171．不要滥用人情

不要滥用人情。重要的朋友要用在关键的时候。不要把重要的关系浪费在细微小事上——那会浪费别人的情义。预备的大锚应该为绝境保留着。如果让不重要的事情把重要的关系都浪费掉，那么，你还能剩下什么？在今天，没有什么比能得到他人的保护更重要，也没有什么比得到关爱更昂贵。他人的眷顾可助你成功，也能坏你的事；它甚至既能增长你的智慧，也能夺走它。智者受到造化和名望的眷顾，也常会招来命运之神的嫉妒。所以，保有权能人士的眷顾比保有财产更为重要。

171．Do not waste influence

Do not waste influence. The great as friends are for great occasions. One should not make use of great confidence for little things, for that is to waste a favour. The sheet anchor should be reserved for the last extremity. If you use up the great for little ends what remains afterwards? Nothing is more valuable than a protector, and nothing costs more nowadays than a favour. It can make or unmake a whole world. It can even give sense and take it away. As Nature and Fame are favourable to the wise, so Luck is generally envious of them. It is therefore more important to keep the favour of the mighty than goods and chattels.