166．分辨善言者与善行者

分辨善言者与善行者。此辨别力很重要，正如辨别朋友是看中你本身还是趋附你地位一样——他们有天壤之别。有恶言而无恶行，便已很可恶；若说得好却做得糟，则更让人不齿。言语就像风一样，不能充饥；礼节也只是文雅的欺骗，同样不能充饥。用镜子反射光线可让鸟儿眩晕，不过想借此捕鸟只是一个美妙的幻想。只有虚荣的人才会接受空话作为报酬。言语应该成为实践的保证书，要像当票似的，具有市场价格。只长树叶而不结果实的树通常都没有树心——要认清它们，除了遮阴，别无他用。

166．Distinguish the man of words from the man of deeds

Distinguish the man of words from the man of deeds. Discrimination here is as important as in the case of friends, persons, and employments, which have all many varieties. Bad words even without bad deeds are bad enough; good words with bad deeds are worse. One cannot dine off words, which are wind, nor off politeness, which is but polite deceit. To catch birds with a mirror is the ideal snare. It is the vain alone who take their wages in windy words. Words should be the pledges of work, and, like pawn-tickets, have their market price. Trees that bear leaves but not fruit have usually no pith. Know them for what they are, of no use except for shade.