13．有时三思而行，有时立下决断

有时三思而行，有时立下决断。生活就是一场与邪恶的战争。睿智的斗争伴随着意图的战略性改变——恐吓是假，声东击西。他总是隐藏自己的意图，先是老练地虚晃一枪，然后出其不意地猛击对方要害。他透露出一个意图，只是为了吸引对方的注意力，然后再伺机出奇制胜。但是，明智的人可以警惕地预料到这一招，然后隐藏起来——明智者总能看清对手希望自己了解的情况之反面，看破对方每个虚招诡计。他会放过第一次出击，等待第二个时机，甚至第三次出击的机会。当狡诈者发现自己的阴谋被人识破，就会使出更高的招数：改变策略，以改变欺诈，想要用真相本身来蒙蔽，用不欺骗来达到欺骗的目的，把欺骗建立在最大程度的坦诚上。但是，明智者更会警觉起来，发现其光明外表下暗藏的阴谋诡计，解读其每个行动的真实含义，对方外表越单纯，可能心计越狡诈。蟒蛇怪皮同(1)用阴谋诡计与阿波罗的明光相斗时的情况正是如此。

13．act sometimes on second thoughts, sometimes on first impulse

act sometimes on second thoughts, sometimes on first impulse. man's life is a warfare against the malice of others. sagacity fights with strategic changes of intention: it never does what it threatens, it aims only at escaping notice. it aims in the air with dexterity and strikes home in an unexpected direction, always seeking to conceal its game. it lets a purpose appear in order to attract the opponent's attention, but then turns round and conquers by the unexpected. but a penetrating intelligence anticipates this by watchfulness and lurks in ambush. it always understands the opposite of what the opponent wishes it to understand, and recognizes every feint of guile. it lets the first impulse pass by and waits for the second, or even the third. sagacity now rises to higher flights on seeing its artifice foreseen, and tries to deceive by truth itself, changes its game in order to change its deceit, and cheats by not cheating, and founds deception on the greatest candour. but the opposing intelligence is on guard with increased watchfulness, and discovers the darkness concealed by the light and deciphers every move, the more subtle because more simple. in this way the guile of the python combats the far darting rays of apollo.

(1)是古希腊神话中大地女神盖亚之子，代表黑暗，后被阿波罗用弓箭和火炬杀死。