If you consult a wise man and then speak it in front of a crowd, the wise man will speak through your mouth. This will give you the reputation of being a wise man through the labor of others.
relevance - Imitation of the Sages and Defending and Breaking Away - A wise man imitates a wise man.
from The Art of Worldly Wisdom consult a wise man xv Keep the spirit to ambassador.
They free them from every fear of ignorance, and they worry for them the fundamental points of every difficulty. It is a rare greatness to make use of the wise, far surpassing the barbarous taste of Tigranes, who was fond of taking captive monarchs as servants. To skillfully make servants of those who are essentially our masters is a novel kind of supremacy, the best that life can offer. To know is great, but to live is difficult: without knowledge there can be no real life. There is an amazing wisdom in studying without learning, in acquiring many things by many means, and in becoming wise through them all. You then speak in a chamber for many, and the same number of wise men speak through your mouth as were consulted beforehand. Thus you gain the fame of an oracle through the labors of others. The spirit of such a messenger distills the best books and provides the quintessence of wisdom. But he who cannot serve a sage should have a sage for his friend.
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