187.令人愉快之事,自己做;令人不快之事,让他人代劳

令人愉快之事,自己做;令人不快之事,让人代劳。前者让你赢得好感,后者让你避免憎恶。伟大的人物认为施惠比受惠更令人愉快,这是其慷慨天性带来的殊荣。他们不会随意让别人受苦,因为他们难免由此会因同情或懊悔而受苦。身居高位,只能通过对下属采用赏与罚来开展工作。那么,若奖赏你就亲自送出,而惩罚就让别人代办。你要找到一个这样的人,能让别人的不满、厌恶和诽谤都指向他。凡夫俗子的愤怒如疯狗一般,他们不知道痛从何处来,只知道去咬鞭子,鞭子不是真的罪人,不过无辜代罪而已。

187.Do pleasant things yourself, unpleasant things through others

Do pleasant things yourself, unpleasant things through others. By the one course you gain goodwill, by the other you avoid hatred. A great man takes more pleasure in doing a favour than in receiving one: it is the privilege of his generous nature. One cannot easily cause pain to another without suffering pain either from sympathy or from remorse. In high place one can only work by means of rewards and punishment, so grant the first yourself, inflict the other through others. Have someone against whom the weapons of discontent, hatred, and slander may be directed. For the rage of the mob is like that of a dog: missing the cause of its pain it turns to bite the whip itself, and though this is not the real culprit, it has to pay the penalty.