西洋幽默语录(之七十三)
拉洛士佛科 (LA ROCHEFOUCAULD, Francois de), 1613-1680
法国警句作者
We always like those who admire us but we do not always like those whom we admire.
我们常喜欢那些欣赏我们的人, 但我们并不常会喜欢那些我们欣赏的人.
We confess little faults in order to suggest that we have no big ones.
我们承认小过, 用意在告诉别人, 我们没有大错.
We often do good in order that we may do evil with impunity.
我们常做好事, 以便做坏事而无被罚之虞.
We often forgive those who bore us, but we cannot forgive those whom we bore.
我们常能原谅那些令我们闷的人, 但我们却不能原谅那些被我们闷的人.
We prefer to speak evil of ourselves rather than not speak of ourselves at all.
我们宁可讲自已的坏话, 而完全不讲自已.
We seldom find people ungrateful so long as we are in a condition to render them service.
我们很少看到不感激的人, 只要我们还有条件为他们服务.
We should have very little pleasure were we never to flatter ourselves.
假如没捧捧自己, 我们会少了很多快乐.
We sometimes imagine we hate flattery, but we only hate the way we are flattered.
我们有时想像自己讨厌奉承, 但实际上我们只是讨厌别人对我们奉承的方式.
We think very few people sensible except those who agree with us.
我们觉得很少人是有见识的, 除了那些和我们有相同意见的人.
You are never easily fooled as when you are trying to fool someone else.
当你想愚弄他人的时候, 也就是你最容易被人愚弄的时候.
A woman is faithful to her first lover a long time – unless she happens to take a second.
一个女人会对她的初恋保持忠诚一段很长的时间 – 徐非她刚巧有了新欢.
Wit sometimes enables us to act rudely with impunity.
机智有时可让我们无礼的举动免受被罚之虞.
Why can we remember the tiniest detail that has happened to us, and not remember how many times we have told it to the same people.
为什么我们记得了发生在我们身上的每个细节, 却记不得我们己向同样的人讲过了多少次.
When our vice s leave us, we flatter ourselves that we are leaving them.
当我们的恶行离开了我们, 我们却自夸我们离开了恶行.
What makes the vanity of other people intolerable is that it wounds our own.
对其他人的虚荣心那么难以忍受是因为它同时也伤了我们的虚荣心.
What is called liberality is often merely the vanity if giving.
所谓宽宏大量时常只不过是虚荣的施舍.
