美文欣赏

编者按:

想得到的多就永远不要奢望太多。

智者不会在意他们得不到的东西。

On Achieving Success

We cannot travel every path. Success must be won along one line. We must make our business the one life purpose to which every other must be subordinate1).

I hate a thing done by halves2). If it be right, do it boldly. If it be wrong, leave it undone.

The men of history were not perpetually3) looking into the mirror to make sure of their own size. Absorbed in their work they did it. They did it so well that the wondering world sees them to be great, and labeled4) them accordingly.

To live with a high ideal is a successful life. It is not what one does, but what one tries to do, that makes a man strong.“Eternal vigilance5),” it has been said,“is the price of liberty.” With equal truth it may be said,“Unceasing effort is the price of success.” If we do not work with our might, others will; and they will outstrip6) us in the race, and pluck the prize from our grasp. Success grows less and less dependent on luck and chance. Self-distrust is the cause of most of our failures. The great and indispensable7) help to success is character. Character is a crystallized8) habit, the result of training and conviction9). Every character is influenced by heredity10), environment and education. But these apart, if every man were not to be a great extent the architect of his own character, he would be a fatalist11), and irresponsible creature of circumstances. Instead of saying that man is a creature of circumstance, it would be nearer the mark to say that man is the architect of circumstance. From the same materials one man builds palaces, another hovel12). Bricks and mortar13) are mortar and bricks, until the architect can make them something else. The true way to gain much is never to desire to gain too much. Wise men don’t care for what they can’t have.

参考译文

关于获得成功

欧内斯特.海明威

我们不可能把每条路都走一遍。必须执着于一条道路才能获得成功。我们必须有一个终生追求的目标，其他的则从属于这个目标。

我痛恨做事半途而废。如果这件事是对的，就大胆勇敢地去做；如果这件事不对，就不要去做。

历史长河中的伟人并不是靠终日瞻观镜中的自己来衡量自身的形象的。他们的形象来自对事业全身心的投入与追求。他们是如此的卓越超凡，于是芸芸众生觉得他们很伟大，并因此称他们为伟人。

为崇高的理想而活着是一种成功的生活。使人变强大的，不是这个人做了什么，而是他努力尝试去做什么。有人说过，“恒久的警惕是自由的代价”，那同样也可以说，“不懈的努力是成功的代价。”

倘若我们不尽全力工作，别人会尽全力，随后他们将在竞争中超越我们，从我们手中夺取胜利的果实。

成功越来越不依赖于运气和巧合。丧失自信是我们失败的主要原因。

性格是取得成功不可或缺的重要助力。性格是一种固化成形的习惯，是不断培养并坚信于此的结果。每个人的性格都会受到遗传因素、环境和教育的影响。但除此之外，如果人在很大程度上不能成为自己性格的构筑者，那么他就会沦为宿命论者，从而成为环境的失败造物。

与其说人是环境的造物，不如说人是环境的建筑师更贴切些。同样的材料，有人能用其建造出宫殿，而有人只能建成简陋的小屋。在建筑师将其变成他物之前，砖泥依然是砖泥。

想得到的多就永远不要奢望太多。

智者不会在意他们得不到的东西。

词汇释义

1) subordinate adj. 次要的，从属的
2) by halves：不完全地
3) perpetually adv. 永恒地, 终生地
4) label v. 把……称为
5) vigilance n. 警惕，警戒
6) outstrip v. 超过
7) indispensable adj. 必不可少的，必需的
8) crystallized adj. 成形的，定形的
9) conviction n. 坚信，确信
10) heredity n. 遗传
11) fatalist n. 宿命论者
12) hovel n. 茅舍，小屋
13) mortar n. 灰泥