《钻石宝地》之致富的奥秘
Russell. H. Conwell/拉塞尔·H·康维尔
The best thing can do is to illustrate by actual facts well-known to you all. A. T. Stewart，a poor boy in New York，had l.50 to begin life on. He lost 87.5 cents of that on the very first venture. How fortunate that young man who loses the first time he gambles. That boy said，“I will never gamble again in business，”and he never did. How came he to lose 87.5 cents? You probably all know the story how he lost it—because he bought some needles，threads，and buttons to sell which people did not want，and had them left on his hands，a dead loss. Said the boy，“I will not lose any more money in that way.”Then he went around first to the doors and asked the people what they did want. Then when he had found out what they wanted he invested his 62.5 cents to supply a known demand. Study it wherever you choose—in business，in your profession，in your housekeeping，whatever your life，that one thing is the secret of success.You must first know the demand. You must first know what people need，and then invest yourself where you are most needed. A. T. Stewart went on that principle until he was worth what amounted afterward to forty millions of dollars，owning the very store in which Mr. Wanamaker carries on his great work in NewYork. His fortune was made hy his losing something，which taught him the great lesson that he must only invest himself or his money in something that people need. When will you salesmen learn it? When will you manufacturers learn that you must know the changing needs of humanity if you would succeed in life?Apply yourselves，all you Christian people，as manufacturers or merchants or workmen to supply that human need. It is a great principle as broad as humanity and as deep as the Scripture itself.
The best illustration I ever heard was of John Jacoh Astor. You know that he made the money of the Astor family when he lived in New York. He came across the sea in debt for his fare.But that poor hoy with nothing in his pocket made the fortune of the Astor family on one principle. Some young man here tonight will say，“Well they could make those fortunes over in New York but they could not do it in Philadelphia!”My friends，did you ever read that wonderful book of Riis，wherein is given his statistical account of the records taken in 1889 of 107 millionaires of New York. If you read the account you will see that out of the 107 millionaires only seven made their money in New York.Out of the l07 millionaires worth ten million dollars in real estate then，67 of them made their money in towns of less than 3，500 inhabitants. The richest man in this country today，if you read the real estate values，has never moved away from a town of 3，500 inhabitants. It makes not so much difference where you are as who you are. But if you cannot get rich in Philadelphia you certainly cannot do it in New York.
我所能做的、证明这个道理的最佳方式，就是给你们讲一个众所周知的实例。斯图亚特是纽约的一个穷孩子，他最开始谋生的时候，只有1.5美元。做第一笔生意时，他就赔了87.5美分。第一次冒险就失败的年轻人是多么幸运啊！他说：“我再也不会在生意上冒险了。”他确实也做到了。他是怎么损失这87.5美分的呢？你们可能都知道这个故事——因为他买了一些针、线和纽扣，卖给那些不需要的人，结果都压在手里，成了废物。他说：“我再也不会像这样糟蹋钱了。”然后他就挨家挨户地问人们需要什么。当他弄清楚之后，就用剩下的62.5美分来满足人们的需求。
无论你选择做什么——做生意、上班、做家务，生活中的任何事，都要认真地研究，这就是成功的秘诀。你必须首先了解需求，知道人们需要什么，然后投身到最需要你的领域中去。斯图亚特先生一直都遵循这个原则，后来他赚了4，000万美元；现在，在纽约他所开的商店里，沃纳梅克先生正在继续着他那伟大的事业。他的财富是从损失中得来的，他也从中吸取到了一个重要的教训：必须要把资金和精力投入到人们的需要之中去。推销员们，你们什么时候才能领会到这一点呢？制造商们，你们什么时候才能明白，如果想成功，就一定要了解人们不断变化的需求？所有的人，所有的基督徒，无论是制造商、商人，还是工人，都应满足人们的需要。这个伟大的原则就像《圣经》的经文一样意义深远，它适用于全人类。
我所知道的最好的例子，是关于约翰·雅各布·阿斯特的。你们知道，他在纽约时，为阿斯特家族创造了巨额财富。他当初是借钱买船票漂洋过海而来的，但这个身无分文的穷孩子，凭着一个原则，创造了阿斯特家族的奇迹。今晚在场的某个年轻人会说：“他们在纽约能创造财富，但在费城就做不到！”朋友们，你们读过里斯写的那本精彩的书吗？书中记载了1889年纽约的107个百万富翁的数据资料。如果你们看过这些记录就会发现，在这107个富翁中，只有7位是在纽约发家的。这107个百万富翁都拥有超过1，000万美元的不动产，其中有67人是在不足3，500人的小镇上发家的。如果你读一读这些不动产的数据的话，就会发现，这个国家现在最富有的人，毕生都没有离开过只有3，500户居民的小镇。这就说明，你是谁，或者你在哪里，并不是那么重要；如果你在费城赚不到钱的话，在纽约你也同样赚不到。
导读
拉塞尔·H·康维尔，美国著名律师、作家、演讲大师。《钻石宝地》是根据他在家乡费城的一次著名演讲整理而成。自问世以来，一直畅销不衰。其中所倡导的关于自我与梦想的观点影响了无数的读者，帮助许多寻梦的美国人实现了自己的愿望。
单词注解
gamble [5^Ambl] v.赌博；打赌
invest [in5vest] v.投(资)；耗费，投入
amount [E5maunt] n.总数；总额
wherein [(h)wZEr5in] adv.在何处；在哪方面，在哪一点上
statistical [stE5tistikEl] adj.统计的；统计学的
诵读名句
You must first know what people need，and then invest yourself where you are most needed.
Apply yourselves，all you Christian people，as manufacturers or merchants orworkmen to supply that human need It is a great principle as broad as humanity and as deep as the Scripture itself.