"It is a fault of excellence that being so much in use it is liable to abuse. Because all covert it, all are vexed by it. It is a great misfortune to be of use to nobody; scarcely less to be of use to everybody. People who reach this stage lose by gaining, and at last bore those who desired them before. These Manilles wear away all kinds of excellence: losing the earlier esteem of the few, they obtain discredit among the vulgar. The remedy against this extreme is to moderate your brilliance. Be extraordinary in your excellence, if you like, but be ordinary in your display of it. The more light a torch gives, the more it burns away and the nearer 'tis to going out. Show yourself less and you will be reward by being esteemed more." - Balthasar Gracian's "The Art of Worldly Wisdom"
When you play the trump play it rarely and with grace, play never the Manille. That way you shine the brighter for being wanted and shine longer in the memories of men. Be humble if excellence allows. A preternatural glow from modesty intensifies the brilliance of excellence. Do not be the Manille who shows off himself second-rate among his peers in excellence. Burning out all admiration, he leaves the smoke of his brilliance behind him and soon finds himself lesser for being greater, lower for striving higher.
