雙語美文|001-Work 工作

雙語美文|001-Work 工作

Work

工作


It is physically impossible for a well-educated, intellectual, or brave man to make money the chief object of his thoughts; as physically impossible as it is for him to make his dinner the principal object of them. All healthy people like their dinner, but their dinner is not the main object of their lives. So all healthy-minded people like making money- ought to like it and to enjoy the sensation of winning it; but the main object of their lives is not money; it is something better than money.

一個受過良好教育,有知識或有膽識的人實在不可能把金錢作為他孜孜以求的主要目標,正如他不可能把吃飯當作最主要的目標一樣。一切健康的人都吃得很香,但是吃飯並不是他們生活的主要目標。同樣道理,一切思想健康的人都想得到收入--理所當然,並且為得到收入而由衷地高興,然而他們生活的主要目標並不是錢,而是比錢更有價值的東西。

雙語美文|001-Work 工作


A good soldier, for instance, mainly wishes to do his fighting well. He is glad of his pay- very properly so, and justly grumbles when you keep him ten months without it; still, his main notion of life is to win battles, not to be paid for winning them.

例如,一個優秀的士兵總是想把仗打好。他為自己的薪餉感到高興--完全合乎情理,如果你扣發他十個月軍餉,他當然要抱怨。然而他的生活要旨仍然是奪取戰鬥的勝利,而不是為了薪餉去打勝仗。

So of doctors. They like fees no doubt- ought to like them; yet if they are brave and well educated, the en- tire object of their lives is not fees. They, on the whole, desire to cure the sick, and--if they are good doctors, and the choice were fairly put to them --would rather cure their patient and lose their fee than kill him and get it. And so with all other brave and rightly trained men; their work is first, their fee second, very important always, but still second.

醫生也是這樣。他們當然都喜歡收診費--理所當然,然而,如果他們是有膽識的、受過良好教育的,那他們生活的全部目標就不是為了收費。總的說來,他們都想把病人治好,而且--如果他們是好醫生,同時公平地要他們作出選擇的話--他們寧願把病人治癒而得不到診金,也不願為了診金卻把病人治死。所有其他有膽識的、受過正當培養的人也都是這樣,對他們來說,工作是第一位的,報酬則是第二位的,雖然報酬總是非常重要的,但終究是第二位的。

But in every nation, there is a vast class of people who are cowardly, and more or less stupid. And with these people, just as certainly the fee is first and the work second, as with brave people the work is first and the fee second.

雙語美文|001-Work 工作


可是,在每一個國家裡都有一大批怯懦的,多少有點愚蠢的人。對於這些人來說,報酬是第一位的,工作是第二位的,正如劉於有膽識的人說來工作是第一位的,而報酬則是第二位的。

And this is no small distinction. It is the whole distinction. It is the whole distinction in a man. You can- not serve two masters; you must serve one or the other. If your work is first with you, and your fee second, work is your master.

這決不是細微的差異。這是至關重要的根本差異。這是區別一個人的根本差異。你不能侍奉兩個主人,你必須擇一而從。如果你的工作是第一位的,報酬是第二位的,那麼工作就是你的主人。

Observe, then, all wise work is mainly threefold in character. It is honest, useful, and cheerful. I hardly know anything more strange than that you recognize honesty in play, and do not in work. In your lightest games you have always someone to see what you call "fair play". In boxing you must hit fair; in racing, start fair. Your watchword is fair play; your hatred, foul play. Did it ever strike you that you wanted another watchword also, fair work, and another hatred also , foul work ?

要知道,一切明智的工作大都具有三重性:誠實、有用和令人愉快。我幾乎不知道還有比你在娛樂中講究誠實而在工作上卻不講誠實更為奇怪的事了。在最輕鬆的遊戲中你也總要有人支持你所說的"公正比賽"。拳擊時,你必須按照比賽規則去打,賽跑時,起跑要符合規定。你的口號是公正比賽,你所憎恨的是不公正比賽。你可曾想到對待工作你也要有一條口號,那就是老老實實,而你該憎恨的是寡廉鮮恥?


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