歌德

胡渙 譯

~~~~~~~~~~~ 對待他人 ~~~~~~~~~~~

要想在論斷別人時變得溫和，人隻需要加增歲月。在我所見過的眾人的所有錯誤中，沒有一件是我不可能犯的。One need only grow old to become gentler in one's judgments. I see no fault committed which I could not have committed myself.

缺乏感恩的心是無能的表現。我從來沒有見過真正有能力而不知道感恩的人。Ingratitude is always a kind of weakness. I have never known men of ability to be ungrateful.

發現錯誤比發現真理容易得多，因為錯誤顯露在表麵，很容易看得到，而真理藏在深處，不是每個人都有能力發現。It is much easier to recognize error than to find truth; for error lies on the surface and may be overcome ; but truth lies in the depths, and to search for it is not given to every one.

聰明人認為每件事都可笑。智慧的人正相反。The intelligent man finds almost everything ridiculous, the sensible man hardly anything.

以一個人現在的水平待他，你會讓他變得更糟。以他可能達到的水平待他，你就會讓他到達那裏。Treat a man as he appears to be, and you make him worse. But treat a man as if he were what he potentially could be, and you make him what he should be.

分而治之是個不錯的格言。合而召之則更好。Divide and rule, a sound motto. Unite and lead, a better one.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~ 成就自己  ~~~~~~~~~~~ 

在批評麵前，人不需要抗議或給自己辯護。他必須把批評置之腦後，堅持做下去。最終批評將會屈服於他。Against criticism a man can neither protest nor defend himself; he must act in spite of it, and then it will gradually yield to him.

人如果想把文章寫得清晰，他先要有清晰的思路。如果要把文章寫得高尚，他先要有高尚的靈魂。If any man wish to write in a clear style, let him be first clear in his thoughts; and if any would write in a noble style, let him first possess a noble soul.

不要分散你的力量，要經常努力去把它聚焦。真正有才能的人雖然知道別人能做的事他也能做，卻不盲目使用他的精力。Beware of dissipating your powers; strive constantly to concentrate them. Genius thinks it can do whatever it sees others doing, but is sure to repent of every ill-judged outlay.

最可憐的是沒有鑒別力的想象力。There is nothing more dreadful than imagination without taste.

每一句寶貴的箴言都已經被思考過千百遍了，但我們隻有再一次把它們老老實實地反複思考，直到把它們變成我們日常生活的一部分，我們才真正擁有了它們。All truly wise thoughts have been thoughts already thousands of times; but to make them truly ours, we must think them over again honestly, till they take root in our personal experience.

如何才能了解自己？不是通過想象，而是通過行動。一件事，隻要動手做起來，你馬上就會發現你到底有多大的能力。How can you come to know yourself? Never by thinking, always by doing. Try to do your duty, and you'll know right away what you amount to.

有的人從來沒犯過錯誤，因為他們從來都沒想過要做什麽值得做的事。There are people who make no mistakes because they never wish to do anything worth doing.

人最難忍受的是一天天無所作為的日子。A man can stand anything except a succession of ordinary days.

能享受時，享受；該忍受時，忍受。Enjoy when you can, and endure when you must.

你一旦開始相信你自己，你就知道該怎麽活著了。As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~  滋養自己 ~~~~~~~~~~~ 

沒有任何東西比今天更寶貴的了。Nothing is worth more than this day.

人每天至少應該聽一支歌，讀一首好詩，看一張好畫；如果可能的話，說幾句入情入理的話。One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words.

這世界構架得如此神奇，其中的每個成員在此時此地都與別的成員構成奇妙的平衡。So divinely is the world organized that every one of us, in our place and time, is in balance with everything else.

在這個世上，除了持久的榮華，別的都能忍受。Everything in the world may be endured except continued prosperity.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~  警醒自己  ~~~~~~~~~~~ 

沒有比好鬥的愚昧更可悲的了。There is nothing worse than aggressive stupidity.

我們從不會受騙；我們隻是在騙自己。We are never deceived; we deceive ourselves.

我們必須不斷改變、更新我們自己；否則，我們變得僵硬。We must always change, renew, rejuvenate ourselves; otherwise we harden.

主意失敗時，總會出來很多理由解釋。When ideas fail, words come in very handy.