If You’re Wrong, Admit It
?戴尔·卡耐基 / Dale Carnegie
Within a minute’s walk of my house there was a wild stretch of virgin timber, where the blackberry thickets foamed white in the springtime, where the squirrels nested and reared their young, and the horseweeds grew as tall as a horse’s head. This unspoiled woodland was called Forest Park—and it was a forest, probably not much different in appearance from what it was when Columbus discovered America. I frequently walked in this park with Rex, my little Boston bulldog. He was a friendly, harmless little hound; and since we rarely met anyone in the park, I took Rex along without a leash or a muzzle.
One day we encountered a mounted policeman in the park, the policeman itching to show his authority.
“What do you mean by letting that dog run loose in the park without a muzzle and a leash?” he reprimanded me. “Don’t you know it’s against the law?”
“Yes, I know it is,” I replied softy, “but I didn’t think he would do any harm out here.”
“You didn’t think! You didn’t think! The law doesn’t give a tinker’s damn about what you think. That dog might kill a squirrel or bite a child. Now, I’m going to let you off this time; but if I catch this dog out here again without a muzzle and a leash, you’ll have to tell it to the judge.”
I meekly promised to obey.
And I did obey—for a few times. But Rex didn’t like the muzzle, and neither did I; so we decided to take a chance. Everything was lovely for a while, and then we struck a snag. Rex and I raced over the brow of a hill one afternoon and there, suddenly—to my dismay I saw the majesty of the law, astride a bay horse. Rex was out in front, heading straight for the officer.
I was in for it. I knew it. So I didn’t wait until the policeman started talking. I beat him to it. I said:“Officer, you’ve caught me red-handed. I’m guilty. I have no alibis, no excuses. You warned me last week that if I brought the dog out here again without a muzzle you would fine me.”
“Well, now,” the policeman responded in a soft tone. “I know it’s a temptation to let a little dog like that have a run out here when nobody is around.”
“Sure it’s a temptation,” I replied. “but it is against the law.”
“Well, a little dog like that isn’t going to harm anybody,” the policeman remonstrated.
“No, but he may kill squirrels,” I said.
“Well now, I think you are taking this a bit too seriously,” he told me.
“I’ll tell you what you do. You just let him run over the hill there where I can’t see him—and we’ll forget all about it.”
That policeman, being human, wanted a feeling of importance; so when I began to condemn myself, the only way he could nourish his self-esteem was to take the magnanimous attitude of showing mercy.
从我家的房子出发步行一分钟，就能看到一片野生林。到了春季，那里的黑莓丛便会开出一片片白色的花朵。小松鼠们在这片灌木丛中繁衍生息，而莴苣长得几乎和马儿一样高。这片还没有被开发的原始森林被称为森林公园——它确实是一片森林。或许从哥伦布发现新大陆起就不曾改变过。我经常牵着我的小波士顿哈巴狗雷克斯到公园里散步。小狗对人很友好，是个温驯的小家伙。因为我们在公园里很少遇到人，我从没有给它拴上狗链，或戴上口套。
一天，我们在公园里遇见了一位骑警—— 一位渴望发号施令的骑警。
“你为什么不给狗拴上狗链，还让它在这里到处乱跑？”他十分严厉地训斥我，“难道你不知道这样做触犯了法律吗？”
听了警官的话，我随即毕恭毕敬地说：“我知道，可是，我不认为小狗会伤害任何人。”
“你不那么认为！你不那么认为！法律可不容忍你有这种自以为是的看法。小狗也许会咬死小松鼠，甚至咬伤儿童。这次我就不处罚你了，如果下次让我看到你还没给狗戴上口套、拴上狗链的话，你就要被起诉了。”
我十分礼貌地答应照做。
我确实遵守了几次，可是雷克斯很讨厌被束缚的感觉，我又何尝不是呢？于是，我决定碰碰运气，又像从前那样带着雷克斯出来了。开始的几天，万事顺利，可不久麻烦就来了。一天下午，正当我带着雷克斯向一座小山坡上奔跑时，突然间，我又看到了那位骑警。而雷克斯正朝着他的方向奔去。
这下可麻烦了，我知道后果。我没等那位警官开口，便抢先说：“警官先生，这次又被您看见了，我承认，我有罪。对此，我没有任何借口。 您上周警告过我，如果我还是没拴狗就出来，您一定会严惩我。”
听了我的话，那位警官十分和蔼地说：“在一个人迹罕至的地方，让心爱的宠物尽情玩耍也是很有诱惑力的。”
“没错，是很诱人，可我还是违反了法律。”我回答道。
“不，这么小的狗不会有什么危险的。”警官说道。
“可是，它也许会咬到松鼠。”我说道。
“哎，我想也许你把这件事看得过于严肃了。”警官说道。
“照我的话去做吧，你让它跑过这座小山，直至我看不到为止。这样一来问题就解决了，我们谁也不用在意了。”
作为人，警官也需要得到一种被重视的感觉。因此，当我开始在他面前谴责自己的时候，唯一能满足他自尊心的就是展示他宽宏大量的一面。
1. I frequently_______in this park with Rex, my little Boston bulldog. He was a_______, harmless little hound; and since we rarely_______anyone in the park, I took Rex along_______a leash or a muzzle.
2. And I_______obey—for a few times. But Rex didn’t like the muzzle, and_______did I; so we decided to take a_______. Everything was lovely for a while, and then we_______a snag. Rex and I raced over the brow of a_______one afternoon and there, suddenly—to my dismay I_______the majesty of the law, astride a bay_______. Rex was out in front, heading straight_______the officer.
1. 从我家的房子出发步行一分钟，就能看到一片野生林。
2. 小狗对人很友好，是个温驯的小家伙。
3. 作为人，警官也需要得到一种被重视的感觉。
1. So we decided to take a chance.
take a chance：投机；冒险
2. So when I began to condemn myself...
condemn myself：自责