Is it not often necessary to appear to be denuded of common sense, to make the voice of reason dominate?
In the fable of Yoritomo, his philosopher proved his profound knowledge of the human heart, while he put in practise the power of practical sense in apparent opposition, however, to common sense.
We said this at the opening of the chapter: practical sense and common sense are two very near relatives, but they are two and not one.
LESSON X
THE MOST THOROUGH BUSINESS MAN
One of the principle advantages of common sense is that it protects the man who is gifted with it from hazardous enterprises, the risky character of which he scents.
Only to risk when possessing perfect knowledge of a subject is the sure means of never being drawn into a transaction by illusory hopes.
An exact conception of things is more indispensable to perfect success than a thousand other more brilliant but less substantial gifts.
"However," says Yoritomo, "in order to make success our own, it is not sufficient to have the knowledge of things, one must above all know oneself.
"On the great world-stage, each one occupies a place which at the start may not always be in the first rank.