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尼可罗·马基雅维利:君主论·摘录 91

尼可罗·马基雅维利《君主论》· The Prince · 领导 · 健康 · 财富 · 行动

I compare her to one of those raging rivers, which when in flood overflows the plains, sweeping away trees and buildings, bearing away the soil from place to place; everything flies before it, all yield to its violence, without being able in any way to withstand it; and yet, though its nature be such, it does not follow therefore that men, when the weather becomes fair, shall not make provision, both with defences and barriers, in such a manner that, rising again, the waters may pass away by canal, and their force be neither so unrestrained nor so dangerous. So it happens with fortune, who shows her power where valour has not prepared to resist her, and thither she turns her forces where she knows that barriers and defences have not been raised to constrain her.

出处: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1232
定位:Excerpt 91 · 核对日期:2026-10-19 · 核验:短摘录

白话

马基雅维利把命运比作暴虐的河流:洪水泛滥时冲毁树木房屋,席卷泥土,一切都被摧毁,无人能挡。但洪水过后,天气晴好时,人们可以修筑堤坝和沟渠,这样下次洪水再来时,就能通过运河疏导,使其威力不再那么失控和危险。命运也是如此:她只在人们没有准备抵抗的地方显示威力,只在没有设置障碍和防御的地方施展力量。因此,面对命运,我们不能坐以待毙,而应在平时就做好准备,建立防御机制,这样当厄运来临时,就能减少损失,甚至引导其方向。

上下文

这是《君主论》第25章中关于命运与人类能动性的比喻,马基雅维利借此强调预防和准备的重要性。

今日一问

你生活中是否有“洪水”般的风险?你提前修筑了哪些“堤坝”来应对?

公版作品;原文逐字取自 Project Gutenberg,仅摘录段落并附全书链接。

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