雙語智慧書·開始于他人，受用于自己

144．開始于他人，受用于自己
　　開始于他人，受用于自己。這是一個可使你得償所愿的計策。即使是非世俗之事，基督教的牧師也強調這條神圣的詭計。這種掩飾重要至極，因為可以把顯而易見的好處當作誘餌去控制他人意志?？雌饋硭氖乱褱蕚渚途w，實際上是為你自己的事開路。如果沒有掩護，決不能前進，尤其是在危險地帶。與此類似，和那些一開始總是說"不"的人交往，避免受挫的方法就是巧妙地提出你的想法，讓他不覺得同意有何難處。此建議也屬于有關三思而行的準則（箴言13），它涵蓋了最精妙的人生處世技巧。


144．Begin with another's to end with your own
　Begin with another's to end with your own. It is a politic means to your end. Even in heavenly matters Christian teachers lay stress on this holy cunning. It is a weighty piece of dissimulation, for the foreseen advantages serve as a lure to influence the other's will. His affair seems to be in train when it is really only leading the way for your own. One should never advance unless under cover, especially where the ground is dangerous. Likewise with persons who always say No at first, it is useful to ward off this blow, because the difficulty of conceding much more does not occur to them when your version is presented to them. This advice belongs to the rule about second thoughts, which covers the most subtle manoeuvres of life.