忠言

Either they do this out of pusillanimity and a natural defect of spirit; then you must make use especially of those who are of good counsel, because in prosperity they bring you honor and in adversity you do not have to fear them; but, when by art and for an ambitious cause, they are not obligated, it is a sign that they are thinking more for themselves than for you; and the prince must be on guard against them, and fear them as if they were open enemies, because in adversity they will always help ruin him.

有的人 生性优柔寡断，天生就缺乏热情。君主尤其要启用那些能忠言直谏的人，因为他们会在繁荣期给君主带来荣誉，而君主在逆境中时也不必担心他们拆台。但如果大人物工于机巧，野心勃勃，而没有感恩之心，那就是一种征兆，证明他们更多的是考虑自身的利益，而很少为君主着想。对这样的人必须像对待公开的敌人一样提高警惕，因为他们在君主遭殃时往往会落井下石。一个人在民众的拥戴下当上了一国之君，就应该善待民众——这是轻而易举之—事，因为民众对他的要求只是不受压迫而已。

Because you disdained all my counsel, and my reproof you ignored

你们既蔑视了我的劝告，没有接受我的忠言

He set at naught all his parents' good advice.

他对父母的忠言劝告一概置之不理。

Given the Confucian division between respected mental labor, especially that of teachers, and denigrated physical labor, this ultimatum from the custodians must not have gone down easily.

在儒家的阶级划分下，脑力工作者─尤其是为人师表者─总是在粗鄙的劳工之上，因此推广员的忠言在老师们听来，想必相当逆耳吧！

Even though we've overreached, and been reminded of some home truths, we know that one day we'll reach out once more.

即使我们已经走过头，而且我们被忠言提醒，我们仍然知道有一天我们会再一次出发。

In a word, a man were better relate himself to a statua, or picture ,han to suffer his thoughts to pass in smother.

友谊底这第二种功用，也不限于那些能进忠言的朋友（他们当然是最好的朋友了），即令没有这样的朋友，一个人也能借言谈底力量自己增长知识，把自己底思想使之明白表现，并且把自己底机智磨厉得更为锋利，如磨刃于石，刃锐而石固不能割也。

The split between the two groups can hardly be papered over.

这两个团体间的分歧难以掩饰。

This approach not only encourages a greater number of responses, but minimizes the likelihood of stale groupthink.

这种做法不仅鼓励了更多的反应，而且减少跟风的可能性。