DDJ 81. 信言不美，美言不信

第八十一章
[原文]

信言①不美，美言不信。善者②不辩③，辩者不善。知者不博④，博者不知。圣人不积⑤，既以为人己愈有⑥，既以与人己愈多⑦。天之道，利而不害⑧。圣人之道⑨，为而不争。

[译文]

真实可信的话不漂亮，漂亮的话不真实。善良的人不巧说，巧说的人不善良。真正有知识的人不卖弄，卖弄自己懂得多的人不是真有知识。圣人是不存占有之心的，而是尽力照顾别人，他自己也更为充足；他尽力给予别人，自己反而更丰富。自然的规律是让万事万物都得到好处，而不伤害它们。圣人的行为准则是，做什么事都不跟别人争夺。

http://www.daodejing.org/81.html

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/06/nejm-letter-opioids/528840/

信言不美，美言不信。   “美言”是一个人，一个群体，一个国家，想要听的话。 这个人位置高，这个群体大，这个国家强势富有， 他们想听的话就是大大的“美言”。  

We skip Amendment XIX(Women's suffrage)

http://www.heritage.org/constitution/#!/amendments/19/essays/181/suffrage-sex

We skip Amendment XX (Presidential Term Amendment)

http://www.heritage.org/constitution/#!/amendments/20/essays/182/presidential-terms

”The Twentieth Amendment appears simply to embody minor structural changes to the Constitution. That the amendment was ratified by the states more quickly than any other constitutional amendment before or since supports this impression of an uncontroversial technical revision. So does the absence of litigation surrounding the meaning of the amendment. But the Twentieth Amendment became part of the Constitution only after decades of congressional debate, and its meaning was debated as recently as the impeachment of President William Jefferson Clinton by the United States House of Representatives in December 1998.“

AMENDMENT XXI

Section 1

The eighteenth article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed.

Section 2

The transportation or importation into any State, Territory, or Possession of the United States for delivery or use therein of intoxicating liquors, in violation of the laws thereof, is hereby prohibited.

Section 3

This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by conventions in the several States, as provided in the Constitution, within seven years from the date of the submission hereof to the States by the Congress.

http://www.heritage.org/constitution/#!/amendments/21/essays/183/repeal-of-prohibition

Remember Prohibition Amendment was ratified on a wave of progressive support in 1919 (after WW I).  Now it was essentially repealed in 1933.   After roaring twenties, 美国大萧条从1929开始，1931年918事变，日本侵占东三省，FDR总统1932年选举上台，希特勒1933年成为German Chancellor。  此多事之秋。
http://www.history.com/topics/18th-and-21st-amendments

信言不美，美言不信.   重要的话说三遍。

圣人不积，利而不害，为而不争。 生无论逢时，今未必不如昔，道可以力挽狂澜。

https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%83%A1%E9%81%A9

道德经完。