Know your pet faults. The most perfect of men has them, and is either wedded to them or has illicit relations with them. They are often faults of intellect, and the greater this is, the greater they are, or at least the more conspicuous. It is not so much that their possessor does not know them: he loves them, which is a double evil: irrational affection for avoidable faults. They are spots on perfection; they displease the onlooker as much as they please the possessor. It is a gallant thing to get clear of them, and so give play to one's other qualities. For all men hit upon such a failing, and on going over your qualifications they make a long stay at this blot, and blacken it as deeply as possible in order to cast your other talents into the shade.

认清自身喜爱的缺点。最完美的人也有自己喜欢的缺点，这些缺点像明媒正娶那样堂而皇之，或像不合法关系那样遮遮掩掩。这些缺点通常是才智方面的，越是有才华的人，其缺点越严重，或越明显。并非这些人不知道自己有缺点，而是因为他们喜欢这些缺点。这是双重的不幸--因这些缺点本可改掉，但他们却爱得荒唐。这些缺点是完美的瑕疵，令本人高兴，却令他人生厌。消除这些缺点是件很了不起的事，还可带来其他优秀品质。不然，人们很容易就能看出这种缺点，在审查你的资质时，会紧盯这一污点不放，并尽量抹黑它，使你的其他才干也被掩藏。