Do not manille

Do not manille

Do not play Manille.

This Manille means Manila, the capital of the Philippines in today's French, but I'm not sure how it was used in those days.

There is a card game with the same name.

But I don't think it literally means "don't play this game".

It refers to some kind of negative action.

This way.

Very boring game, they say.

Perhaps it is a game where the top players are worn out by other players demanding a lot from them.

So, he says, "wears down excellence of all kinds.

lxxxv

The disadvantage of excellence is that it is so widely used that it is easily abused. Because all want it, all are afflicted by it. It is a great misfortune to be of no one's service, and a greater misfortune to be of everyone's service. Those who reach this stage lose by gaining, and finally bore those who formerly wanted them. Such manille wears away excellence of all kinds. It loses the previous respect of a few and gains credibility among the laity. The solution to such extremes is to understate one's brilliance. If you want to be extraordinary in excellence, be mediocre in flaunting it. The more torches you light, the more they will burn out. The less you show of yourself, the more you will be rewarded with respect.

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