第3章 人生的价值
You Have Only One Life
The best kind of friend is the kind you can sit on a porch swing with,never say a word,and then walk away feeling like it was the best conversation you've ever had.
Don't go for looks；they can deceive. Don't go for wealth；even that fades away.Go for someone who makes you smile because it takes only a smile to make a dark day seem bright.
Dream what you want to dream；go where you want to go；be what you want to be,because you have only one life and one chance to do all the things you want to do.
A careless word may kindle strife；a cruel word may wreck a life；a timely word may level stress；a loving word may heal and bless.
A sad thing in life is when you meet someone who means a lot to you,only to find out in the end that it was never meant to be and you just have to let go.
Always put yourself in the other's shoes. If you feel that it hurts you,it probably hurts the person,too.
The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything,they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.
When you were born,you were crying and everyone around you was smiling. Live your life so that when you die,you're the one smiling and everyone around you is crying.
To see a world in a grain of sand.
And a heaven in a wild flower.
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand.
And eternity in an hour.
Let's write that letter we thought of writing“one of these days”.
Don't cry because it is over；
Smile,because it happened.
And forever has no end.
你只有一次生命
最好的朋友就是那种你可以促膝而坐，默默无语，分别时却感到这是你曾有过的最好的交谈。
不要追求容貌，它们可能蒙骗人。不要追求财富，那会渐渐消散。追求能让你微笑的人吧，因为仅仅一个微笑就能使黑天变得光明。
做你想做的梦，到你想去的地方，做你想做的人吧，因为你只有一次生命、一个机会去做你想做的一切。
一句粗心的话可能引发冲突，一句无情的话可能毁灭生命，一句适时的话可能消除压力，一句关爱的话可能愈合伤口、带来祝福。
生命中的一件伤心事是你遇到了一个对你至关重要的人，最终却发现有缘无分，你不得不放手。
总是要设身处地为别人着想。如果你感到受伤，很可能别人也会受伤。
最幸福的人不见得胜过一切，他们只是充分利用顺其自然的一切。
你出生时，哇哇大哭，你身边的每个人都在微笑。好好生活吧，这样你去世时，你就能一人含笑，身边的每个人都号啕大哭。
一沙一世界，
一花一天堂。
把握掌中无限，
把握瞬间永恒。
我们原想着“有一天”去写的那封信，现在就写。
不要因为结束而哭泣。
要因发生而微笑。
而且永无止境。
A Promise of Flowers
Early in the spring,about a month before my grandpa's stroke,I began walking for an hour every afternoon. Some days I would walk four blocks south to see Grandma and Grandpa.At eighty-six,Grandpa was still quite a gardener,so I always watched for his earliest blooms and each new wave of spring flowers.
I was especially interested in flowers that year because I was planning to landscape my own yard and I was eager to get Grandpa's advice. I thought I knew pretty much what I wanted—a yard full of bushes and plants that would bloom from May till November.
It was right after the first rush of purple violets in the lawns and the sudden blaze of forsythia that spring that Grandpa had a stroke. It left him without speech and with no movement on his left side.The whole family gathered around Grandpa.We all spent many hours by his side.Some days his eyes were eloquent—laughing at our reported mishaps,listening alertly,revealing painful awareness of his inability to care for himself.There were days,too,when he slept most of the time,overcome with the weight of his approaching death.
As the months passed,I watched the growing earth with Grandpa's eyes. Each time I was with him,I gave him a garden report.He listened,gripping my hand.But he could not answer my questions.The new flowers would blaze,peak,fade,and die before I knew their names.
Grandpa's illness held him through the spring and on,week by week,through summer. I began spending hours at the local nursery,studying and choosing seeds and plants.It gave me special joy to buy plants I had seen in Grandpa's garden and give them humble starts in my own garden.I discovered Sweet William,which I had admired for years in Grandpa's garden without knowing its name.And I planted it in his honor.
As I waited and watched in the garden and by Grandpa's side,some quiet truths emerged. I realized that Grandpa loved flowers that were always in bloom；he kept a full bed of roses in his garden.But I noticed that Grandpa left plenty of room for the brief highlights.Not every nook of his garden was constantly in bloom.There was always a treasured surprise tucked somewhere.
I came to see,too,that Grandpa's garden mirrored his life. He was a hard worker who understood the law of the harvest.But along with his hard work,Grandpa knew how to enjoy each season,each change.
In July,Grandpa worsened. One hot afternoon arrived when no one else was at his bedside.He was glad to have me there,and reached out his hand to pull me close.
I told Grandpa what I had learned—that few flowers last from April to November. Some of the most beautiful bloom for only a month at most.To really enjoy a garden,you have to plant corners and drifts and rows of flowers that will bloom and grace the garden,each in its own season.
His eyes listened to every word：“If I want a garden like yours,Grandpa,I'm going to have to work.”His grin laughed at me.
“Grandpa,in your life right now the chrysanthemums are in bloom. Chrysanthemums and roses.”Tears clouded both our eyes.Neither of us feared this last flower of fall,but the wait for spring seems longest in November.We knew how much we would miss each other.
Grandpa and I wept together.
It was the end of August when Grandpa died,the end of summer. As we were choosing flowers from the florist for Grandpa's funeral,I slipped away to Grandpa's garden and walked with my memories of columbine and Sweet William.Only the tall lavender and white phlox were in bloom now,and some baby's breath in another corner.
On impulse,I cut the prettiest strands of phlox and baby's breath and made one more arrangement for the funeral. When they saw it,friends and family all smiled to see Grandpa's flowers there.We all felt how much Grandpa would have liked that.
The October after Grandpa's death,I planted tulip and daffodil bulbs,snowdrops,crocuses,and bluebells. Each bulb was a comfort to me,a love sent to Grandpa,a promise of spring.
鲜花的承诺
初春时节，大约在爷爷中风前的一个月，我开始每天下午散步一小时。有一段日子，我常常向南步行4个街区，去看望爷爷奶奶。86岁的爷爷仍是个了不起的花匠，所以我总是留意他那些最早盛开的鲜花和春天新开的每一片花海。
因为那年我打算美化自己的院子，所以对花特别感兴趣，渴望听到爷爷的建议。我以为自己非常清楚需要什么——满院子花草树丛，从5月一直开到11月。
爷爷就是那年春天在草坪里第一丛紫罗兰出现和连翘突然盛开后中风的。他无法言语，身体左半侧也无法动弹。家里所有人都聚到了爷爷身边。我们都花了很多时间守在他身边。有几天，他的眼睛炯炯有神——他一边笑我们报告的不幸，一边留意倾听，露出了他生活不能自理的痛苦。有一段日子，他大多数时间都处于睡眠状态，死亡随时都会向他逼近。
几个月过去了，我像爷爷一样望着地上的东西渐渐长大。我每次和他在一起，都要向他汇报花园的情况。他一边听，一边紧握着我的手。可是，他无法回答我的问题。很多新的花朵常常绽放、憔悴、枯萎，还没等我知道它们的名字就死去了。
从春天开始，爷爷周复一周疾病缠身，一直持续到夏天。我开始泡在当地的苗圃，研究、选种和栽培。我买了一些曾在爷爷的花园里见过的幼苗，恭恭敬敬地种在自己的花园里，这让我感到特别开心。我在爷爷的花园里发现了自己喜欢多年的美洲石竹，以前一直不知道它的名字，而且我以爷爷的名义栽下了它。
我待在花园、守在爷爷身边时，一些真理悄悄涌现出来。我知道爷爷爱那些怒放的鲜花；他在花园里种了满满一苗圃的玫瑰。可是，我注意到爷爷留了很多空当，让光线暂时照进来。他的花园并不是每个角落都经常鲜花怒放，总有某个珍藏的惊喜躲在某个地方。
我最终明白爷爷的花园是他一生的写照。他是一个勤劳的人，明白收获的规律。但说起辛勤劳动，爷爷知道如何享受每一个季节、每一种变化。
7月，爷爷病情恶化。一个炎热的下午，其他人都不在他身边，只有我在那里，他很高兴，就伸出一只手将我拉近。
我把自己学到的告诉了爷爷：能从4月开到11月的花寥寥无几。大部分花最多只开一个月。为了真正欣赏花园，你必须在各个角落都种上花，美化花园，一丛丛一行行，鲜花开放，四季如春。
他用目光听着我的每一个字：“爷爷，如果想要一个像你的一样的花园，我必须得去工作。”他咧开嘴对我笑了笑。
“爷爷，在您的人生中，现在菊花正在开放。菊花和玫瑰花。”泪水模糊了我们的眼睛。我们俩都不害怕秋天的最后一朵花，但在11月等待春天似乎太长，我们都知道我们会多么想念对方。
我和爷爷都泪流满面。
8月底、夏末之际，爷爷撒手而去。当大家都在花店为爷爷的葬礼选花时，我悄然离去，来到爷爷的花园。我一边走，一边回忆着那些耧斗菜和美洲石竹。现在只有高高的熏衣草和白色夹竹桃在开花，另一个角落还有一些水香花菜。
我一时冲动，剪下了最漂亮的几束夹竹桃和水香花菜，又给爷爷的葬礼装点了一番。看到这些花，亲友们都露出了微笑。我们都知道爷爷一定会多么喜欢。
爷爷去世后的10月，我种了一些郁金香、水仙花、雪花莲、藏红花和蓝铃花。对我来说，每一棵花根都是一种安慰，都是送给爷爷的一份爱，都是春天的一份承诺。
Life Is the Cookie
One of my patients,a successful businessman,tells me that before his cancer he would become depressed unless things went a certain way. For him,happiness was“having the cookie.”If you had the cookie,things were good.If you didn't have the cookie,life wasn't worth a damn.Unluckily,the cookie kept changing.Sometimes it was money,sometimes power,sometimes sex.At other times,it was the new car,the biggest contract,the most prestigious address.A year and a half after his diagnosis of prostate cancer he sits shaking his head ruefully.“It's like I stopped learning how to live after I was a kid.When I give my son a cookie,he is happy.If I take the cookie away or it breaks,he is unhappy.But he is two and a half and I am forty-three.It's taken me this long to understand that the cookie will never make me happy for long.The minute you have the cookie it starts to crumble or you start to worry about it crumbling or about someone trying to take it away from you.You know,you have to give up a lot of things to take care of the cookie,to keep it from crumbling and be sure that no one takes it away from you.You may not even get a chance to eat it because you are so busy just trying not to lose it.Having the cookie is not what life is about.”
My patient laughs and says cancer has changed him. For the first time he is happy whether his business is doing well or not,whether he wins or loses at golf.“Two years ago,cancer asked me，‘What is important?What is really important?'Well,life is important.Life.Life any way you can have it,life with the cookie,life without the cookie.Happiness does not have anything to do with the cookie；it has to do with being alive.But who can make the time go back?”He pauses thoughtfully.“I guess life is the cookie.”
生命就是小甜饼
我的一个病人是一名成功商人，他告诉我说，他患癌症前，如果事情没有按照某种确定的方式发展，他就会情绪低落。对他来说，幸福就是“拥有小甜饼”。如果你拥有小甜饼，事情就一帆风顺。如果你没有小甜饼，生活就一文不值。不幸的是，小甜饼总是不断变化，有时是金钱，有时是权力，有时是性。在其他时候，它则是新车、数额最大的合同、享有声望的演讲。诊断出患有前列腺癌一年半后，他坐在那里，悲伤地摇了摇头。“长大后，我好像不去学如何生活了。当我送给儿子一块小甜饼时，他就开心。如果我拿走小甜饼或小甜饼破碎，他就不开心。但他才两岁半，我已经43岁了。我花了这么长时间才明白，小甜饼并不能使我长久幸福。你一拥有小甜饼，它就开始破碎，或者你就开始担心它会破碎，要么担心别人会从你手里拿走。你知道，你不得不放弃很多东西来看护好小甜饼，防止它破碎，并确保别人不会从你手里抢走。因为你忙着尽力不失去它，所以说不定都没有机会去吃它。拥有小甜饼并不是生活的全部。”
我的病人笑着说癌症已经改变了他。无论他的生意是否一帆风顺，无论他在打高尔夫时是输是赢，他第一次感到幸福。“两年前，癌症问我：‘什么重要？什么才真正重要？’对，生命重要。生命，生命，无论你拥有什么样的生命，无论有没有小甜饼，幸福和小甜饼没有任何关系，而是和活着有关。可谁又能让时间倒回去呢？”他若有所思地停顿了一下，“我想生命就是小甜饼。”
The Worth of Life
A well-known speaker started his speech by holding up a$20bill. In the room of 200 people,he asked，“Who would like this$20 bill?”
Hands started going up. He said，“I am going to give this$20to one of you—but first,let me do this.”
He proceeded to crumple the 20 -dollar note up. He then asked，“Who still wants it?”Still the hands were up in the air.
“Well，”he replied，“what if I do this?”He dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up,now crumpled and dirty.“Now,who still wants it?”
Still the hands went into the air.
“My friends,you have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money,you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value.It was still worth$20.
“Many times in our lives,we are dropped,crumpled,and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless；but no matter what happened or what will happen,you will never lose your value.Dirty or clean,crumpled or finely creased,you are still priceless to those who love you.
“The worth of our lives comes,not in what we do or who we know,but by WHO YOU ARE.
“You are special—don't ever forget it.”
生命的价值
一位著名的演说家举着一张20美元的钞票开始了演讲。他在一个200人的房间里问道：“谁想要这20美元的钞票？”
人们的手都举了起来。他说：“我准备把这张钞票给你们其中一个人，但首先让我这样做。”
他接着把20美元的钞票揉了揉，举了起来，然后问道：“谁还想要？”那些手仍然举向了空中。
“好，”他回答说，“如果我这样做会怎么样？”他把钞票扔在地上，开始用鞋使劲在地板上踩。随后，他拾起钞票，现在钞票又皱又脏，“现在，谁还想要？”
那些手仍然举向空中。
“我的朋友们，你们都已经学到了非常宝贵的一课。无论我对这钱做了什么，你们都仍然想要它，因为它没有降低价值。它仍然是20美元。
“我们生命中会多次遇到挫折、坎坷，并让我们做出的决定和周围的环境逼到卑微的境地。我们感到自己似乎毫无价值。但无论发生什么和将会发生什么，你都永远不会失去自己的价值。无论是肮脏还是干净，无论是被揉成一团还是整齐折叠，在爱你的人看来，你都极其珍贵。
“我们的价值不在于我们做了什么或者认识谁，而在于你是谁。“你与众不同——永远别忘记这一点。”
Life Is like a Piece of Cake
A little boy is telling his grandma how everything is going wrong. Meanwhile,Grandma is baking a cake.She asks her grandson if he would like a snack,which,of course,he does.
“Here,have some cooking oil.”“Yuck，”says the boy.“How about a couple of raw eggs?”“Disgusting,Grandma！”“Would you like some flour then?Or maybe baking soda?”“Grandma,those are all yucky！”
Grandma replies，“Yes,all those things seem bad all by themselves. But when they are put together in the right way,they make a wonderfully delicious cake！Many times we wonder why it would let us go through such difficult times.But when it puts these things all in his order,they always work for good！We just have to trust it.Eventually,they will all make something wonderful！I hope your day is a piece of delicious cake.”
生活就像一块蛋糕
小男孩正在对他的奶奶说一切都不顺心。此刻，奶奶正在烤蛋糕。她问孙子是不是想吃一块蛋糕。他当然想吃。
“喂，来点儿油。”“呸，”男孩说，“来几个生鸡蛋怎么样？”“恶心，奶奶！”“那你喜欢面粉？或者喜欢发酵粉吗？”“奶奶，那些东西都令人恶心！”
奶奶回答说：“是的，所有那些东西单独看起来似乎并不好，但当它们以适当方式放在一起时，就成了美味无比的蛋糕！很多时候，我们抱怨它常常让我们经历这样的艰难时刻。当它以自己的顺序把这些东西在一起时，它们总是会发挥作用。我们得相信它。最终，它们就会成为美妙的东西！我希望你的每一天都是一块美味可口的蛋糕。”
The Only Attitude Is Gratitude
Around twenty years ago I was living in Seattle and going through hard times. I could not find satisfying work and I found this especially difficult as I had a lot of experience and a Masters degree.To my shame I was driving a school bus to make ends meet and living with friends.I had lost my apartment.I had been through five interviews with a company and one day between bus runs they called to say I did not get the job.I went to the bus barn like a zombie of disappointment.
Later that afternoon,while doing my rounds through a quiet suburban neighborhood I had an inner wave—like a primal scream—arise from deep inside me and I thought“Why has my life become so hard?”“Give me a sign,I asked……”
Immediately after this internal scream I pulled the bus over to drop off a little girl and as she passed she handed me an earring saying I should keep it in case somebody claimed it. The earring was stamped metal,painted black and said，“BE HAPPY”.At first I got angry—yeah,yeah,I thought.Then it hit me.I had been putting all of my energies into what was wrong with my life rather than what was right！I decided then and there to make a list of 50 things I was grateful for.
At first it was hard,then it got easier. One day I decided to up it to 75 .That night there was a phone call for me at my friend's house from a lady who was a manager at a large hospital.About a year earlier I had submitted a syllabus to a community college to teach a course on stress management.She asked me if I would do a one-day seminar for 200 hospital workers.I said yes and got the job.
My day with the hospital workers went very well. I got a standing ovation and many more days of work.To this day I know that it was because I changed my attitude to gratitude.
Incidentally,the day after I found the earring the girl asked me if anyone had claimed it. I told her no and she said，“I guess it was meant for you then.”
I spent the next year conducting training workshops all around the Seattle area and then decided to risk everything and go back to Scotland where I had lived previously. I closed my one-man business,bought a plane ticket and got a six-month visa from immigration.One month later I met my wonderful English wife and best friend of 15 years now.We live in a small beautiful cottage,two miles from a paved road in the highlands of Scotland.
“THE ONLY ATTITUDE IS GRATITUDE”has been my motto for years now and completely changed my life.
感激是唯一的态度
大约20年前，我住在西雅图，正经历着坎坷。我经验丰富，拥有硕士学位，却找不到满意的工作，感到特别难受。让我羞愧的是，当时我驾驶一辆校车勉强度日，和朋友住在一起。要知道，我失去了自己的房子。我应聘一家公司，经历了五轮面试。一天，我就要出车时，对方打来电话说我没应聘上。我向车库走去时，失魂落魄。
那天下午晚些时候，我开着校车转到一片安静的郊区的居民区时，内心闪过了一个念头——像精神病患者的早期治疗——来自我的内心深处。我想：“为什么自己的生活变得如此艰难？”“给我一个征兆，我请求过……”
很快，我把车停住，一个小姑娘要下车。她经过我身边时，递给我一只耳饰，说保管住，以防有人认领。耳饰上面压有金属印，被漆了黑色，写的是“一定要幸福”。起初，我很生气——是啊，是啊，我想。接着，它让我忽然明白了。我一直一门心思用在想我的生活出的问题上，而不是我的生活的美好！我当即决定列出50件感激的事情。
一开始，很难列出来，后来就变得容易了。我决定将这个习惯坚持到75岁。有天晚上，一个电话打到了我朋友的家中要求找我，是一家大医院的女经理打来的。大约一年前，我向一所社区大学递交过一份课程提纲，要求去教一门成功应对压力的课程。她问我是否愿意给200名医院职工做一场为期一天的讲习会。我答应了，得到了这份工作。
我跟那家医院的职工们相处得很融洽。我受到了长期欢迎，获得了更多天的工作。直到今天，我都非常清楚，那全是因为我转变为感激生活的态度。
顺便提一下，我找到那个耳饰后第二天，那个小姑娘问我是否有人认领。我告诉她没有，她说：“我猜当时它是为你准备的。”
接下来的一年，我一直都在西雅图各地给车间工人们做培训，后来决定冒着一切风险回到我以前生活过的苏格兰。我关掉了只有我一个人的生意，买了一张飞机票，从移民局获得了半年签证。一个月后，我见到了我那漂亮的英国妻子和交了15年的挚友。现在我们住在一所漂亮的小别墅，距离苏格兰高地的一条道路两英里。
多年来，“感激是唯一的态度”已经成为我的座右铭，彻底改变了我的人生。
The Meaning of Life
An eight-year-old boy approached an old man in front of a wishing well,looked up into his eyes,and asked：“I understand you're a very wise man. I'd like to know the secret of life.”
The old man looked down at the youngster and replied，“I've though a lot in my lifetime,and the secret can be summed up in four words：
“The first is think. Think about the values you wish to live your life by.
“The second is believe. Believe in yourself based on the thinking you've done about the values you're going to live your life by.
“The third is dream. Dream about the things that can be,based on your belief in yourself and the values you're going to live by.
“The last is dare. Dare to make your dreams become reality,based on your belief in yourself and your values.”
And with that,Walter E. Disney said to the little boy：Think,believe,dream and dare.
人生的意义
一个8岁的小男孩走到一眼许愿井旁边的一位老人身边，抬头望着他的眼睛问道：“我知道你是一个非常有智慧的人，我想知道人生的真谛。”
老人看着小男孩答道：“我在一生中想了很多，生活的真谛可以概括为四个词：
“首先是思考，思考你生活的价值观。
“其次是信任，对自己的信任基于你已经找到自己一生依赖生存的价值观。
“其三是梦想，梦想那些可以基于你一生遵循的价值观和对自己的信任的事情。
“最后是勇敢，在你的价值观和对自己信任的基础上，勇敢地让梦想变成现实。”
最后，沃尔特·E.迪士尼对这个小男孩说：思考、信任、梦想和勇敢。
Human Beings Have Choices
It takes both rain and sunshine to create a rainbow. Lives are no different.There is happiness and sorrow.There is the good and the bad；dark and bright spots.If we can handle adversity,it only strengthens us.We cannot control all the events that happen in our lives,but we can decide how we deal with them.
Richard Blechnyden wanted to promote Indian tea in St. Louis World Fair in 1904 .It was very hot and no one wanted to sample his tea.Blechnyden saw that all the other iced drinks were doing flourishing business.It dawned on him to make his tea into an iced drink,mix in sugar and sell it.He did and people love it.That was the introduction of iced tea to the world.
When things go wrong,as they sometimes will,we can react responsibly or resentfully.
Human beings are not like an acorn which has no choice. An acorn cannot decide whether to become a giant tree or to become food for the squirrels.Human beings have choices.If nature gives us a lemon,we have a choice：either cry for grace or make lemonade.
人生可以选择
彩虹是雨和阳光共同创造的。生活也是这样，有喜有悲、有好有坏、有明有暗。如果我们能战胜不幸，就会增强我们的力量。尽管我们无法控制生活中发生的所有事情，但可以决定如何处理它们。
1904年，理查德·布莱克尼登在圣路易斯世界博览会上推销印度茶。当时天气很热，没人想品尝他的茶。布莱克尼登看到其他冰镇饮料都生意兴隆，于是就想到了一个主意，将茶做成冰镇饮料，加上糖，再卖。他这样做后，人们非常喜欢。冰茶就是这样介绍给世人的。
事情有时会出错，我们既可以积极回应，也可以愤愤不平。
人不像无从选择的橡子。一粒橡子无法决定是长成参天大树，还是成为松鼠的食物。人则有选择的余地。如果大自然给我们一颗柠檬，那我们就可以做出选择：要么感恩而泣，要么将它做成柠檬汁。
The Boys and the Sticks
A father's sons were always fighting. He had no way to stop them,so he decided to teach them a lesson.
He told his sons to bring him a bunch of sticks. He took the sticks,gave them to his eldest son and asked him to break them.The eldest son tried with all his might but was not able to do it.The other sons tried their best and were also unsuccessful.
The father then separated the sticks and put one into each son's hand. He asked his sons again to try and break the sticks.They broke them easily.
The father said，“My sons,if you are of one mind,and unite to assist each other,you will be like these sticks together；but if you are divided among yourselves,you will be broken as easily as a single stick.”
男孩与木棍
父亲的一群孩子总喜欢吵架，但他想不出什么办法来阻止他们，于是决定给他们上一课。
他吩咐孩子们抱来一捆木棍。他拿起这捆木棍，递给大儿子，让他把它们折断。大儿子用尽全力，也没能做到。其他的儿子努力了半天，也没有成功。
于是，父亲把那些木棍分开，将它们各自放进了每个儿子的手里。他再次要求他们用力折断那些木棍。这次，他们轻而易举便将它们折断了。
父亲说：“儿子们，要是齐心协力、团结互助，你们就会像这捆木棍一样；但要是各自为政，你们就会像这单根木棍一样容易折断。”
The Mahogany Piano
Many years ago,when I was a young man in my twenties,I worked as a salesman for a St. Louis piano company.We sold our pianos all over the state by advertising in small town newspapers and then,when we had received sufficient replies,we would load our little trucks,drive into the area and sell the pianos to those who had replied.
Every time we would advertise in the cotton country of Southeast Missouri,we would receive a reply on a postcard which said，“Please bring me a new piano for my little granddaughter. It must be red mahogany.I can pay$10 a month with my egg money.”The old lady scrawled on and on and on that postcard until she filled it up,then turned it over and even wrote on the front—around and around the edges until there was barely room for the address.
Of course,we could not sell a new piano for$10 a month. No finance company would carry a contract with payments that small,so we ignored her postcards.
One day,however,I happened to be in that area calling on other replies,and out of curiosity I decided to look up the old lady. I found pretty much what I expected：The old lady lived in a one-room sharecroppers cabin in the middle of a cotton field.The cabin had a dirt floor and there were chickens in the house.Obviously,the old lady could not have qualified to purchase anything on credit—no car,no phone,no real job,nothing but a roof over her head and not a very good one at that.I could see daylight through it in several places.Her little granddaughter was about 10 ，barefoot and wearing a feed sack dress.
I explained to the old lady that we could not sell a new piano for$10 a month and that she should stop writing to us every time she saw our ad. I drove away heartsick,but my advice had no effect—she still sent us the same postcard every six weeks.Always wanting a new piano,red mahogany,please,and swearing she would never miss a$10 payment.It was sad.
A couple of years later,I owned my own piano company,and when I advertised in that area,the postcards started coming to me. For months,I ignored them—what else could I do?
But then,one day when I was in the area something came over me. I had a red mahogany piano on my little truck.Despite knowing that I was about to make a terrible business decision,I delivered the piano to her and told her I would carry the contract myself at$10 a month with no interest,and that would mean 52 payments.I took the new piano in the house and placed it where I thought the roof would be least likely to rain on it.I admonished her and the little girl to try to keep the chickens off of it,and I left—sure I had just thrown away a new piano.
But the payments came in,all 52 of them as agreed—sometimes with coins taped to a 3×5 inch card in the envelope. It was incredible！
So,I put the incident out of my mind for 20 years.
Then one day I was in Memphis on other business,and after dinner at the Holiday Inn,I went into the lounge. As I was sitting at the bar having an after-dinner drink,I heard the most beautiful piano music behind me.I looked around,and there was a lovely young woman playing a very nice grand piano.
Being a pianist of some ability myself,I was stunned by her virtuosity,and I picked up my drink and moved to a table beside her where I could listen and watch. She smiled at me and asked for requests.When she took a break she sat down at my table.
“Aren't you the man who sold my grandma a piano a long time ago?”
It didn't ring a bell,so I asked her to explain.
She started to tell me,and I suddenly remembered. My God,it was her！It was the little barefoot girl in the feed sack dress！
She told me her name was Elise and since her grandmother couldn't afford to pay for lessons,she had learned to play by listening to the radio. She said she had started to play in church where she and her grandmother had to walk over two miles,and that she had then played in school,had won many awards and a music scholarship.She had married an attorney in Memphis and he had bought her that beautiful grand piano she was playing.
Something else entered my mind.“Elise，”I asked.“It's a little dark in here. What color is that piano?”
“It's red mahogany，”she said.“Why?”
I couldn't speak.
Did she understand the significance of the red mahogany?The unbelievable audacity of her grandmother insisting on a red mahogany piano when no one in his right mind would have sold her a piano of any kind?I think not.
And then the marvelous accomplishment of that beautiful,terribly underprivileged child in the feed sack dress?No,I'm sure she didn't understand that either.
But I did,and my throat tightened.
Finally,I found my voice.“I just wondered，”I said.“I'm proud of you,but I have to go to my room.”
And I did have to go to my room,because men don't like to be seen crying in public.
一架桃花心木钢琴
很多年前，我还是20多岁的小伙子，当时我是圣路易斯钢琴公司的一名推销员。我们的钢琴销售遍及整个州，我们通常是先在各小镇的报纸上做广告，然后等到收到足够的回单，我们就给我们的一辆辆小卡车装货，开到那个地方，把钢琴卖给那些回单的人。
每次在密苏里州东南部棉花产地打广告，我们都会收到一张明信片，上面写着：“请给我的小孙女带一架新钢琴。必须是红色桃花心木的。我可以用每月卖鸡蛋的钱支付10美元。”这位老太太字迹潦草，直到写满了一张明信片，甚至写到了正面——边边角角都写满了，直到差不多没地方写地址为止。
当然，我们不会把一架把钢琴分期每月卖10美元，没有哪家信贷公司会以这么小的分期付款签合同，所以我们没有理睬她的那些明信片。
然而，有一天，我碰巧要在那个地方拜访其他客人。出于好奇，我决定去探访那位老太太。我发现大大出乎我的意料：老太太住在棉花田中央的一个佃农单间小屋里。小屋是泥土地面，而且还养了鸡。显然，老太太没有资格赊购任何东西：她没有车，没有电话，没有真正的工作，只有头上的房顶，就连房顶也不是很好。我可以看到有好几处地方漏光。她的小孙女大约10岁，赤着双脚，身穿饲料袋改做的衣服。
我向老太太解释说，我们不能以每月10美元分期出售新钢琴，她不要再每次看到广告给我们写信了。我驱车离开时，感到心痛，但我的建议没有奏效——她仍然每隔6周就给我们寄去一张相同的明信片。总是想买一架新钢琴，红色桃花心木的，求求你们了，她还发誓绝不遗漏每次10美元付款。这真让人伤心。
两三年后，我拥有了自己的钢琴公司；而当我去那个地方打广告时，那些明信片开始源源不断地寄给我。有好几个月，我都对它们熟视无睹。我还能做什么呢？
但后来有一天，我在那个地区活动时萌发了想法。我的小卡车上装了一架红色桃花心木钢琴。尽管我知道这是一桩糟糕的买卖，但我还是把这架钢琴运到了她家，并告诉她我亲自签署这个每月付10美元没有利息的合同，而这将意味着要付52次款。我把钢琴送进屋里，把它放在一个最不可能淋到雨的地方，告诫她和小女孩尽量让鸡远离钢琴，随后我便离开了——我肯定是扔掉了一架新钢琴。
可是，那些钱一笔一笔地寄来了，正如合同上约定的那样，整整52笔——有时硬币粘在信封里一张3.5英寸大的卡片上。真不可思议！
于是，我便把这件事忘在了脑后，转眼就是20年。
后来有一天，我在孟菲斯做其他买卖。我在防洪堤上的假日旅馆吃完饭后，走进了休闲室。我坐在酒吧里喝餐后饮料时，听到身后传来最美妙的钢琴曲。我环顾四周，看见一个可爱的年轻女子弹奏一架非常漂亮的大钢琴。
我总是自信有钢琴家的才干，一下子被她的精湛演技震住了。我端起饮料，走到她身边的一张桌子，我在那里可以倾听欣赏。她朝我微微一笑，发出了邀请。她中场休息时，在我这张桌边坐下。
“你不就是很久以前卖给我祖母一架钢琴的那个人吗？”
我一时想不起来，于是便请她解释一下。
她开始向我说起来，我突然想起来了。我的天啊，是她！是那个赤着脚、穿着饲料袋改做的衣服的小女孩！
她告诉我她的名字叫伊莉斯，因为她的祖母没有钱供她上钢琴课，所以她学弹钢琴是靠听收音机。她说她开始演奏是在教堂里，她和祖母要步行两英里走到那里。她后来在学校演奏，多次获奖，还获得了一次音乐奖学金。她嫁给了孟菲斯的一位律师，刚才弹奏的那架漂亮的大钢琴就是他给她买下的。
这时，我想到了别的东西。“伊莉斯，”我问道，“这里光线有点儿暗，你那架钢琴是什么颜色？”
“是红色桃花心木的，”她说，“怎么了？”
我说不出话来。
她明白红色桃花心木的意义吗？她明白她祖母是怎样执意要买一架红木钢琴而做出的那些惊人举动吗？当时头脑正常的人不会把钢琴卖给她。我想不会。
还有，那个取得非凡成就的漂亮而穷困的小女孩呢？不，我确信她也不会明白。
但我明白，我的喉咙哽咽了。
最后，我又能说话了。“我当时只是好奇，”我说，“我为你感到骄傲，但我得去自己的房间了。”
我确实得去自己的房间，因为男人们是不喜欢当众流泪的。
The Boy and the Nail
Once there was a little boy who had a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper,he must hammer a nail into the fence.
The first day the boy hammered 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks,as he learned to control his anger,the number of nails hammered daily dwindled down.He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.
Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper.
The days passed and one day the young boy told his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence.The fence would never be the same.“When you say things in anger,they leave a scar just like those nails，”his father said.
男孩和钉子
从前，有一个小男孩，他的脾气很坏。他的父亲送给他一袋钉子，告诉他说，他每发一次火，就必须将一颗钉子钉在栅栏上。
第一天，男孩将37颗钉子钉进了栅栏。又过了几周，随着他学会控制自己的怒火，钉子的数目日益减少。他发现控制自己的脾气要比往栅栏上钉那些钉子容易。
最后，男孩再也不发火的日子终于来了。他把这件事告诉了他的父亲。他的父亲建议他现在每天能控制住自己的脾气，就拔掉一颗钉子。
又过去了好几天。有一天，男孩对他的父亲说，所有的钉子都没有了。男孩的父亲拉住他的手，将他领到了栅栏边。栅栏再也不是从前的样子了。“当你生气地说出事情时，它们就像那些钉子一样留下了伤疤。”他的父亲说。
The Next Step to Life
“A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a first step，”a Chinese sage once said. Our first step was to rent a pop-up trailer so our family of five could try camping.The trip was a success.To pull the trailer on subsequent trips,we had to buy a bigger station wagon.Sundry equipments followed：sleeping bags,stove,lantern,grill,pup tent,cooler and so on.Eventually,when we went camping,we looked like the Grand Army of the Republic.
Now we were clamoring for a canoe. I placed an ad in the paper：“Wanted,canoe for young family on limited budget.Please call after 6 p.m.”
We waited for days by a silent phone. Then one night came—THE CALL.“Are you the family looking for a canoe?”asked an elderly voice.
“Yes,we are,ma'am.”I replied.
“I may have what you are looking for. First,tell me about your family and your plans for the canoe.”
So I told her how our family had enjoyed camping that summer,and how we especially liked remote places near lakes. I told her that a canoe seemed like the next step for us.
Apparently I'd said the right things,for the woman invited us to come to look at a canoe. On the following Sunday,the whole family drove to her house.We rang the bell,and a frail woman with white hair invited us in.
Once we were seated around the kitchen table,she proceeded to engage each of us in conversation. She made it clear that the canoe was special to her.She wanted it to go to a family with love and care.
It seems we passed the test,because she invited us out to the garage. It was empty,except for a wooden rack on which rested—THE CANOE.
It was 18 feet long,with high,curved bow and stern；green-painted canvas seats,one with a cedar backrest；and two cushions stuffed with balsam-fir needles. A portrait of an Indian chief had been wood-burned on a hand-carved paddle.
The canoe was magnificent. It was almost too much to hope that such a glorious thing could be ours.
Dazzled,we followed the woman back to the house. She opened an old album and showed us a picture of a smiling couple on a porch swing.We recognized our hostess.The young man was handsome.
She turned the page,and we recognized the canoe. The young man was in the stern,holding the Indian head paddle.In the bow sat a young woman wearing a straw hat.“My husband courted me in that very canoe，”the woman explained.She told us about some of the outings they had enjoyed long ago.
We feared the canoe was beyond our grasp. My wife and I had agreed that we could go as high as$100.This canoe was clearly worth more than that.Timidly we inquired how much she was asking.
“How much will you prepare to spend?”she asked.
“Seventy-five dollars，”I stammered,leaving room for negotiation.
“Tsk，”said the woman.“With your young family,I couldn't possibly accept more than$35.”We shook hands fervently.
Our treasured canoe has taken us on many adventures—island-hopping on a Maine lake,blueberrying expeditions,moonlit paddles to listen for loons. True to our word,we have treated it with love and care.
When our children outgrew family camping,my daughter took the canoe to college. At the campus woodworking shop,she made a new center thwart to replace the old one.
A workman there pointed out a small brass plaque,which we had overlooked for years. Thus we found out that our canoe had been manufactured in 1907 by the Morris Canoe Company in Veazie,Maine.A fire a few years later put Morris out of business.
So today our canoe is a collector's item,valued in the thousands of dollars. But the real value,for us,lies in the adventures our family had,and the memories we now treasure.We'll never forget our friend,the woman who shared her memories and helped us take the next step to life.
人生的第二步
中国一位圣人曾经说过：“千里之行，始于足下。”我们的第一步是从租赁一辆蹩脚的拖车开始的，这样一家5口便可一块去野营了。旅行取得了成功。在后来的旅行中，为了拉那辆拖车，我们不得不买了一辆旅行车。接下来是各种各样的装备：睡袋、炉子、提灯、烤肉架、三角小帐篷、冷却器等。最终出去野营时，我们浩浩荡荡，看上去就像共和国大军。
现在，我们家嚷嚷着想要一条独木舟。我在报纸上刊登了一条广告：“征求启事：年轻家庭欲购独木舟，资金有限。请下午6点后打电话。”
我们等了好几天都不见有电话。后来有一天夜里，电话突然响了起来：“是你们家想要独木舟吗？”一个苍老的声音问道。
“是的，是我们家，太太。”我回答说。
“我也许有你们要找的那种独木舟。首先，给我谈谈你们家的情况和你们要独木舟的打算。”
于是，我就把那年夏天我们家野营的事儿告诉了她，同时还告诉她说，我们尤其喜欢湖附近的偏远地方。我对她说，独木舟好像是我们下一步计划的关键。
显然，我的话正中下怀，因为老太太邀请我们去看独木舟。第二个星期天，我们全家驱车赶到了她的家。我们按响门铃，随后一位白发苍苍、弱不禁风的老妇人将我们迎了进去。
我们一在她的餐桌边落座，她就开始跟我们每个人攀谈了起来。她明确表示说，独木舟对她不同寻常，她想要独木舟归属到一个充满爱心和关怀的家庭。
似乎我们通过了考试，因为她请我们进了她的车库。那里空荡荡的，只有一个木架，上面放着一条独木舟。
独木舟长18英尺，船头和船尾弯弯的高高翘起；绿色油漆帆布座，其中一个座上带有雪松木靠背；而且两个垫子装有胶枞针叶；一幅印第安首领的头像浇铸在雕花船桨上。
独木舟美观大方，简直难以想象这样一件贵重的东西会归我们所有。
我们晕晕乎乎跟随老太太回到屋里。她打开一本旧相册，让我们看一张一对夫妇面带笑容坐在门廊秋千上的照片。我们认出了我们的女主人。那个小伙子非常英俊。
她翻过那页，然后我们就看到了那条独木舟。那个小伙子手握那只刻着印第安首领头像的船桨坐在船尾。一个年轻姑娘头戴草帽坐在船头。“我的丈夫就是在那只独木舟上向我求婚的。”老太太解释说。她给我们说起了多年前他们外出郊游的情景。
我们担心买不起这条独木舟。我和妻子商定最高出价100美元。独木舟明显不止这个价。我们不好意思地问她要价多少。
“你们准备花多少钱？”她问。
“75美元。”我结结巴巴地说，留下了砍价的余地。
“啧啧，”老太太说，“像你们这样年轻的家庭，超过35美元我是不可能接受的。”我们热情地握了握手。
这条心爱的独木舟曾载着我们经历过许多次的冒险——在缅因州一个湖上越岛作战，去冒险采摘过蓝莓，在月光下泛舟湖倾听潜鸟的吟唱。说实在话，我们对独木舟充满了爱心和关怀。
当我们的子女都长大不适合家庭野营时，我们的女儿将独木舟带到了大学。在学校的木工店，她做了一块新的中横坐板，换下了那块旧板。
店里的木匠无意间发现了一个小铜饰板，这么多年我们一家人谁也没有注意到。于是，我们发现我们的独木舟是1907年由缅因州维基市莫里斯轻舟公司生产的。几年后的一场大火使该公司变成了一片废墟。
因此，眼下我们的独木舟摇身一变，价值几千美元，成了收藏品。但对我们来说，独木舟的真正价值在于，我们家共同分享过的奇趣和珍藏在心间的回忆。我们将终生难忘我们的朋友——那位老太太，她不仅自己留下了点点滴滴的回忆，而且帮助我们走向了人生的第二步。
Schemes of Life often Illusory
Omar,the son of Hassan,had passed seventy-five years in honor and prosperity. His house is filled with gold and silver；and whenever he appeared,the benedictions of the people proclaimed his passage.
Terrestrial happiness is of short continuance,The brightness of the flame is wasting its fuel；the fragrant flower is passing away in its own odors. The vigor of Omar began to fail；the curls of beauty fell from his head；strength departed from his hands,and agility from his feet.He sought no other pleasure for the remainder of life than the converse of the wise and the gratitude of the good.
The powers of his mind were yet unimpaired. His chamber was filled by visitants,eager to catch the dictates of experience,and officious to pay the tribute of admiration.Caleb,the son of the viceroy of Egypt,entered every day early,and retired late.He was beautiful and eloquent；Omar admired his wit,and loved his docility.
“Tell me，”said Caleb，“thou to whose voice nations have listened,and whose wisdom is known to the extremities of Asia,tell me,how I may resemble Omar the prudent?The arts by which thou hast gained power and preserved it,are to thee no longer necessary or useful；impart to me the secret of thy conduct,and teach me the plan upon which thy wisdom has built thy fortune.”
“Young man，”said Omar，“it is of little use to form plans of life. When I took my first survey of the world,in my twentieth year,having considered the various conditions of mankind,in the hour of solitude I said thus to myself,leaning against a cedar which spread its branches over my head：'seventy years are allowed to man；I have yet fifty remaining.'
“Ten years I will allot to the attainment of knowledge,and ten I will pass in foreign countries；I shall be learned,and therefore I shall be honored；every city will shout at my arrival,and every student will solicit my friendship. Twenty years thus passed will store my mind with images which I shall be busy through the rest of my life in combining and comparing.I shall revel in inexhaustible accumulations of intellectual riches；I shall find new pleasures for every moment,and shall never more be weary of myself.
“I will not,however,deviate too far from the beaten track of life；but will try what can be found in female delicacy. I will marry a wife as beautiful as the houries,and wise as Zobeide；and with her I will live twenty years within the suburbs of Bagdad,in every pleasure that wealth can purchase,and fancy can invent.
“I will then retire to a rural dwelling,pass my days in obscurity and contemplation；and lie silently down on the bed of death. Through my life it shall be my settled resolution,that I will never depend on the smile of princes；that I will never stand exposed to the artifices of courts；I will never pant for public honors,nor disturb my quiet with the affairs of state.Such was my scheme of life,which I impressed indelibly upon my memory.
“The first part of my ensuing time was to be spent in search of knowledge,and I know not how I was diverted from my design. I had no visible impediments without,nor any ungovernable passion within.I regarded knowledge as the highest honor,and the most engaging pleasure；yet day stole upon day,and month glided after month,till I found that seven years of the first ten had vanished,and left nothing behind them.
“I now postponed my purpose of traveling；for why should I go abroad,while so much remained to be learned at home?I immured myself for four years,and studied the laws of the empire. The fame of my skill reached the judges：I was found able to speak upon doubtful questions,and I was commanded to stand at the footstool of the caliph.I was heard with attention；I was consulted with confidence,and the love of praise fastened on my heart.
“I still wished to see distant countries；listened with rapture to the relations of travelers,and resolved some time to ask my dismission,that I might feast my soul with novelty；but my presence was always necessary,and the stream of business hurried me along. Sometimes,I was afraid lest I should be charged with ingratitude；but I still proposed to travel,and therefore would not confine myself by marriage.
“In my fiftieth year,I began to suspect that the time of my traveling was past；and thought it best to lay hold on the felicity yet in my power,and indulge myself in domestic pleasures. But,at fifty,no man easily finds a woman beautiful as the houries,and wise as Zobeide.I inquired and rejected,consulted and deliberated,till the sixty-second year made me ashamed of wishing to marry.I had now nothing left but retirement；and for retirement I never found a time,till disease forced me from public employment.
“Such was my scheme,and such has been its consequence. With an insatiable thirst for knowledge,I trifled away the years of improvement；with a restless desire of seeing different countries,I have always resided in the same city；with the highest expectation of connubial felicity,I have lived unmarried；and with an unalterable resolution of contemplative retirement,I am going to die within the walls of Bagdad.”
人生的规划
奥尔马是哈桑的儿子，他在人们的爱戴和尊敬中度过了75年的岁月。他异常富有，无论何时，无论他走到哪里，总有人欢呼喝彩，向他祝福。
幸福终究只是暂时的，灯火通明也需要燃料的维持；繁花也不可能百日红艳——它们终有一天会枯萎凋谢。现在的奥尔马已是步入老年，精力不像当年那么旺盛。一缕白发从他的头上掉落，曾经强有力的手已不再有力，曾经敏捷的双脚也已步履蹒跚。权力和欲望已经不再是他所追求的事物，他现在只渴求理智与宽怀。
但奥尔马的才智并没有因为他的年迈体迈而减弱。在他的客厅里，总是高朋满座，他们都希望老奥尔马能够面授机宜，传授给他们一些经验和知识。他们对奥尔马充满了崇敬之情。埃及总督的儿子卡勒卜每天早早来到大厅，很晚才离开。他年轻英俊，善于雄辩。奥尔马欣赏他的才智，喜欢他的温顺与机敏。
“请您告诉我，”卡勒卜说，“许多国家都能听到您的声音，您的智慧为亚洲最远的国家所知。请您告诉我，我如何才能像您那样充满智慧，像您那样稳健、博学，而且为世人所敬仰呢？您获得并保持影响力的方法，对您来说已不再有用，那么您可不可以把这些秘密都告诉我，把您用聪明才智获得大量财富的计划都教给我？”
“年轻人，”奥尔马说，“制订生活计划是没有用的。当我二十几岁，第一次审视这个世界时，我是用孤独的眼光来观察人类的各种变化的。我靠着一株枝繁叶茂的柏树，自言自语道：‘一个人活70岁就算是高龄，我还剩下50年的人生。’
“于是，我打算用十年时间来获得知识，丰富自己的头脑，另外再用十年时间到国外旅行。这样，我就能明白一个道理，而且我将以此为豪。每个城市都会因为我的到来而欢呼，每个学生都将寻求我的友谊。这20年的时间，也让我产生这样的体会：我的余生将会忙于对各种事情的联合和比较。我将迷醉于无穷无尽的知识财富的积累，生活中的每一刻我都会找到乐趣，永远不会感到厌倦、疲劳。
“当然，我也不会偏离生活的轨道和足迹，去尝试女性的雅致所包含的真谛。我将娶一位像佐贝德那样美丽如仙、聪明伶俐的姑娘。她陪伴我在巴格达的郊区度过快乐的20年时光，享受所有能够用财富买来的快乐，尝试所有能够想出来的奇妙的想法。
“然后，我将隐居山林，过着低调且沉思的日子，一直到自己安静地离开人世。这会是我最后的归宿，我将不再依赖王子的微笑生存，我也不会在宫廷的虚伪中颤抖，我不再渴望公众对我的尊崇，也不会为了国家的事情扰乱平静的内心。这就是我的生活目标和规划，我将它们镌刻在我的记忆之中。
“首先要做的就是掌握知识，我不知道自己是如何偏离了当初的设计。我既没有可以看得见的障碍，也没有难以控制的热情。我把寻求知识看成是最崇高的事业，也是最开心的快乐。然而随着时间的流逝，我发现，我最开始的十年中，有7个年头全都被荒废了。
“现在，我只好推迟旅游计划，因为国内就有很多东西需要学习，我为什么还要去国外呢？我将自己禁闭了4年，在这4年间，我研究了帝国的法律。我拥有的知识已经比得上法官了，发现自己能解决许多疑难问题，于是，我被派去为哈里发服务。我开始用内心倾听，自信地说出自己的想法，获得称赞的喜悦之情很快占满了我的内心。
“我仍然希望远游他国，高兴地聆听旅行归来的人们谈论他们的所见所闻。我多次请求解除我的职务，这样我就可以享受新鲜事物的奇妙了。但是公务让我始终难以脱身，繁忙的事务总是源源不断地向我涌来。有时我害怕被人指责忘恩负义，缺乏感恩之情。但我还是希望能够出国旅游，因此，我不会让自己被婚姻束缚住。
“等到我50岁的时候，我开始意识到自己旅行的期望终将无法实现；虽然我将自己一生的岁月都用来追逐由影响力所产生的幸福，却未能享受到家庭的快乐。不过，50岁的人已经很难找到貌美如仙、聪明如佐贝德那样的姑娘了。我四处寻找，可每次都遭到拒绝，直到62岁时，我为自己这么一大把年纪还想结婚而感到羞愧。到这个时候，我一事无成，只能隐居。然而，我一直没有时间隐居，直到疾病迫使我辞去公职。
“这就是我的人生规划，这就是我的人生规划所产生的结果：对知识抱有永不满足的渴求，却浪费了自我提高和完善的时间；总是难以抑制地想周游列国，但是始终孑然一身一直生活在同一座城市；对幸福美满的婚姻怀有最高的愿望，但是一辈子没娶妻；坚定信念想隐居山林过宁静的生活，可现在我却只能在巴格达的高墙里遗憾终老。”