and the attack of gossip because you are incompetent and weak.In fact, this is a superb strategy.It is difficult to achieve everything you want, and it is impossible for everyone to be happy, so we can only find a scapegoat and let him become a living target for unfortunate events, and those ambitious people are exactly what you are looking for.

know how to sell yourself
It is difficult to sell a thing if it only has intrinsic value.Not everyone has the ability to appreciate or pursue intrinsic value.Most people like to follow the crowd because when they see someone else going somewhere, they go with it.Promoting the value of something takes great skill: sometimes you can praise it, which can cause people to want it;Alternatively, you can declare that you only sell items to people who are experts, because everyone believes they are experts, and even if they are not, the desire to be an expert will motivate them to buy.Never make an item easy to get, as this will only detract from its value.Everyone pursues something unique, so unique things can stimulate people's taste and mind.

(End of this chapter)