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Quotable Quotes
1. Study and Work
学习、工作

There is no satiety in study.


学无止境。
He who will not learn when he is young will regret it when he is old.
少壮不努力,老大徒伤悲。
It is never too late to learn.
学习从不嫌晚。
Seeing much, suffering much, and studying much, are the three pillars of
learning.
多看,多磨砺,多研究,是为学三大支柱。
You must learn to crawl before you walk.
先学爬,再学走。(循序渐进)
Learning something that you may do something.
干什么都需要学习。
All things are attained by diligence and toil.
一切都是通过勤劳获得的。
He who questions nothing learns nothing.
什么都不问就什么也学不到。(尽信书则不如无书)
Learn even from an enemy.
即使是敌人也可以向他学习。
Learning without thought is useless; thought without learning is
dangerous.
学而不思则罔,思而不学则殆。
As land is improved by sowing it with various seeds, so is the mind by
exercising it with different studies.
土壤因播种而改良,思想用学习来磨练。
Reading without reflecting is like eating without digesting.
读而不思,犹食而不化。
Better to read little with thought than much with levity and quickness.
宁可少读精思,胜过浮光掠影。
He that can read and meditate will not find his evenings long or life
tedious.
会读书思索的人不会感到长夜漫漫或者生活乏味。
The more we study, the more we discover our ignorance.
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读书越多,越感到腹中空虚。
If a man empties his purse into his head, no man can take it away from
him; an investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.
倾囊求知,无人能夺;投资知识,利益最多。
If a man will not seek knowledge, it will not seek him.
你若不去找知识,知识不会来找你。
Men learn by their sufferings more than by any other teaching.
人从苦难中学到的东西超过别的教导。
To know everything is to know nothing.
样样都通,样样稀松。
It is not wide reading but useful reading that tends to excellence.
读书要有成效不在于博览,而在于读有用的书。
Learning is a bitter root, but it bears sweet fruit.
学习根苦果甜。
Observation is the best teacher.
观察是最好的老师。
Knowledge is the antidote to fear.
知识是治疗恐惧之病。
It is harder to conceal ignorance than to acquire knowledge.
掩盖无知要比学到知识更难。
You may glean knowledge by reading, but you must separate the chaff
from the wheat by thinking.
读书可以获得知识,思考才能去粗存精。
No entertainment is so cheap as reading nor any pleasure so lasting.
没有比读书更便宜的娱乐,也没有比读书更持久的欢乐。
No such thing as genius: it is nothing but labor and diligence.
无所谓天才,它仅是刻苦加勤奋。
There needs a long apprenticeship to understand the mystery of the
world’s trade.
要知世事奥秘多,须要长期作学徒。
All readers can be divided into two classes: those who read to remember
and those who read to forget.
所有的读者都可分为两类:为了记住而读书的和为了忘却而读书的。
Be as careful of the books you read, as of the company you keep; for your
habits and character will be as much influenced by the former as by the
latter.
选书应和交友一样谨慎,因为你的习性受书籍的影响不亚于朋友。
What is learned in the cradle is carried to the grave.
孩提时代学到的东西,到老死也不会忘记。
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Discussion is an exchange of intelligence. Argument is an exchange of


ignorance.
讨论是交换智慧;争辩是交换无知。
You can tell a man’s taste in literature by his judgment in knowing what
not to read.
一个人判断哪些书不用看,你就可以知道他对文学的兴趣。
A great part of the information one acquires by looking up something and
finding something else on the way.
一个人的学问中有很大一部分是通过查找某事物时发现另外的事物
而获得的。
Wise men seek instruction; fools fall for applause.
聪明人找人指教,蠢人则在赞美声中跌倒。
Histories make men wise; poets witty; mathematics subtle; natural
philosophy deep; morality grave; logic and rhetoric able to contend.
历史使人英明,诗歌让人机智,数学教人敏锐,哲学使人含蓄,伦理
让人严肃,逻辑和修辞令人善辩。
He who knows useful things, not many things, is wise.
聪明人不是懂得多,而是懂得有用的东西。
The wise man knows he knows nothing; the dunce thinks he knows all.
聪明人知道自己不懂什么,蠢人则认为自己什么都懂。
Other people’s defects are good teachers.
别人的缺点就是自己的好老师。
Capacity without education is pitiful; education without capacity is
thrown away.
有才干缺教育令人可惜;有教育缺才干被人抛弃。
One pound of learning requires ten pounds of common sense to apply it.
一分学问,要辅以十分常识才能应用。
It is not enough to have great qualities, we must also have the
management of them.
有才能还不够,还要善用其才。
Learning is the eye of the mind.
学识是心灵的眼睛。
Without learning, without eyes.
没有学识,就没有眼力。
Better unlearned than ill-learned.
学到坏知识,不如无知识。
A learned man is not learned in everything.
有学问的人并非什么都懂。
Work banishes those three great evils: boredom, vice and poverty.
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工作撵跑三大魔鬼:无聊、堕落与贫穷。
One volunteer is better than ten forced men.
一个志愿者,胜过十个被迫工作的人。
If you have a job without any aggravations, you don’t have a job.
如果你的工作一点都不使你恼火,那就不能算是有工作。
One wonderful thing about a vacation is that it makes you feel good
enough to go back to work and poor enough so that you have to.
休假的妙处在于,既使你身心舒畅,乐意回去工作,又使你不名一文,
不得不回去工作。
Make it a point to do something every day that you don’t want to do. This
is the golden rule for acquiring the habit of doing your duty without pain.
坚持每天做一点不愿意做的事。这是养成乐意尽职的金科玉律。
The path of duty is the way to glory.
责任的道路是通往荣誉的道路。
The more we do, the more we can do; the more busy we are, the more
leisure we have.
事越做越能做,人越忙越有空。
The shortest way to do many things is to do only one thing at a time.
多做事的捷径是每次只做一件事。
I had rather do and not promise, than promise and not do.
宁可多做事而少许诺,不可多许诺而不做事。
In every beginning think of the end.
凡事一开始就要想到结果。
Never was a good work done without great effort.
干好工作决非轻而易举。
Without method little can be done to any good purpose.
没有方法,什么事也做不成。
A work ill done must be twice done.
事情没干好,应当重新做。
Honor lies in honest toil.
光荣归于诚实的劳作。

2. Knowledge and Experience


知识、经验

Knowledge is power.
知识就是力量。
The storehouse of wisdom is stocked with proverbs.
智慧的仓库里储满箴言。
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As it is the mark of great minds to say many things in a few words, so it


is the mark of little minds to use many words to say nothing.
大智者寥寥数语,即能达意;寡智者口若悬河,仍言之无物。
Words without ideas are like sails without wind.
言之无物如有帆无风。
He who has imagination without learning has wings but no feet.
有想象力而无学问的人,等于有翅无脚。
The soul without imagination is what an observatory would be without a
telescope.
人没有想象力,犹如无文台没有望远镜。
Learning is the light that leads into everything lovely.
学识是照亮各种美好事物的明灯。
Knowledge makes humble; ignorance makes proud.
知识使人谦逊;无知使人傲慢。
There is only one good, that is knowledge; there is only one evil, that is
ignorance.
最有益的是知识,最有害的是无知。
To know that we know what we know, and that we do not know what we
do not know, that is true knowledge.
真知就是知道自己懂什么和不懂什么。
A man without knowledge is like a house without a foundation.
人没有知识犹如房屋没有地基。
He who knows most knows best how little he knows.
知识愈多就愈了解自己懂得太少。
Our life has a limit, but knowledge is without limit.
吾生也有涯,而知也无涯。
To be proud of knowledge is to be blind with light; to be proud of virtue
is to poison yourself with the antidote.
以有知识而自傲是不懂知识;以有美德而自傲是败坏美德。
Our best thought comes from others.
我们最好的思想来源于他人。
Learning is a scepter to some, a bauble to others.
学识对某些人是权力的象征,对另一些人是漂亮的装饰品。
Knowledge comes from experience alone.
知识只能来自经验。
A little learning is a dangerous thing.
浅薄的学问是一种危险的事情。
Words are the most powerful drug used by mankind.
言词是人类最有效的药物。
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A book that remains shut is but a block.


未被读过的书不过是块木头。
To know a little less and understand a little more is our greatest need.
少知道一点、多理解一些是我们最大的需要。
Genius is the gold in the mine; talent is the miner who words and brings it
out.
天赋是埋藏在矿里的黄金;才能是挖掘矿藏的矿工。
Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety nine percent perspiration.
天才是百分之一的天赋加上百分之九十九的勤奋。
Genius is the ability to put into effect what is in your mind.
天才是将心里想到的东西付诸实施的能力。
The best argument is that which seems merely an explanation.
最有力的争辩看上去只是一种解释。
It is impossible to defeat an ignorant man in argument.
想要通过争论去战胜无知的人是不可能的。
Just definitions either prevent or put an end to disputes.
正确的定义不但能避免争论,也能结束争论。
The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing in the right
place but to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.
讲话的真正艺术不仅是在适当时候讲适当的话,而且要在最诱人的时
刻不要讲错误的话。
Short speeches are not always the best, but the best speeches are always
short.
短话不一定是最好的,但最好的讲话却总是短的。
A knowing man is hot in arguing for truth’s sake; an ignorant man for
opinion’s sake.
有知识的人激烈争论是为了辩明真理;无知的人激烈争论是为了固执
己见。
Wit without learning is like a tree without fruit.
没有知识的机智,犹如没有果实的树木。
Better sense in the head than cents in the pocket.
口袋里有钱不如头脑中有见识。
Wisdom is more precious than wealth.
智慧比财富更宝贵。
The poorest man in the world is he who has nothing but money.
世上最可怜的是除了钱以外什么也没有的人。
Cleverness does not take the place of knowledge.
聪明不能代替知识。
Every man has a fool in his sleeve.
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人人都有不够聪明之处。
Presumption begins in ignorance and ends in ruin.
胆大妄为由无知开始,以毁灭告终。
Wisdom denotes the pursuing of the best ends by the best means.
所谓智慧是指用最好的方法谋取最好的结果。
All human wisdom is summed up in two words — wait and hope.
人类所有的智慧可以归结为两个词:等待和希望。
If you have wit and learning, add to it wisdom and modesty.
有了才能与学识,还要加上智慧与谦虚。
A man who knows two languages is worth two men.
懂得两种语言的人抵得上两个人。
Wisdom first teaches what is right.
智慧首先教人明理。
A poor spirit is poorer than a poor purse.
精神空虚比钱包空虚更可怜。
The wealth of the mind is the only wealth.
精神的财富是唯一的财富。
Experience is the mother of knowledge.
经验是知识之母。
The deepest truths are the simplest and the most common.
最深刻的真理是最简单、最普通的道理。
All great truths are obvious truths. But not all obvious truths are great
truths.
伟大的真理都是明摆着的事实。但不见得所有明摆着的事实都是伟大
的真理。
It is easy to be wise after the event.
事后诸葛亮易当。
What art offers is space — a certain breathing room for the spirit.
艺术提供的是空间——一种给心灵喘息的空间。
I think of music as a menu. I can’t eat the same thing everyday.
我把音乐比作菜单。我不能每天吃同样的菜。
Good art is not what it looks like, but what it does to us.
好的艺术不在于它像什么,而在于它对我们引起什么感受。
The greatest artist was once a beginner.
最伟大的艺术家也曾是个初学者。
I had six serving men — they taught me all I knew; their names are
Where, What, When, Why, How and Who.
我的知识全来自六名服务员,他们的名字是:“何地”、“何物”、“何
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时”、“为何”、“如何”和“何人”。
Painting is silent poetry, and poetry is a speaking picture.
画是无言之诗,诗是有声的画。
Memory is the diary we all carry about with us.
记忆是我们大家随身携带的日记。
Progress is not created by contented people.
自满不能创造进步。
The person who knows how will always have a job. But the person who
knows why will be his boss.
知其然者,任事;知其所以然者,任人。
He best can pity who has felt the woe.
曾身受其苦者最能同情。
Put all your eggs in one basket — and watch that basket.
孤注一掷,但要审慎从事。
The older I grow the more I distrust the familiar doctrine that age brings
wisdom.
我年纪越大,就越不相信智慧会随年龄增长这句老生常谈。
Stupidity won’t kill you, but it can make you sweat.
愚蠢不会令你丧生,却会令你吃苦。
Courage is often lack of insight, whereas cowardice in many cases is
based on good information.
有勇气往往是因为没有见识,而胆怯很多时候是因为知道得太清楚。
Courage consists, not in ability overlooking danger, but in seeing and
conquering it.
勇敢不在于能够蔑视危险,而在于认清危险并战胜它。
The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches
but to reveal to him his own.
给人最大的帮助,不单是让他分享你的富有,而是向他指明他的富有。
When a man says he approves of something in principle, it means he
hasn’t the slightest intention of putting it into practice.
当一个人说他原则上赞成某事时,那就是说他根本无意把那件事付诸
实施。
Everyone knows that it is much harder to turn word into deed than deed
into word.
谁都知道,把言词变成行为,要比把行为变成言词难得多。
The man who never alters his opinion is like standing water, and breeds
reptiles of the mind.
从来不改变意见的人,犹若死水,只能繁殖心灵中的爬虫。
He who never made a mistake never made a discovery.
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从未犯过错误的人,也从未有所发现。
One man’s fault is another man’s lesson.
一个人的过失是另一个人的教训。
Our greatest glory consists not in never falling, but in rising every time
we fall.
我们最大的光荣,不在于从不失败,而在于屡仆屡起。
We learn from the mistakes of others.
我们能从别人的错误得到教训。
The failures of the past prepare the triumph of the future.
过去的失败给未来的胜利作出准备。
Our bravest and best lessons are not learned through success, but through
misadventure.
最好最妙的教训来自失利而非成功。
Keep me away from the wisdom which does not cry, the philosophy
which does not laugh and the greatness which does not bow before
children.
让我远离没有眼泪的智慧,没有欢笑的哲学,和不肯向孩童低头的伟
大。
Let those who know the way go before.
让识途的人先行。
He that is full of himself is very empty.
人若十分自恃,必定十分无知。
Listen to the voice of experience, but also make use of your brain.
要听经验之谈,也要自己思考。

3. Time and Opportunity


时间、机会

Time and tide wait for no man.


时不我待。
No hand can make the clock strike for me the hours that are passed.
光阴如流水,一去不复返。
Seize the present; trust the future as little as you may.
抓住现在;尽量少指望未来。
Fools look to tomorrow, and wise men use tonight.
蠢人指望明天,智者利用今晚。
He that gains time gains all things.
赢得时间就赢得一切。
Everything can be bought except time.
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什么都能买,唯有时间买不到。
Wasting time is robbing oneself.
浪费时间就是掠夺自己。
As every thread of gold is valuable, so every moment of time.
一寸光阴一寸金。
In our expenditure the item that costs most is time.
在我们的消费中,时间最昂贵。
Time is often said to be money, but it is more — it is life.
人们常说时间就是金钱,但不如说时间就是生命。
Time lost may be repented but never recalled.
失去时间可以追悔,但无法追回。
Money lost, little lost; time lost, everything lost.
失去金钱失小;失去时间就失去一切。
If you’re never scared or embarrassed or hurt, it means you never take
any chances.
假如你从来未曾害怕、受窘、受伤害,那就是说你从来没有冒过险。
Time tries all things.
时间检验一切。
Time works wonders.
时间能创造奇迹。
Time dresses the greatest wounds.
时间能敷治最大的创伤。
Take time while time is, for time will be away.
有时间就要利用,因为时间会消逝。
You may delay, but time will not.
你可以耽搁,但时间不会延迟。
Since yesterday has gone and tomorrow has not come, take account of
this one moment that now is.
昨天已去,明天未到,故应重视现在。
When all else is lost the future still remains.
就是失去了一切也还有未来。
The future becomes the present if we fight for it.
只要为之奋斗,未来就会变成现实。
Those that make the best use of their time have none to spare.
充分利用时间的人不会有余暇。
You cannot have two forenoons in the same day.
同一天里是不可能有两个上午的。
Not keeping an appointment is an act of clear dishonesty. You may as
well borrow a person’s money as his time.
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爽约显然是不诚实的行为。占人时间无异借人钱。
Ordinary people think merely how they will spend time, a man of
intellect tries to use it.
常人只想如何消磨时间,智者则努力利用时间。
What I do today is important because I am exchanging a day of my life
for it.
我今天做的事情很重要,因为我为它付出了一天生命的代价。
We are only young once. That is all society can stand.
我们一生只年轻一次,社会也只能忍受这么多。
Opportunities do not wait.
机不可失,时不再来。
Take time by the forelock.
要抓住时机。
Opportunity is rare, and a wise man will never let it go by him.
聪明人从不坐失良机。
He who trusts all things to chance makes a lottery of his life.
一切都指望机遇的人使自己的生活变得不可预测。
Chance is a word void of sense: nothing can exist without a cause.
机遇是个没有意义的词:什么东西也不会无缘无故地存在。
Chance generally favours the prudent.
运气通常照顾深思熟虑者。
Circumstances are the rulers of the weak; they are but the instruments of
the wise.
弱者受制于环境,智者则支配环境。
Necessity and opportunity may make a coward valiant.
需要和机会可使懦夫变得大胆。
It is better to trust to valour than to luck.
靠运气不如靠勇气。
In valour there is hope.
有勇气就有希望。
An optimist sees an opportunity in every calamity; a pessimist sees a
calamity in every opportunity.
乐观者在每一场灾难中都看到希望,悲观者在每个希望中都看到灾
难。
Any help is better than no help.
任何帮助总胜于没有帮助。
To know how to wait is the great secret of success.
懂得等待是成功的重要秘诀。
To wait for luck is the same thing as waiting for death.
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等待走运无异于等待死亡。
Little minds are tamed and subdued by misfortune, but great minds rise
above it.
渺小的人被不幸压倒,伟大的人则压倒不幸。

4. Diligence and Business


勤俭、事业

Thrift is not only a great virtue, but also a great revenue.


节俭不仅是一大美德,而且是一大财源。
Economy is the art of making the most of life.
节约是把生活尽量巧安排的艺术。
A penny saved is a penny earned.
节省一文就是赚到一文。
Economy is itself a great income.
节约本身就是大笔收入。
National progress is the sum of individual industry, energy and
uprightness, as national decay is of individual idleness, selfishness and
vice.
国家之前进在于人人勤奋、奋发、向上,正如国家之衰落源自人人懒
惰、自私、堕落。
Money is a bottomless sea, in which honour, conscience, and truth may
be drowned.
金钱是深不可测的海洋,能淹没廉耻、良心和是非感。
Some people are masters of money, and some are slaves.
有些人是金钱的主人,有些人是金钱的奴隶。
Money is a good servant, but a bad master.
金钱是个好仆人,又是个坏主人。
Make money your servant, not your master.
要金钱做你的仆人,不要让它做主人。
Wealth is a slave to the wise, a master to the fool.
财富是聪明人的奴隶,是蠢人的主子。
Spend not where you may save; spare not where you must spend.
可以省时不要花;必须花时不要省。
The love of economy is the root of all virtue.
节约是一切美德的根源。
From small profits and many expenses comes a whole life of sad
consequences.
赚得少,花得多,一世日子不好过。
第 13 页 共 40 页

Easy come, easy go.


易得便易失。
Soon got, soon gone.
得来容易去也快。
All covet, all lose.
贪多则无得。
No pains, no gains.
不辛劳,无所获。
Wealth got by labour is sweet in the enjoyment.
劳动得来的财富享受起来味甜美。
Work is the true source of human welfare.
劳动是幸福的真正源泉。
Diligence overcomes difficulties. Sloth makes them.
勤劳克服困难,懒惰制造困难。
Difficulties strengthen the mind, as labour does the body.
困难磨练意志,劳动增强体魄。
It’s only the idle will be tired.
只有懒人才会感到厌倦。
Idleness is the root of all evils.
懒惰是万恶之源。
Sloth makes all things difficult, but industry all things easy.
懒惰,一切都难办;勤奋,凡事皆顺利。
Where there are industrious persons, there is wealth, for the hand of the
diligent makes rich.
哪里人勤劳,哪里就富裕,因为勤劳之手创造财富。
A thousand mile trip begins with one step.
千里之行始于足下。
The highest towers begin from the ground.
万丈高楼平地起。
Every beginning is difficult.
万事开头难。
Well begun is half done.
好的开始即完成了一半。
The beginning is not everything.
开头并不是事情的全貌。
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.
开始不成功,要一试再试不放松。
Dispatch is the soul of business.
迅速是处事之本。
第 14 页 共 40 页

Man proposes, God disposes.


谋事在人,成事在天。
Nothing is impossible to a willing heart.
有志者事竟成。
The early bird catches the worm.
捷足先登。
Better late than never.
不怕慢,就怕站。(晚做总比不做强。)
Youth is half the battle.
年轻是成功的一半。
Bad times make a good man.
艰难时世出能人。
Success is never final and failure never fatal. It’s courage that counts.
没有绝对的成功,也没有致命的失败。决定的因素是勇气。
What you have inherited from your fathers, earn over again for
yourselves, or it will not be yours.
从祖先继承得来的东西,必须从头赚取,否则不属于你。
Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance.
伟大作品的完成不靠气力靠毅力。
Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after another.
毅力并非长跑,而是一次接一次的无数短跑。
Don’t tell me how hard you work. Tell me how much you get done.
不必告诉我你多么勤奋,只要告诉我你有多少成就。
Writers, composers, entertainers and such know an awful truth: it is easier
to please a million people you don’t know than to please one person you
do know.
作家、作曲家、表演艺人等都知道一个尴尬的事实:取悦一百万个陌
生人,比取悦一个熟人更容易。
An undeserved success is like a medal that is found lying in the street.
有名无实的功绩,就像在街上拾到的奖章。
Success is achieved by converting each step into a goal and each goal into
a step.
把每个步骤变成目标,又把每个目标变成步骤便能成功。
Artists who have won fame are embarrassed by it; thus their first works
are often their best.
成名的艺术家反为盛名所拘束,所以他们最早的作品往往是最好的。
Self-trust is the first secret of success.
自信是成功的首要秘诀。
A willful man will have his way.
第 15 页 共 40 页

顽强者定会成功。
A brave man may fall, but he cannot yield.
勇者可能跌倒,但不会屈服。
The secret of success is constancy of purpose.
成功的秘诀是目标坚定。
The strong always succeeds; the weakest goes to the wall.
坚强的人往往成功;软弱的人往往失败。
Nothing is difficult to the man who will try.
世上无难事,只怕有心人。
No way is impossible to courage.
勇敢的人没有不通的路。
Success belongs to the persevering.
成功属于坚持不懈的人。
The path to glory is always rugged.
通往荣誉的道路总是崎岖的。
The fire is the test of gold; adversity of a strong man.
火对真金是考验,逆境对坚强的人是磨练。
Never do things by halves.
做事不可半途而废。
Nothing venture, nothing have.
不入虎穴,焉得虎子。
Don’t play for safety — it’s the most dangerous thing in the world.
不要怕冒风险——不敢冒风险是世界上最危险的了。
Something attempted, something done.
有所尝试,就有所作为。
A bold attempt is half success.
大胆尝试等于一半成功。
Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will
surprise you with their ingenuity.
千万不要告诉别人怎样去做事,只告诉他们要做什么事。他们有办法,
会出乎你的意料。
The wish is father to the thought.
愿望决定思想。
Necessity is the mother of invention.
需要乃发明之母。
All’s well that ends well.
结果好就一切都好。
Good acts are better than good intentions.
第 16 页 共 40 页

好的行动胜过好的意向。
Let him who knows the instrument play upon it.
让能干的人去干。
Better never to begin than never to make an end.
没有决心干到底不如不开头。
Industry is the soul of business and the keystone of prosperity.
勤劳是事业的灵魂和成功的基石。
If you have great talents, industry will improve them; if you have but
moderate abilities, industry will supply their deficiency.
如果你很有天赋,勤勉会使你完善;如果你能力一般,勤勉能补足你
的缺陷。
Working without a play is sailing without a compass.
工作无计划好比航海无罗盘。
The work of today, do not leave for tomorrow.
今天的工作不要留到明天做。
A stitch in time saves nine.
及时缝一针省却将来缝九针。
A well-prepared mind hopes in adversity and fears in prosperity.
遇事有准备的人逢逆境不失望,处顺境不大意。
It is right to be contented with what we have, never with what we are.
可以满足于所得,但不能满足于现状。
Our greatest glory consists not in never falling, but in rising every time
we fall.
最大的荣耀不在于从事不跌倒,而在于跌倒了能够站起来。
Hope for the best and prepare for the worst.
作最好的打算,作最坏的准备。
Hardship disposes man to meet adversity.
艰苦的生活使人能面对逆境。
He who has not tasted bitter doesn’t know what sweet is.
没有吃过苦,不知何谓甜。
Nothing is a greater misfortune than not being able to bear misfortune.
经不起不幸是最大的不幸。
The talent of success is nothing more than doing well whatever you do
without a thought of fame.
取得成功的本领不过是无论干什么都把它干好而没有想到出名。
To the timid and hesitating everything is impossible because it seems so.
胆小怕事、优柔寡断,就会觉得什么都不可能。
Success in money-making is not always a good criterion of real success in
life.
第 17 页 共 40 页

赚大钱并不永远是人生真正成功的好标准。
Success covers a multitude of blunders.
成功掩盖了大量失误。
Hope and courage are two bright diamonds in the crown of success.
希望和勇敢是成功之冕上的两颗明亮的钻石。
Weak men are crushed by detraction, but the brave hold on and succeed.
贬抑只能压倒弱者,勇者则能坚持到胜利。
Fearless courage is the foundation of victory.
勇敢无畏是胜利的基础。
Everything is good for something.
天生一物必有用。

5. Friendship and love


友谊、爱情

The most precious of all possessions is a wise and loyal friend.


最宝贵的财富是聪明而又忠实的朋友。
True friendship lasts for ever.
真正的友谊恒久不变。
Nothing is better than a loyal friend.
什么也比不上一个忠实的朋友。
Fire is the test of gold, adversity of friendship.
烈火试真金,苦难试友情。
A friend in need is a friend indeed.
患难见真交。
No better relation than a prudent and faithful friend.
精明而且忠实的朋友最亲。
A brother is a friend given by nature.
兄弟是天生的朋友。
We can live without a brother, but not without a friend.
生活里可以没有兄弟,但不能没有朋友。
One should always live in the best company, whether it be of books or of
men.
无论是人、是书,人生总该有益友。
No man is the whole of himself; his friends are the rest of him.
任何人自己都不是完整的;他的朋友是他的其余部分。
A near friend is better than a far-dwelling kinsman.
远方的亲戚不如附近的朋友。
Friendship is like wine — the older the better.
第 18 页 共 40 页

友谊像甜酒,越陈越醇厚。
Friendship is a plant which must be often watered.
友谊之树要常浇水。
When you make new friends, don’t forget the old ones.
有了新知,勿忘旧交。
It is easier to make enemies than to make friends.
结怨易,交友难!
One enemy is too many, and a hundred friends too few.
敌人一个也嫌多,朋友上百也嫌少。
An open enemy is better than a hollow friend.
宁有公开的敌人,不要虚伪的朋友。
No company is better than bad company.
交坏朋友不如没有朋友。
Better to be alone than in bad company.
宁可孤单也不交坏朋友。
Without confidence there is no friendship.
没有信任就没有友谊。
A table friend is a variable friend.
酒肉朋友靠不住。
Table friendship soon changes.
餐桌上的友谊变得快。
Better without gold than without friends.
宁可没有黄金,不可没有朋友。
Community of purpose makes friendship.
目标一致生友谊。
In prosperity our friends know us; in adversity we know our friends.
得意时朋友认识我们,失意时我们识别朋友。
The company of a good man is the light of the soul, of an evil man the
poison of life.
结交好人,启迪心灵;结交坏人,败坏一生。
Friendships multiply joys, and divide grief.
友谊能添乐,也能分忧。
A friend is a person with whom you dare to be yourself.
朋友是你敢于和他坦然相处的人。
A friendship founded on business is better than a business founded on
friendship.
在业务的基础上建立的友谊胜过在友谊的基础上建立的业务。
Be slow in choosing a friend, slower in changing.
选择朋友要慢,换朋友要更慢。
第 19 页 共 40 页

Men are known by their companions.


观其友而知其人。
As a man is, so is his company.
什么样的人就有什么样的朋友。
Birds of a feather flock together.
物以类聚。
Diffidence is the poison of friendship.
猜疑是损害友谊的毒药。
Deceiving those that trust us is more than a sin.
欺骗信任自己的人是罪上加罪。
Poverty is the test of civility and the touchstone of friendship.
贫穷是人情的检验器,也是友谊的试金石。
Poverty tries friends.
贫穷考验朋友。
Poverty shows us who our friends are and who are our enemies.
贫穷让我们看出谁是朋友,谁是敌人。
True friendship is a plant of low growth, and must undergo and withstand
the shocks of adversity before it is entitled to that appellation.
真正的友谊是慢慢发展的,要经得起患难的冲击,才称得上真正的友
谊。
Real friendship does not freeze in winter.
真正的友谊遇到寒冬也不会冻结。
A friend is known in necessity.
患难见友情。
Nothing is dearer to a man than a friend in need.
患难之交最可贵。
The friend is known in the time of difficulty.
困难时刻才会知道谁是朋友。
At need one sees who his friend is.
处困境可以看出谁是自己的朋友。
A real friend never gets in your way, unless you happen to be on the way
down.
除非在你滑入逆境时,真正的朋友绝不会挡住你的去路。
Friends that desert us in the hour of need are friends in name, not in
reality.
在困难时刻背弃我们的是有名无实的朋友。
Never trust a man who speaks well of everybody.
对谁都讲好话的人不可信赖。
A friend in word is never friend of mine.
第 20 页 共 40 页

口头上的朋友决不是朋友。
That friendship will not continue to the end that is begun for an end.
出于权宜之计的友谊不会长久。
Friendship is, at any rate, a relation of perfect equality.
友谊在任何情形下都是一种完全平等的关系。
Pride increases our enemies, but puts our friends to flight.
骄傲招来敌人,驱走朋友。
The insolent have no friends.
目空一切的人无朋友。
Strangers are friends that you have yet to meet.
陌生人是你尚未结识的朋友。
The best mirror is a friend’s eye.
朋友的眼睛是最好的镜子。
Man loves company even if it is only that of a small burning candle.
人喜欢伴侣,哪怕只是一根点着的小蜡烛也好。
Kindness is the golden chain by which society is bound together.
友爱是联结社会的金链。
Could we see when and where we are to meet again, we would be more
tender when we bid our friends goodbye.
假如我们能预知何时何地重逢,和朋友话别时情意就更浓。
Hospitality consists in a little fire, a little food and an immense quiet.
款客之道不外是一点炉火,一些肴馔人,和无边的宁静。
Love is all very well in its way, but friendship is much higher.
爱情自有其美好处,可是友谊更可贵。
The story of a love is not important — what is important is that one is
capable of love. It is perhaps the only glimpse we are permitted of
eternity.
爱情的故事并不重要,重要的是一个人能爱人。那也许是让我们能瞥
到永恒的仅有机会。
All true love is founded on esteem.
真正的爱基于尊重。
Without respect, love cannot go far.
缺乏尊重,爱情难久。
The heart that once truly loves never forgets.
真正的爱情,永远不变心。
Love is neither bought nor sold.
爱情不能买卖。
Love endures only when the lovers love many things together and not
merely each other.
第 21 页 共 40 页

情人不仅彼此相爱,而且有许多共同爱好,爱才能持久。
A man usually falls in love with the woman who asks the kind of
questions he is able to answer.
男人往往会爱上向他提问题,而他又能回答得出的女人。
Happiness is being married to your best friend.
夫妇结合莫逆知心,是谓幸福。
Can man be free if woman is a slave?
妇女当牛做马,男人焉能自由?
Keep your eyes wide open before marriage, half shut afterwards.
结婚之前要睁大眼睛,结婚之后要半睁半闭。
Marriage is like vitamins: we supplement each other’s minimum daily
requirements.
婚姻像维生素:我们彼此互相补充每日的起码需要。
A good marriage is like an incredible retirement fund. You put everything
you have into it during your productive life, and over the years it turns
from silver to gold to platinum.
美满婚姻就像一笔好到难以置信的退休金。盛年时你将一切所得放入
其中,经过积年累月,它便会从白银变成黄金,再从黄金变成白金。
A wedding anniversary is the celebration of love, trust, partnership,
tolerance and tenacity. The order varies for any given year.
结婚周年所庆祝的是恩爱、信赖、合作、容忍和坚毅。其顺序则年年
不同。

6. Character and Accomplishment


品德、修养

Character is what you are in the dark.


品格是你在黑暗中的为人。
There is no moral precept that does not have something inconvenient
about it.
没有一条道德戒律在奉行时是不会引起不便的。
The only worthwhile achievements of man are those which are socially
useful.
所谓真正的成就,即对社会有用之事。
They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety
deserve neither liberty nor safety.
不惜牺牲自由以图苟安的人,既不配享受自由,也不配获得安全。
Your liberty to swing your arms ends where my nose begins.
你有挥舞手臂的自由,但必须止于我的鼻端。
第 22 页 共 40 页

When a man points a finger at someone else, he should remember that


three of his fingers are pointing at himself.
用手指指着别人责骂的时候,该记得另三个手指是指着自己的。
Forgiving and being forgiven are two names for the same thing. The
important thing is that a discord has been resolved.
饶恕人与被饶恕是同一件事的两面。重要的是嫌隙得到冰释。
As long as you keep a person down, some part of you has to be down
there to hold him down, so it means you cannot soar as you otherwise
might.
你要把别人压下去,自己也就不可能全力以赴地向上提升。
A man can’t ride your back unless it’s bent.
你的腰不弯,别人就不能骑在你背上。
Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must undergo the
fatigue of supporting it.
期望享受自由的人,必须经受维护自由的辛劳。
Only the person who has faith in himself is able to be faithful to others.
只有对自己有信念的人才能对别人守信用。
We all have weaknesses. But I have figured that others have put up with
mine so tolerantly that I would be less than fair not to make a reasonable
discount for theirs.
我们都有缺点。可是我想,既然别人那么宽容我的缺点,如果我不把
别人的缺点适当地打个折扣,那我就不够公道。
To receive a present handsomely and in a right spirit, even when you have
none to give in return, is to give one in return.
雍容大方,以适当的态度接受礼物,虽然你无以回报,也等于回了谢
礼。
Opinions should be formed with great caution — and changed with
greater.
形成意见要慎重,改变意见要慎之又慎。
In great matters men show themselves as they wish to be seen; in small
matters, as they are.
在大事情上人们露出希望给别人看到的模样,在小事情上他们露出本
来面目。
The severest rest of character is not so much the ability to keep a secret as
it is, but when the secret is finally out, to refrain from disclosing that you
knew it all along.
对品德的最严格考验,不在于你能否保守秘密,而在于秘密泄露之后
你能否不说出你早就知道。
Keep your fears to yourself, but share y our courage.
第 23 页 共 40 页

把恐惧留给自己,把勇气分给别人。
They are fools who adulate every decision of their leaders.
对领导的每一个决定一味奉承的人们是蠢材。
An optimist sees the rose; a pessimist the thorn.
乐观的人看到玫瑰;悲观的人只看到它的刺。
Be like the sun and the meadow, which are not in the least concerned
about the coming winter.
要像阳光和草地那样对寒冬的来临全不在乎。
Give me the benefit of your convictions, if you have any; but keep your
doubts to yourself, for I have enough of my own.
如果你有什么信念,请和我分享;但请保留你的疑惑,因为我自己的
疑惑已经够多了。
Never “for the sake of peace and quiet” deny your own experience or
convictions.
永远不要“为了息事宁人”而否定自己的经验或信念。
The world is before you, and you need not take it or leave it as it was
when you came in.
世界在你面前,你出世时是那样,却不必毕生听其原状。
No one can really pull you up very high — you lose your grip on the rope.
But on your own two feet you can climb mountains.
没有人能真正把你拉得很高——你会抓不牢绳索。可是,你凭自己的
双脚却可以翻山越岭。
There is more than one way to help people but there is only one way to
live: help people.
助人之道不一,做人之道则只有一种:助人。
He that plants trees loves others besides himself.
植树的人,不但爱己,而且爱人。
Anger is not only inevitable, it is necessary. Its absence means
indifference, the most disastrous of all human failings.
愤怒不仅无可避免,且有必要。没有愤怒表示你漠不关心,那才是人
类最大的遗憾。
Anger begins with folly, and ends in repentance.
愤怒以愚蠢开始,以后悔告终。
He that wrestles with us strengthens our nerves and sharpens our skill.
Our antagonist is our helper.
和我们搏斗的人增强我们的神经,磨砺我们的技巧。敌手即是助手。
When a man assumes a public trust, he should consider himself as public
property.
一个人接受了公众的信任之后,就应该把自己看作是公众的财产。
第 24 页 共 40 页

We are in bondage to the law in order that we may be free.


我们受法律束缚,为的是可以自由。
They have rights who dare defend them.
敢于保卫权利的就有权利。
Never bow to authority, but always tip your hat.
永不向权势低头,但要摘帽为礼。
Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.
暴力是无能者的最后手段。
Anything will give up its secrets if you love it enough.
不论什么东西,只要你爱它够深,它就会倾吐它的秘密。
Distrust all in whom the impulse to punish is powerful.
不要信任任何有强烈惩罚欲的人。
Many people refuse to give secrets away, but they’re usually willing to
trade.
许多人不肯白白把秘密揭露,但通常愿意交换。
The first requirement of good conversation is that nobody should know
what is coming next.
谈话艺术的第一要素是不能让人知道你接下去要讲什么。
The time to stop talking is when the other person nods his head
affirmatively but says nothing.
等到对方只是点头同意而一言不发时,那就是你该停止说话的时候
了。
Self-discipline is when your conscience tells you to do something and
you don’t talk back.
凭良心办事即谓之有自约能力。
The obscure we see eventually. The completely obvious, it seems, takes
longer.
隐晦的,我们终究会体会。显而易见的,却似乎需要更长的时间才能
看出。
Self-confidence and self-reliance are the mainstays of a strong character.
自信和自力更生是坚强品格的柱石。
To say the right thing at the right time, keep still most of the time.
只在恰当的时候说恰当的话,大部分时间则不要说话。
More trouble is caused in this world by indiscreet answers than by
indiscreet questions.
轻率的回答在这个世界上造成的麻烦比轻率的问题造成的麻烦多得
多。
Silence is one of the hardest arguments to refuse.
沉默是最难反驳的论点之一。
第 25 页 共 40 页

The treacherous, unexplored areas of the world are not in continents or


the seas; they are in the minds and hearts of men.
世界上未经勘探的险境,不在大陆上,也不在海洋中,而在人们的头
脑和心里。
The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell
of heaven.
心灵是自己作主的地方,能把地狱变成天堂,也能把天堂变成地狱。
It is fair to judge people and stained-glass windows only in their best
light.
看人和看彩色玻璃窗,都要从他们最光彩之处着眼,才算公道。
Things will probably come out all right, but sometimes it takes strong
nerves just to watch.
事情结局可能很好,不过有时单是等待事态发展就需要极大勇气。
At times, although one is perfectly right, one’s legs tremble; at other
times, although one is completely in the wrong, birds sing in one’s soul.
有时,我们虽然理直气壮,双腿却不免颤抖;另些时候,我们虽然完
全错了,但内心却十分恬然。
Every time I close the door on reality, it comes in through the window.
我每次闭门不纳现实,它都从窗户进来。
I have seen the sea when it is stormy and wild; when it is quiet and serene;
when it is dark and moody. And in all its moods, I see myself.
我见过汹涌澎湃的海,风平浪静的海,阴郁易怒的海。在它种种情绪
变化中,我见到自己。
I have never for one instant seen clearly within myself. How then would
you have me judge the deeds of others?
我从没有片刻认清楚过自己,又怎能判断别人的言行?
The average person can easily see both sides of a question if his
pocketbook or prejudices aren’t involved.
如果不牵涉自己的荷包和偏见,一般人都能轻易看到问题的两面。
You are what you are when nobody is looking.
没人看见你的时候,你才是真正的你。
Our faults irritate us most when we see them in others.
自己的缺点在别人身上看到,最令我们讨厌。
When someone sings his own praises, he always gets the tune too high.
人歌颂自己时,总是音调太高。
I have yet to be bored by someone paying me a compliment.
人家恭维我,我还没觉得厌烦过。
Great ideas need landing gear as well as wings.
伟大的观念需要起落架,也需要双翼。
第 26 页 共 40 页

Perfection is finally attained, not when there is no longer anything to add,


but when there is no longer anything to take away.
达到完美,不在于可否增添,而在于无可削减。
Very often a change of self is needed more than a change of scene.
改变自己往往比改变环境更为重要。
A holiday gives one a chance to look backward and forward, to rest
oneself by an inner compass.
假期使你有机会反省与前瞻,用心中罗盘重新定好方位。
Be able to be alone. Lose not the advantage of solitude.
要有单独自处的能力。不要错过孤寂的好处。
Maturity is the ability to do a job whether or not you are supervised, to
carry money without spending it and to bear an injustice without wanting
to get even.
无论有没有人监督都能工作,身上有钱而不花,受委屈而不求报复,
这便是成熟。
Tact is the art of recognizing when to be big and when not to belittle.
知道何时应该宽宏大度,何时不应该轻蔑视之,这就是老练。
Patience is the ability to put up with people you’d like to put down.
能容忍你想压倒的人,便是忍耐。
Everyone is a damn fool for at least five minutes every day. Wisdom
consists in not exceeding the limit.
一个人每天至少有五分钟是个傻瓜,智慧在于不超过这个时限。
Never be haughty to the humble. Never be humble to the haughty.
对谦卑的人永勿傲慢,对傲慢的人永勿谦卑。
Conceit is the quicksand of success.
自负是成功的流沙。
Please all and you please none.
要面面俱圆者,面面不圆。
We probably wouldn’t worry about what people think of us if we could
know how seldom they do.
如果我们知道别人难得想到我们,大概便不会担心别人对我们的想
法。
Men may doubt what you say, but they will believe what you do.
别人可能怀疑你说的话,但他们会相信你的行动。
In speaking well of others, you speak well of yourself.
说别人好,自己也好。
Cooperation is doing with a smile what you have to do anyhow.
所谓合作,就是面带笑容去做非做不可的事。
You need to be discreet in giving advice, humble in accepting it.
第 27 页 共 40 页

提出忠告要谨慎,接受忠告要虚心。
Beware the flatterer: he feeds you with an empty spoon.
提防谄媚者:他用空匙喂你。
Nurture passes nature.
教养胜过天性。
An educated man is not necessarily a learned man or a university man,
but a man with certain subtle spiritual qualities which make him calm in
adversity, happy when alone, just in his dealings, rational and sane in all
the affairs of life.
有教养的人不一定有学问,也不一定上过大学,而是具有一种微妙的
气质,处逆境能镇定,虽孤独也快乐,为人正直,处世稳健明理。
You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people
some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.
你可以在任何时间里欺骗一些人,也可以一时欺骗所有的人,但不能
在任何时间里欺骗所有的人。
Never to master one’s anger is a mark of intemperance and lack of
training.
不能克制怒气是任性和缺乏教养的标志。
Any one can become angry — that is easy, but to be angry with the right
person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in
the right way — this is not easy.
发脾气谁都会,很容易,但是该在什么时候、为什么事、用什么方式、
对什么人发脾气,和发到什么程度,要能做到恰如其分,可不容易。
Self-control is courage under another form.
克制是勇气的另一种形式。
Humility is the beginning of wisdom.
智慧源于谦逊。
Wisdom consists in the ability to discriminate between the probable and
improbable, and in being reconciled to the inevitable.
智慧在于辨别可能与不可能并顺应无法避免的事情。
Wisdom is in the head and not in the beard.
智慧在于头脑,不在于年龄。
The most difficult thing in life is to know yourself.
人生最难是自知。
To know oneself is wisdom, to forget oneself is folly.
自知之明是智慧,忘乎所以是愚蠢。
A man’s own good-breeding is his best security against other people’s ill
manners.
自身教养好是抵制他人坏习气的最好保证。
第 28 页 共 40 页

Virtue is beyond price.


美德乃无价之宝。
A large part of virtue consists in good habits.
美德大多存在于良好习惯之中。
Courtesy is the inseparable companion of virtue.
礼貌和美德是分不开的伴侣。
Modesty is the light of faith.
谦虚是真诚之光。
Everything ought to be beautiful in a human being: face, and dress, and
soul, and ideas.
人的容貌、衣着、心灵、思想,一切都应该是美丽的。
Without modesty beauty is ungraceful and wit detestable.
没有谦虚,美丽就不端庄,机智也讨人嫌。
Never seem wiser, nor more learned, than the people you are with.
与人相处切勿卖弄聪明与学识。
Respect a man, he will do the same.
尊重别人,别人就会尊重你。
A man may have a just esteem of himself without being proud.
人不骄傲才可能恰当地评价自己。
Pride, the most dangerous of all faults, proceeds from want of sense, or
want of thought.
骄傲是最危险的过错,它产生于缺乏见识、没有头脑。
Conceit is the most incurable disease that is known to the human soul.
骄傲自满是精神上最不可救药的顽症。
Speech is the picture of the mind.
言语是思想的化身。
Language is the dress of thought.
语言是思想的仪表。
Poverty of speech is the outward evidence of poverty of mind.
语言贫乏说明腹内空虚。
There are three things that ought to be considered before some things are
spoken, the manner, the place, and the time.
说话前要考虑三点:方式,地点和时间。
There is a time to speak and a time to be silent.
该讲话时讲,不该讲时要沉默。
Keep your mouth shut and y our ears open.
多听少讲。
Nature has given us two ears, two eyes and one tongue, to the end that we
should hear and see more than speak.
第 29 页 共 40 页

老天给人两耳两眼一张嘴,为使我们多听多看少讲话。
What I have done is due to patient thought.
凡我所作都经过一再思索。
Never offer to teach fish to swim.
切勿班门弄斧。
Don’t make mountains out of molehills.
切勿小题大做。
Courage without conscience is a wild beast.
违背道德的勇敢与野兽无异。
Courage is a virtue only so far as it is directed by prudence.
勇敢只有由审慎指导才能成为美德。
He who fears to venture as far as his heart urges and reason permits is a
coward.
有道理的事想做而不敢做的人是懦夫。
Courage and resolution are the spirit and soul of virtue.
勇敢和坚定是美德的精神与灵魂。
Discretion is the better part of valour.
勇敢贵审慎。
Courage is that virtue which champions the cause of right.
勇敢是支持正义事业的美德。
No legacy is so rich as honesty.
没有一笔遗产能像诚实一样丰厚。
Gratitude is the least of virtues; ingratitude the worst of vices.
感恩是起码的美德;忘恩负义是最不道德的行为。
Gratitude takes three forms — a feeling in the heart, an expression in
words, and a giving in return.
感恩有三种形式:内心感激,言语表达,有所报答。
Ingratitude is a kind of weakness; clever men are not ungrateful.
忘恩负义是一种虚弱的表现;明智的人不会忘记别人的恩德。
A cautious mind is the half of wisdom.
谨慎小心的人近于明智。
Prudence is a good thing; forethought is wisdom.
谨慎小心是好事;深谋远虑是明智。
Better to slip with the foot than with the tongue.
宁可失脚滑倒,不可随口失言。
Love victory, but despise the pride of triumph.
要爱胜利,但不要为胜利而骄傲。

7. Life and Luck


第 30 页 共 40 页

人生、幸运

Seize this day! Begin now! Each day is a new life. Seize it. Live it. For in
today already walks tomorrow.
把握今天!现在就开始!每天都是个新生。把握住它,好好生活,因
为今天还在,明天已钻了进来。
Life is a test and this world a place of trial. Always the problems — or it
may be the same problem — will be presented to every generation in
different forms.
人生是一种试验,而这个世界就是试验场。每一代人都要面对一些问
题——可能是相同的问题——只不过问题的形式不同罢了。
The world is a looking-glass, and gives back to every man the reflection
of his own face.
世界是一面镜子,每个人都要在上面照一照自己。
I have but one counsel for you — be your own master.
我只有一个忠告给你——做你自己的主人。
Men at some time are masters of their fates.
人有时是命运的主人。
Life is a horse, and either you ride it or it rides you.
人生像一匹马,你不驾驭它,它便驾驭你。
There is no such thing in anyone’s life as an unimportant day.
人生没有不重要的一日。
There are two tragedies in life. One is to lose your heart’s desire. The
other is to gain it.
人生有两出悲剧。一是万念俱灰,另一是踌躇满志。
Life is like music. It must be composed by ear, feeling and instinct, not by
rule.
人生如音乐,要用听觉、感情和本能谱成,不能只凭规律。
One should eat to live, not live to eat.
人为生而食,不为食而生。
On life’s earnest battle they only prevail, who daily march onward and
never say fail.
在生活的顽强战斗中,只有每天不屈不挠奋勇向前的人才能取得胜
利。
I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past.
与过去的历史相比,我更喜欢未来的梦想。
The golden age is before us, not behind us.
黄金时代是在我们前面而不在背后。
Hope is life and life is hope.
第 31 页 共 40 页

希望就是生活,生活就是希望。
Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass.
生活而无目标,犹如航海而无罗盘。
Snatching the eternal out of the desperately fleeting is the great magic
trick of human existence.
人生的最大诀窍,是从稍纵即逝的事物中攫取永恒。
Fortune knocks at every man’s door once in a life, but in a good many
cases, the man is in a neighboring saloon and does not hear her.
每一个人的一生中,幸运女神都来敲过门,可是,许多人竟在邻室中
听不见她。
He that leaves a name behind him does not die.
身后留名的人万世永存。
Of all the possessions of this life, fame is the noblest; when the body has
sunk into the dust, the great name still lives.
身外之物,声誉最贵;人死之后,名声犹在。
While there is life there is hope.
一息尚存,希望不灭。
Laugh, and the world will laugh with you.
你如果乐观,世界将陪着你欢笑。
Contentment is natural wealth, luxury is artificial poverty.
知足是天然的财富,奢侈是人为的贫困。
Enough is as good as a feast.
饱食便是珍馐(知足常乐)。
Every dog has his day.
人人皆有得意日。
No man is happy but by comparison.
人的幸福都是比较而言的。
It is not the place, nor the condition, but the mind alone that can make
anyone happy or miserable.
决定人之苦乐的不是地位、条件,而是思想。
The main danger in this life are the people who want to change
everything — or nothing.
生活中的主要危险来自想要改变一切——或想一陈不变的人。
You only live once. But if you work it right, once is enough.
你只活一次。如果活得好,一次就够了。
Life is for one generation; a good name is forever.
生命只有一代之久,英名千古长存。
When the dust of death has choked a great man’s voice, the common
words he said turn to oracles.
第 32 页 共 40 页

死亡使一个伟人的声音沉寂之后,他生前平淡无奇的话,都成了至理
名言。
Do not try to live for ever. You will not succeed.
不要幻想永远活下去,你不会成功的。
The dead are only dead when they die in the thoughts of the living.
没有活人思念的死人,才是真的死了。
The value of life lies not in the length of days, but in the use we make of
them.
生命的价值不在于能活多少天,而在我们如何使用这些日子。
The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds
left undone.
坟前洒下的最悲伤的眼泪,是痛惜应说而未说的话和应做而未做的
事。
We get so much in the habit of wearing a disguise before others that we
eventually appear disguised before ourselves.
我们常在别人面前矫揉造作,结果对自己也矫揉造作。
You don’t get to choose how you’re going to die. Or when. You can only
decide how you’re going to live. Now.
你不能选择怎样死,或什么时候死。你只能决定怎样生活,现在怎样
生活。
Gossip is that which no one claims to like — but everybody enjoys.
没有人自称喜欢听闲话,可是闲话人人都爱听。
We grow neither better nor worse as we grow old, but more like
ourselves.
年纪大了并非变得更好或更坏,而是变得更像自己。
Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.
秋季是第二个春天,每片树叶都是花朵。
Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face.
笑是太阳,从人脸上赶走冬天。
Ambition is the germ from which all growth of nobleness proceeds.
抱负是高尚行为的萌芽。
There is no better or more blessed bondage than to be a prisoner of hope.
做希望的俘虏,是无上幸福的束缚。
Youth is not being 20 years old. A young man is one who is moved by
any injustice in the world.
并非行年二十便算年轻,对世间上不平事深感激动的就是年轻。
He who lives with his memories becomes old. He who lives with plans
for the future remains young.
整天怀旧催人老,计划未来葆青春。
第 33 页 共 40 页

Spring is a time when youth dreams and old age remembers.


春天是青年人梦想、老年人缅怀过去的季节。
Youth is full of pleasance, age is full of care.
青春充满愉快,高龄忧虑满怀。
Every one of us has I him a continent of undiscovered character. Blessed
is he who acts the Columbus to his own soul.
每个人都有许多未经发现的品性,能够像哥伦布那样探索自己灵魂巨
洲的人,是有福气的。
The happiest people seem to be those who have no particular cause for
being happy except that they are so.
最快乐的人似乎是那些并没有特别原因觉得快乐而快乐的人。
Happiness is a butterfly, which, when pursued, is always just beyond your
grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.
幸福有如蝴蝶,你追逐它时永远捉不到,你静坐下来,它却可能落在
你身上。
Happiness is a way station between too much and too little.
幸福是太多和太少之间的一个车站。
Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn’t know you left open.
快乐往往从你忘记关好的门溜进来。
Blessed is the person who is too busy to worry in the daytime, and too
sleepy to worry at night.
白天忙得没有时间发愁,夜里困得来不及发愁的人真正有福。
Some people have all the luck. And they’re the ones who never depend on
it.
有些人经常走运,但他们却是最不靠运气的人。
Happiness lies first of all in health.
幸福首先在于健康。
Health and a good constitution are better than gold, and a good spirit than
wealth without measure.
健康和好体格胜过财富,好的精神更是无价之宝。
Cheerfulness is health: its opposite, melancholy, is disease.
欢乐就是健康,反之忧郁就是病魔。
Happiness is not always annexed to wealth.
财富并不一定会带来幸福。
Wealth is the test of a man’s character.
财富是对一个人品格的考验。
Fortune is easily found, but hard to be kept.
找到财富易,保持财富难。
The only way on earth to multiply happiness is t divide it.
第 34 页 共 40 页

世界上能使幸福成倍地增加的唯一办法,是将其分成几份。
Gold does not belong to the miser, but the miser to gold.
财富并不属于守财奴,而是守财奴属于财富。
Money makes the mare go.
有钱能使鬼推磨。
Mean men admire wealth; great men, glory.
庸人爱财富,伟人爱荣誉。
He who is great need not inflate himself.
伟大的人不需要自吹自擂。
A good name is better than great riches.
盛誉胜于巨富。
Spite is never lonely; envy always tags along.
怨恨绝不孤独;嫉妒总是与它相随。
Envy may dissatisfy us with our lot.
嫉妒可使我们对自己的命运不满意。
Envy is a most terrible thing, and would spoil anybody’s nature.
嫉妒是最可怕的东西,它会毁坏人的天性。
Shared joy is double joy and shared sorrow is half-sorrow.
同乐则乐倍之,分忧则忧半之。
To have doubted one’s own first principles is the mark of a civilized man.
曾对自己的首要原则表示过怀疑,是文明人的标记。
When all men think alike, no man thinks very much.
大家都一样想的时候就没有人多思考了。
We couldn’t conceive of a miracle if none had ever happened.
如果从严没有奇迹发生过,我们便无法想像奇迹这回事。
If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him.
如果上帝不存在,也有必要造出一个来。
Happy is he who only desires what he may and does what he ought.
不作非分之想又能尽其本分的人是快乐的。
The secret of being miserable is to have leisure to bother about whether
you are happy or not.
痛苦的秘密在于有闲功夫为自己是否幸福而担心。
He is most free from danger, who even when safe, is on guard.
居安思危者最保险。
Be wisely worldly, be not worldly wise.
要聪明地处世,不要世故地聪明。
Every man has a right to be wrong in his opinions. But no man has a right
to be wrong in his facts.
人人都有权在见解上出错,但没有人有权在事实上出错。
第 35 页 共 40 页

Justifying a fault doubles it.


护短使错误加倍。
If 50 million people say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing.
即使五千万人都发同一个谬论,那仍然是一个谬论。
Sometimes a majority simply means that all the fools are on the same
side.
有时多数只意味所有的傻人都站在一方。
Mediocrities can explain everything, and are surprised at nothing.
平庸的人能解释一切,而且对什么都不会感到意外。
People who fight fire with fire usually end up with ashes.
以火攻火者,结果只剩一片灰烬。
Compromise is simply changing the question to fit the answer.
妥协只不过是修改问题迁就答案。
Never fear shadows. They simply mean there’s a light shining somewhere
nearby.
永远不要害怕黑影。它只不过表示附近有光在照耀。
There must be a happy medium somewhere between being totally
informed and blissfully unaware.
无所不知与茫然无知之间,一定有适得其所之处。
The man who offers an insult writes it in sand, but for the man who
received it, it’s chiseled in bronze.
侮辱人者把话写在沙上;受辱者把它看作铜刻。
There is one thing which gives radiance to everything. It is the idea of
something around the corner.
有一样东西可使任何事物添上光彩,那就是好事即将来临的想法。
When you have to make a choice and don’t make it, that is in itself a
choice.
当你必须作出选择而不选择,这本身也是一种选择。
In the end things will mend.
船到桥头自然直。
All that glitters is not gold.
发亮的东西不一定都是金子。
A rolling stone gathers no moss.
转石不生苔。
The darkest hour is that before the dawn.
黎明之前天最黑。
There’s no smoke without fire.
无火不生烟(无风不起浪)。
A new broom sweeps clean.
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新官上任三把火。
Better a witty fool than a foolish wit.
宁做聪明的傻子,不做愚蠢的聪明人。
A good reputation sits still; a bad one runs about.
好名不出门,恶名传四方。
There is a black sheep in every flock.
人多必有败类。
The water supporting a ship can also upset it.
水能载舟,亦能覆舟。
It is not the lofty sails but the unseen wind that moves the ship.
推动船的不是高大的帆,而是无形的风。
A ship in harbour is safe — but that is not what ships are for.
船泊在港中固然安全,可是这并非船的作用。
We need to learn to set our course by the stars, not by the lights of every
passing ship.
我们应该学会按照星辰决定航向,而不是跟随每艘驶过的船只的灯
光。

8. Western Maxim
西方箴言

Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every


city or house divided against itself shall not stand.
一国自相分争,就成为荒场;一城一家自相分争,必站立不住。
No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love
the other; or else he will hold to one, and despise the other.
一个人不能侍奉两个主人:不是恶此爱彼,就是重此轻彼。
If the blind guides the blind, both shall fall into a pit.
若是瞎子领瞎子,两个人都要掉到坑里。
Anyone that exalts himself shall be humbled; but he that humbles himself
shall be exalted.
凡自高者,必降为卑;自抑者,必升为高。
If then you are not able to do even that which is least, why are you
anxious concerning the rest?
这最小的事,你们尚且不能作,为什么还要去操心其余的事呢?
For every one that does ill hates the light, and comes not to the light, lest
his works should be reproved.
凡作恶的便恨光并躲开光,唯恐他的行为受到责备。
And the tongue is a fire: the world of iniquity among our members is the
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tongue, which defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the wheel of nature,
and is set on fire by hell.
舌头就是火:在我们百体中,舌头是个罪恶的世界,能污秽全身,也
能把生命的轮子点起来,并且是从地狱里点着的。
It is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to
enter into the kingdom of God.
骆驼穿过针眼,比财主进入天国还容易。
Render therefore unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and unto God
the things that are God’s.
凯撒的物当归还给凯撒;上帝的物当归还给上帝。
True affluence is not needing anything.
真正的富裕是一无所求。
A paradise that you cannot leave is hell.
天堂不能离开,等于就是地狱。
When the lust has conceived, it bears sin, and the sin, when it is
full-grown, brings forth death.
私欲既怀了胎,就生出罪来;罪既长成,就生出死来。
Those who desire to be rich fall into a temptation and a snare and many
foolish and hurtful lusts, such as drown men in destruction and perdition.
那些想要发财的人,就陷入迷惑,落进罗网,和许多无知有害的私欲
里,叫人沉没在败坏和灭亡中。
The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil: which some reaching
after have been led astray from the faith, and have pierced themselves
through with many sorrows.
贪财是万恶之根;有人贪恋钱财,就被诱离了正道,用许多愁苦把自
己刺透了。
Every one that does sin does also lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.
凡犯罪的,就是违背律法;违背律法就是罪。
I know how to be abased, and I know also how to abound: in everything
and in all things have I learned the secret both to be filled and to be
hungry, both to abound and to be in want.
我知道怎样处卑贱,也知道怎样处富有,或饱足,或饥饿,或有余,
或不足,凡事随遇而安,这是我得到的秘诀。
Do you know that those who run in a race run all, but only one receives
the prize? Even so run, that you may attain.
岂不知在赛场上尽管每个人都跑,但得奖赏的只有一人?尽管如此,
也得跑,你们才可能得到奖赏。
All things are lawful; but all things are not expedient. All things are
lawful; but all things edify not.
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凡事都可行,但不都有益处;凡事都可行,但不都造就人。
Do not look each of you to your things, but each of you also to the things
of others.
各人不要只顾自己的事,也要顾别人的事。
A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring
forth good fruit.
好树不能结坏果子,坏树不能结好果子。

9. Humour and Wit


幽默、机智

Humour has been well defined as “thinking in fun while feeling in


earnest”.
幽默被人巧妙地解释为“抒感受以诚挚,寓深思于嬉笑”。
May the best of this year be the worst of next.
但愿明年最坏的事也和今年最好的事那么好。
Inflation is being broke with a lot of money in your pocket.
通货膨胀即是囊中多钞而没有钱花。
Influence is like a savings account. The less you use it, the more you’ve
got.
影响力犹如储蓄存款,用得愈少,积得愈多。
The only function of economic forecasting is to make astrology look
respectable.
经济预测的唯一作用,是使占星术看来还算不错。
There’s only one kind of tax that would please everybody — one that
nobody but the other guy has to pay.
只有一种税人人欢迎,那就是除了别人以外谁也不必缴纳的税。
For a man to become a poet he must be in love, or miserable.
一个人要恋爱或潦倒才可成为诗人。
Two things only a man cannot hide: that he is drunk and that he is in love.
人不能隐藏的只有两件事:酒醉和恋爱。
When you sit with a nice girl for two hours you think it’s only a minute.
But when you sit on a hot stove for a minute you think it’s two hours.
That’s relativity.
你和一位可爱的女孩坐在一起,两小时就像一分钟;你坐在炽热的火
炉旁,一分钟就像两小时。这就是相对论。
Man is the only animal that blushes, or needs to.
人类是唯一会脸红的动物,也是唯一该脸红的动物。
It takes two to speak truth — one to speak and another to hear.
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说真话要有两个人——一个说,一个听。
Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes.
人人都把自己的错误美其名曰经验。
Marriage is a covered dish.
婚姻是一道盖着的菜。
A gossip’s mouth is the devil’s mail-bag.
饶舌者的嘴巴是魔鬼的邮袋。
Many talk like philosophers and live like fools.
好多人讲起话来像哲学家,过起日子来像傻瓜。
A lion at home, a mouse abroad.
在有像狮子,出门成耗子。
If it weren’t for the rocks in its bed, the stream would have no song.
溪床如果无岩石,溪流就不会歌唱。
The turtle lays thousands of eggs without anyone knowing, but when the
hen lays an egg, the whole country is informed.
海龟下几千只蛋都不动声色,母鸡下一只蛋就四邻皆闻。
Noise proves nothing. Often a hen who has merely laid an egg cackles as
if she had laid an asteroid.
动静不能证明什么。母鸡产下一只蛋,往往大声啼叫,好像产下小行
星似的。
Don’t expect anything original from an echo.
不要期望从回声中找到新东西。
Taking joy in living is a woman’s best cosmetic.
享受人生乐趣是女人最好的化妆品。
Who of us is mature enough for offspring before the offspring themselves
arrive? The value of marriage is not that adults produce children but that
children produce adults.
我们之间,有谁在生育儿女之前已经成熟到可为人父母?结婚的好处
并不在于成人可生养孩子,而在于孩子可助长成人。
If children grew up according to early inclination, we should have
nothing but geniuses.
儿童如依其早期倾向成长,则个个都会成为天才。
Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he
grows up.
每个孩子都是艺术家。问题在一旦长大后如何仍不失为艺术家。
Why is it that we rejoice at a birth and grieve at a funeral? It is because
we are not the person involved.
我们为什么听到有人诞生就欢喜,看到有人出殡就悲伤呢?因为诞生
的和死亡的都是别人。
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The universe is not required to be in perfect harmony with human


ambition.
宇宙不必和人类的雄心壮志完全协调一致。
There is but a step from the sublime to the ridiculous.
崇高与荒谬仅差毫厘。
Ideals are like the stars. We never reach them but, like the mariners on the
sea, we chart our course by them.
理想犹如星宿。我们虽不能触及,但一如航海者,可借其指引航向。
There is no mistake so great as that of being always right.
错误莫过于总是自信正确。
There are no faults in a thing we want badly.
我们非常想要的东西是没有缺点的。
The only thing most people do better than anyone else is read their own
handwriting.
大多数人唯一比别人做得好的事,是辨认自己写的字。
Real charity doesn’t care if it’s tax-deductible or not.
真正的慈善捐款不在乎是否可以扣税。
Only the wearer knows where the shoe pinches.
鞋子夹不夹脚,唯有穿者知晓。
Seize opportunity by the beard, for it is bald behind.
见到机会,就要抓住他的胡子,因为他后面是个秃子。
A pessimist? That’s a person who has been intimately acquainted with an
optimist.
悲观主义者?那是和乐观主义者过从甚密的人。
It has been said that art is a tryst, for in the joy of it maker and beholder
meet.
有人说艺术是一种幽会,因为艺术家和欣赏者可以幽会的乐趣中相
识。
A book is a success when people who haven’t read it pretend they have.
一本书如果没有看过的人也冒充看过,便成功了。

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