so leave the company of the imitator for he is a swindler and there is no good in him. avoid riding the crowds for his end is before the taste. there is no good in the fickle and changeable nor in the reckless and determined. the fickle is worse than the determined for you do not know his state to which he is heading nor the direction in which he is working. therefore the wise man deceives the wise but does not deceive the fool because the doors of the wise mans planning and tricks are known and the paths of his thoughts are traveled and his methods are limited and numbered. the planning and tricks of the fool do not have one direction and whoever misses it is a liar. true news about one thing is one and false news about one thing is innumerable and there is no limit to it. the determined one killed him by finishing him off and the fickle one killed him by torturing him.
فدع عنك خلطة الإمعة، فإنه حارض ١ لا خير فيه، واجتنب ركوب الجموع فإن غايته قبل الذواق. ولا خير في المتلون ذي البدوات، ولا في الحرون ٢ ذي التصميم. والمتلون شر من المصمم، إذ كنت لا تعرف له حالا يقصد إليها، ولا جهة يعمل عليها. ولذلك صار العاقل يخدع العاقل، ولا يخدع الأحمق، لأن أبواب تدبير العاقل وحيله معروفة، وطرق خواطره مسلوكة، ومذاهبه محصورة معدودة، وليس لتدبير الأحمق وحيلة جهة واحدة، ومن أخطأها كذب، والخبر الصادق عن الشيء الواحد واحد، والخبر الكاذب عن الشيء الواحد لا يحصى له عدد، ولا يوقف منه على حد. والمصمم قتله بالإجهاز، والمتلون قتله بالتعذيب.