And of personal strength and prowess in bodily accomplishment,
though of great help in the origin, yet are they not necessary; but
the more thou lackest physical and mental powers the more must thou
cling to the powerful and rise with them; the more careful must thou
be of thy dress, and the more money will it cost thee, for thou must
fill well the bladders that keep thee on the surface, else wilt thou
sink.

And of reserve, let no man know anything about thee. If thy father
is a greengrocer, as I dare say is the case with some of the most
mighty powers in the land, what matter so long as another knoweth it
not? See that thou quell all inquisitive attempts to discover
anything about thine habits, thy country, thy parentage, and, in a
word, let no one know anything of thee beyond the exterior; for if
thou dost let them within thy soul, they will find but little, but
if it be barred and locked, men will think that by reason of thy
strong keeping of the same, it must contain much; and they will
admire thee upon credit.

And of openness, be reserved in the particular, open in the general;
talk of debts, of women, of money, but say not what debts, what
women, or what money; be most open when thou doest a shabby thing,
which thou knowest will not escape detection. If thy coat is bad,
laugh and boast concerning it, call attention to it and say thou
hast had it for ten years, which will be a lie, but men will
nevertheless think thee frank, but run not the risk of wearing a bad
coat, save only in vacation time or in the country. But when thou
doest a shabby thing which will not reach the general light, breathe
not a word of it, but bury it deeply in some corner of thine own