又中又英 | Words of wisdom | 褚简宁

　　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，是人类的天性。但应不应该让成功go to your head？若果success goes to your head，意即成功令你骄傲自满。微软共同创办人比尔．盖茨曾是世上最富有的人，现在排名13，不像许多亿万富翁，他从不会被成功冲昏头脑（go to his head）。他的盖茨基金会已经将数以10亿计的献金，捐予全球健康、贫穷和教育的事业。基金会计划于2045年前，能全数捐出其2000亿美元。

　　当世界首富马斯克还在领导美国总统特朗普那减省政府开支的非官方机构，削减美国对贫穷国家数以10亿美元计的援助后，盖茨曾嘲讽过马斯克，他跟《金融时报》说：「世界首富杀害世上最穷孩童的画面并不好看。」这真是智慧之言（words of wisdom）。习语words of wisdom是指良好而有洞见的忠告。我最近就在电视上看到一个访问《华盛顿邮报》记者卜．活华特的片段。当已故的尼克逊在任总统时，活华特和同事卡尔．伯恩斯坦揭发了1970年代的水门丑闻。

　　尼克逊掩盖其政府潜入民主党水门大厦总部窃听的事件，最终逼使他于1974年辞职。活华特和伯恩斯坦成了全球知名的记者，然而已故的《华盛顿邮报》出版人凯瑟琳．葛兰姆给了他们一则写着智慧之言（words of wisdom）的短笺。那则短笺写道：「beware the demon pomposity」。A demon就是恶魔。Pomposity来自「pompous」一字，意指自负的。「Beware the demon pomposity」的意思是小心魔鬼令你自以为是，妄自尊大。葛兰姆的短笺是告诫活华特和伯恩斯坦不要让名气冲昏头脑（go to their heads）。

[email protected]
Michael Chugani褚简宁
中译：七刻