177．避免与人太亲近

避免与人太亲近。不要与人过于亲近，也不要让人过于亲近你。与人过于亲近者，会丧失其影响力所赋予的所有优势，从而丧失尊严。天上的星星因为不贴近人类，所以才能保持灿烂辉煌。神圣是需要礼节的。太过亲近，则易生轻慢。关于世间之事，你越是显露得多，得到的就越少——本来可以隐藏起的缺陷，也会在公开交流中传播开来。亲密永远不悦人心意：与上级亲近则有临危之虞，与下属亲近则有些不得体。尤其不可与愚蠢之人亲近——他们蠢不可言，傲慢无礼，会错把你的亲近当成你需要他们。亲密近似粗俗。

177．Avoid familiarities in intercourse

Avoid familiarities in intercourse. Neither use them nor permit them. He that is familiar, loses any superiority his influence gives him, and so loses respect. The stars keep their brilliance by not making themselves common. The Divine demands decorum. Every familiarity breeds contempt. In human affairs, the more a man shows, the less he has, for in open communication you communicate the failings that reserve might keep under cover. Familiarity is never desirable; with superiors because it is dangerous, with inferiors because it is unbecoming, least of all with the common herd, who become insolent from sheer folly: they mistake favour shown them for need felt of them. Familiarity trenches on vulgarity.