114．避免与人相争

避免与人相争。任何相争都会损害名誉。对手会伺机遮盖我们的光芒，以达到比我们更耀眼的目的。几乎没有人能打一场光彩的战争。在你谦恭之时，你的缺点与过失也许会被掩盖。在敌对之时，则会被揭露。许多人在树敌之前都有很好的名声，但是争斗让逝去的谣言再度复活，让早被掩埋的丑闻曝光。竞争从贬损开始，什么手段都能使得出。当谩骂无法奏效（许多情况都是这样），对方就以此报复，至少也要扫去陈年落灰，将我们所有不光彩的事情全都抖搂出来。亲善之人往往平和，拥有名誉和尊严的人也往往是亲善之人。

114．Never compete

Never compete. Every competition damages the credit: our rivals seize occasion to obscure us so as to outshine us. Few wage honourable war. Rivalry discloses faults which courtesy would hide. Many have lived in good repute while they had no rivals. The heat of conflict gives life, or even new life, to dead scandals, and digs up long-buried skeletons. Competition begins with belittling, and seeks aid wherever it can, not only where it ought. And when the weapons of abuse do not effect their purpose, as often or mostly happens, our opponents use them for revenge, and use them at least for beating away the dust of oblivion from anything to our discredit. Men of good-will are always at peace; men of good repute and dignity are men of good-will.