扼殺在萌芽中——第五季第四集：“所有幸福的家庭……”

背景：米切勒?拉曼納是個老牌幫派份子，原籍意大利，于20世紀50年代移民到美國。拉曼納和托尼的父輩是同一代人。而托尼之所以成名也與早年搶走了拉曼納的一家賭場有一定關系。度過了20年的監獄生涯后，拉曼納于2004年回到了北新澤西“再戰江湖”。雙方沉積已久的恩怨和仇恨立刻被再度點燃。拉曼納無視托尼的權威，還迅速在底層小弟中獲得了號召力。

解決方案：托尼設下毒計，讓拉曼納違反了假釋條例，拉曼納再次入獄。

教訓：學會在問題變得嚴重之前發現問題。第二季中，托尼與另一個出獄后的幫派份子里奇?艾普勒也有過類似的沖突。（最后，艾普勒被裝在一個塑料垃圾袋里，被人拖出托尼妹妹的廚房。）面臨拉曼納造成的困境時，托尼問自己：“我難道還沒有從里奇的事中汲取教訓嗎？”然后他總結道：“要把問題扼殺在萌芽里。要糾正一個問題，最快的方法就是在第一時間防止它發生?！?/p>

事不決，問孫子——第三季第八集：“他崛起了”等集

背景：托尼在劇中曾經多次提及中國兵家孫子，稱他是“中國的馬基雅弗利王子?！币虼嗣窢柗漆t生在劇中多次引用《孫子兵法》（The Art of War ）中的名言名句也就不足為奇了，而且這些名言名句還在托尼的隊伍中流行起來。甚至連她妹妹也開始引用《孫子兵法》中的句子。（由于該劇多次引用，《孫子兵法》在美銷量大增。）

解決方案：托尼和他的手下們發現《孫子兵法》中的一些道理特別有用，其中包括：“候而知動靜之理，形而知死生之地”、“怒爾撓之、卑而驕之”、“將者，智信仁勇嚴也”。

教訓：從前輩的思想中尋求指導，采用其中最能為己所用的。（財富中文網）

????譯者：樸成奎

Nip it in the bud. -- Season 5, Episode 4: "All Happy Families …"

Situation: Michele "Feech" La Manna is an original gangster, "made" in Italy, who immigrated to the U.S. in the 1950s. Feech was a contemporary of Tony's father and uncle; and Tony made his name, in part, by brazenly robbing a card game run by the elder mobster. After a 20-year prison stint, Feech returns to North Jersey in 2004 to "get back in the game." Long-dormant tension and resentment quickly boil over as Feech ignores Tony's authority and grows increasingly popular with the lower ranks.

Solution: Tony sets Feech up to be caught violating the terms of his parole. Feech is summarily sent back to prison.

Lesson: Learn to spot problems before they become serious. In the second season, Tony faces similar conflicts with another ex-convict, Richie Aprile. (In the end, Aprile was hauled out of Tony's sister's kitchen in a plastic garbage bag.) Contemplating the Feech dilemma, Tony asks himself, "Did I learn nothing from the Richie situation?" He concludes, "Nip it in the bud." There's no quicker way to fix a problem than to stop it from happening in the first place.

When it doubt, Sun Tzu. -- Season 3, Episode 8: "He Is Risen" and others

Situation: The "Chinese Prince Machiavelli," as Tony refers to the master strategist, is a recurring allusion in the show. Sun Tzu's treatise The Art of War is introduced not surprisingly by Dr. Melfi in therapy and quickly spreads through the ranks of Tony's crew. Even his sister begins quoting the ancient general. (The book's mention on the show led to a boost in sales.)

Solution: Axioms Tony and his associates find particularly useful include: "Balk the enemy's power; force him to reveal himself;" "If your opponent is of choleric temper, irritate him;" and, "A good commander is benevolent and unconcerned with fame."

Lesson: Look to your predecessors' ideas for guidance, and use what will serve you best.