Diana was the very essence of compassion，of duty，of style，of beauty. All over the world she was a symbol of selfless humanity. All over the world，a standard bearer for the rights of the truly downtrodden，a very British girl who transcended nationality. Someone with a natural nobility，who was classless and who proved in the last year that she needed no royal title to continue to generate her particular brand of magic. Today is our chance to say thank you for the way you brightened our lives，even though God granted you but half a life. We will all feel cheated always that you were taken from us so young and yet we must learn to be grateful that you came along at all. Only now that you are gone do we truly appreciate what we are now without and we want you to know that life without you is very，very difficult.
Your joy for life transmitted wherever you took your smile and the sparkle in those unforgettable eyes. Your boundless energy which you could barely contain. But your greatest gift was your intuition and it was a gift you used wisely. This is what underpinned all your other wonderful attributes and if we look to analyse what it was about you that had such a wide appeal we find it in your instinctive feel for what was really important in all our lives.
And here we come to another truth about her. For all the status，the glamour，the applause，Diana remained throughout a very insecure person at heart，almost childlike in her desire to do good for others so she could release herself from deep feelings of unworthiness，of which her eating disorders were merely a symptom. The world sensed this part of her character and cherished her for her vulnerability whilst admiring her for her honesty. The last time I saw Diana was on July 1st，her birthday，in London，when typically she was not taking time to celebrate her special day with friends，but was guest of honour at a special charity fund raising evening. She sparkled of course，but I would rather cherish the days I spent with her in March when she came to visit me and my children at my home in South Africa.
I am proud of the fact that，apart from when she was on display meeting President Mandela，we managed to contrive to stop the ever present paparazzi from getting a single picture of her. That meant a lot to her. These were days I will always treasure. It was as if we had been transported back to our childhood，when we spent such an enormous time together—the two youngest in the family.
I would like to end by thanking God for the small mercies he has shown us at this dreadful time. For taking Diana at her most beautiful and radiant and when she had joy in her private life. Above all we give thanks for the life of a woman I am so proud to be able to call my sister，the unique，the complex，the extraordinary and irreplaceable Diana whose beauty，both internal and external，will never be extinguished from our minds.
今天，我作为一个悲恸的家庭代表，站在你们面前，站在一个受到震惊的世界面前，站在一个举国哀悼的国度里。我们团结在一起，不仅是为了向戴安娜表达我们的敬意，更是因为我们需要这样做。这就是她的魅力，全世界几千万从没有跟她会过面的民众通过电视和收音机参加这次葬礼，他们都感到在这个星期天的早晨失去了一个可亲的人。对戴安娜来说，这个殊荣比我今天希望表达的悼词要强烈和深刻得多。
戴安娜凝聚着怜悯，责任，品格和美丽。在全世界她都是无私人性的象征；是维护被践踏者的权益的旗手，是一个跨越国界的英伦姑娘。她有着自然的高贵，她是无阶级的，并且在她生命的最后一个年头已经证明，她不需要皇室的头衔仍能散发出独特的、属于她的魅力。今天我们有机会对她说，谢谢你点亮了我们的生命，尽管上帝只给予了你半个生命。每当想到你这么年轻就离开了我们，就禁不住有受骗的感觉，但想到你毕竟来过这个世界，我们又应当学会感恩。正是因为你现在的离去才使我们真正地珍惜我们现在没有的。我们想让你知道，没有你的生活是非常非常艰难的。
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第一章 Stay Hungry，Stay Foolish (9)
无论在哪里，你的一颦一笑，你那令人难忘的眼神，总把生命的欢愉传给别人。你旺盛不竭的精力好像超出了你身体的蕴涵。但是你最大的天赋是你的直觉，你智慧地运用了这个天赋，而你的天赋又成为你其他美好品质的基础。如果我们仔细地分析，你为什么如此有魅力，我们发现你对于所有人生命中最重要的东西有着本能的直觉。
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这里我们可以看到她身上的另一个事实。不管社会地位怎么显赫，怎么光彩夺目，人们怎么颂扬，戴安娜内心里始终是一个缺乏安全感的人，她像孩子似的竭力为别人做点好事以解脱她内心深受贬抑、轻视的痛苦，她的厌食也是源于这种忧郁心情的一个病症。全世界都感受到了这一点，并因她的脆弱而珍惜她，同时也因为她的诚实而敬仰她。我最后一次见到戴安娜是在7月1日——她的生日会上。在伦敦，她像往常一样，并没有跟朋友们一起庆祝这个特别的日子，而是作为嘉宾出席了一个慈善募捐晚会。当然那晚她光彩夺目，但我更愿意回想今年3月我们相处的日子，那时她到南非来看我和我的孩子们。
我为之骄傲的一点是，除了她与曼德拉总统的公开会面之外，我们成功地阻止了无处不在的记者的偷拍。这对她非常重要。我将永远怀念那些日子。那些日子就像我们又回到了童年，有很多年我们生活在一起，我和她是家里最小的两个孩子。
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我要感谢上帝，感谢他在这可怕的时候给予我们的一点慈悲，在戴安娜最美丽、最耀眼的时候，在她的私人生活最快乐的时候将她带走。最后，我要感谢这个我骄傲地称之为姐姐的女性的生命，感谢独特的、难解的、非凡的、无可替代的戴安娜，她的美丽，无论是内在的还是外在的，都将在我们心中永存。
导读
1997年8月31日，36岁的英国王妃戴安娜在巴黎撞车身亡。全球为之扼腕。一个星期后，戴安娜的弟弟斯宾塞伯爵代表家族发表了这篇发自肺腑的演讲。
单词注解
grief [^ri:f] n.悲痛
essence [5esns] n.精华
transmit [trAnz5mit] v.传递
vulnerability [9vQlnErE`bilEti] n.易受伤，脆弱
radiant [5reidjEnt] adj.光芒四射的，美艳的
诵读名句
Diana was the very essence of compassion，of duty，of style，of beauty.
The world sensed this part of her character and cherished her for her vulnerability whilst admiring her for her honesty.
Only now that you are gone do we truly appreciate what we are now without and we want you to know that life without you is very，very difficult.
第一章 The Fringe Benefits of Failure，and the Importance of Imagination
哈利·波特的缔造者J·k·罗琳：失败的好处和想象的重要性
J.k.Rowling/J·k·罗琳
I was convinced that the only thing I wanted to do，ever，was to write novels. However，my parents，both of whom came from impoverished backgrounds and neither of whom had been to college，took the view that my overactive imagination was an amusing personal quirk that could never pay a mortgage，or secure a pension.
They had hoped that I would take a vocational degree；I wanted to study English Literature. A compromise was reached that in retrospect satisfied nobody，and I went up to study Modern Languages. Hardly had my parents’ car rounded the corner at the end of the road than I ditched German and scuttled off down the Classics corridor. I cannot remember telling my parents that I was studying Classics；they might well have found out for the first time on graduation day. Of all subjects on this planet，I think they would have been hard put to name one less useful than Greek mythology when it came to securing the keys to an executive bathroom.