又中又英 | Words of wisdom | 褚簡寧

　　It is human nature to want success. But should success go to your head? If success goes to your head, it means it makes you arrogantly proud. Unlike many multibillionaires, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, once the world’s richest person but now ranks 13th, has never let success go to his head. His Gates Foundation has already donated billions to causes such as global health, poverty, and education. The Foundation plans to give away all its US$200 billion by 2045.

　　Gates mocked Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, after Musk cut billions of dollars of US aid to poor countries when he headed President Donald Trump’s unofficial agency to reduce government spending. After the cuts, Gates told the Financial Times: "The picture of the world's richest man killing the world's poorest children is not a pretty one." They were words of wisdom. The expression “words of wisdom” means good and insightful advice. I recently watched a TV interview with Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward. He and colleague Carl Bernstein exposed the 1970s Watergate scandal when the late Richard Nixon was president.

　　Nixon’s coverup of his administration’s burglary at the Democratic Party’s Watergate building headquarters eventually forced him to resign in 1974. Woodward and Bernstein became world famous reporters, but the late Washington Post publisher Katharine Graham sent them a note with words of wisdom. The note said: “beware the demon pomposity”. A demon is an evil spirit. The word “pomposity” comes from the word “pompous”, which means self-importance. “Beware the demon pomposity” means be careful of the devil making you feel too self-important. Graham’s note meant Woodward and Bernstein should not let their fame go to their heads.

　　想要成功，是人類的天性。但應不應該讓成功go to your head？若果success goes to your head，意即成功令你驕傲自滿。微軟共同創辦人比爾．蓋茨曾是世上最富有的人，現在排名13，不像許多億萬富翁，他從不會被成功沖昏頭腦（go to his head）。他的蓋茨基金會已經將數以10億計的獻金，捐予全球健康、貧窮和教育的事業。基金會計劃於2045年前，能全數捐出其2000億美元。

　　當世界首富馬斯克還在領導美國總統特朗普那減省政府開支的非官方機構，削減美國對貧窮國家數以10億美元計的援助後，蓋茨曾嘲諷過馬斯克，他跟《金融時報》說：「世界首富殺害世上最窮孩童的畫面並不好看。」這真是智慧之言（words of wisdom）。習語words of wisdom是指良好而有洞見的忠告。我最近就在電視上看到一個訪問《華盛頓郵報》記者卜．活華特的片段。當已故的尼克遜在任總統時，活華特和同事卡爾．伯恩斯坦揭發了1970年代的水門醜聞。

　　尼克遜掩蓋其政府潛入民主黨水門大廈總部竊聽的事件，最終逼使他於1974年辭職。活華特和伯恩斯坦成了全球知名的記者，然而已故的《華盛頓郵報》出版人凱瑟琳．葛蘭姆給了他們一則寫着智慧之言（words of wisdom）的短箋。那則短箋寫道：「beware the demon pomposity」。A demon就是惡魔。Pomposity來自「pompous」一字，意指自負的。「Beware the demon pomposity」的意思是小心魔鬼令你自以為是，妄自尊大。葛蘭姆的短箋是告誡活華特和伯恩斯坦不要讓名氣沖昏頭腦（go to their heads）。

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Michael Chugani褚簡寧
中譯：七刻