The merely professional man is narrow; worse than that, he is in a sense an artificial man, a creature of technicalities and specialties, removed alike from the broad truth of nature and from the healthy influence of human converse. In society, the most accomplished man of mere professional skill is often a nullity; he has sunk his personality in his dexterity.
As Nature tries every way to induce us to obey her laws by rewarding their observance with health, pleasure and happiness, and punishes their violation by pain and disease, so she resorts to every means to induce us to expand and develop the great possibilities she has implanted within us. She nerves us to the struggle, beneath which all great blessings are buried, and beguiles the tedious marches by holding up before us glittering prizes, which we may almost touch, but never quite possess. She covers up her ends of discipline by trial, of character building through suffering by throwing a splendor and glamour over the future; lest the hard, dry facts of the present dishearten us, and she fail in her great purpose. As a mother teaches her baby to walk, by holding up a toy at a distance, not that the child may reach the toy, but that it may develop its muscles and strength, compared with which the toys are mere baubles; so Nature goes before us through life, tempting us with higher and higher toys, but ever with one object in view—the development of the man.
卢梭说：“按照自然的法则，每个人都是平等的，很好地表现人性是人类共同的责任。任何一个受过良好教育的人都会很好地完成一切与他相关的工作。不论我的学生将来会成为军人、牧师，还是律师，对我来说都相差无几。我所要教给他们的是要堂堂正正地活着。当一个人完成教育生涯，他不会是一位军人，不会是一名律师，也不会成为一名神职人员，但他首先会是一个堂堂正正的人。不论命运为他作了怎样的安排，他都很乐观，并会很快地找到自己的位置。”
美国第二十任总统詹姆斯·加菲尔德在孩提时期被问及长大后的愿望，当时他这样回答：“首先，我要让自己成为一个堂堂正正的人，假如我做不到这一点，那么任何事情都不会做成功。”
现今世界迫切地需要优秀的人才。未来的人们应具有超强的能力，以承受来自文明高度集中的社会所带来的紧张生活和压力。他们必须精力充沛，身体健康，而仅没有疾病不能说是真正的健康。只有拥有足够的力量源泉，而不是一杯半盏，才能让未来的生活和前途不滑入低谷。一个人只有身体健康，才会因自身的存在而欢欣雀跃；他的生命才会五彩斑斓；他才会感受到跳动的脉搏穿梭全身；才会从各个方面来感受生命的喜悦，像狗在原野上撒欢，或者孩子们在冰原上滑行一样。
作为医生，对待病人应该温和体贴；作为律师，应该身无债务；作为政治家，应该坦诚地进行选举；作为穷人，应该勤勉努力。
只有当一个人能够满足自己，不需要借助拐杖或引导者也能往前走的时候，他才会觉得很快乐。
“运动员的身体以及圣人的灵魂，”伏尔泰写信给爱尔维修时说，“是我们开心快乐的必要保证。”
在各类工作中，我们的确拥有了更好的技术和忠诚，可是它们往往是以精神和道德的损害为代价而发展的。
一个纯粹的技术人员，他的思想是狭隘的。更糟糕的是，从一定程度来讲，他只是一个机器人，一种技术与专长结合在一起的生物，他已经远离了人性中最主要的情感交流。在社会生活中，那些仅仅在专业技能上有非凡成就的人，往往是不具备生活能力的人；他的灵巧已把他的个性埋没其中。
人类的天性尝试着各种方法，来引导我们遵从她的规律。她以健康、快乐和幸福作为对人类遵从其规则的回报，以痛苦和疾病来作为对人类不遵从其规则的惩罚。因此，她凭借引导我们的每一种方法，来延伸、发展其所灌输给我们的遵守规律的最大可能性。她激励我们去奋斗。她将所有美好的祝福蕴含在其中作为奖励，将祝福高高地悬挂在我们前方，引导着我们努力前进。而这些极具诱惑力的奖励，或许是我们都能触摸到的，也可能是永远也不能拥有的。人类的天性以各种考验作为她训练的结尾，以光明的未来抚慰饱经磨难的性格，以此来避免艰难、枯燥的现实会使我们失去勇气，而导致她的伟大目标失败。就像一位母亲教她的孩子学走路一样，她会在远处拿着一个玩偶，目的不是为了让孩子得到玩偶，而是为了锻炼孩子的肌肉和力量，至于是什么样的玩偶则无关紧要。所以，天性在我们生命过程的前方，举着越来越好的玩偶来诱导我们，而最后的目标始终清晰可见，那就是——我们所得到的成就。
人的一生，首先要学会的是堂堂正正地做人，否则做任何事都不会成功。
pulpit ['pulpit] n. 讲道坛；控制台；操纵台；控制室
The eloquent and ornate carving on a church pulpit was done by
Indian hands.
在教堂讲坛上面的装饰华丽的雕刻品是出自印第安人之手。
fountain ['fauntin] n. 喷泉；泉水；泉
She dabbled her fingers in the fountain.
她用手指在喷泉中玩水。
demagogue ['demgg] n. 煽动者；群众煽动者；煽动家；政治鼓动家
The demagogue has won people's support.
那个鼓动者赢得了人们的支持。
dexterity [deks'teriti] n. 机巧；灵巧；机敏
Dexterity comes by experience.
熟练来自经验。
按照自然的法则，每个人都是平等的，很好地表现人性是人类共同的责任。
只有当一个人能够满足自己，不需要借助拐杖或引导者也能往前走的时候，他才会觉得很快乐。
在各类工作中，我们的确拥有了更好的技术和忠诚，可是它们往往是以精神和道德的损害为代价而发展的。
She covers up her ends of discipline by trial, of character building through suffering by throwing a splendor and glamour over the future...
cover up：掩盖；隐藏；包住
...but that it may develop its muscles and strength, compared with which the toys are mere baubles.
compare with：与……相比较；与……比较；与……相比（同类事物）
生活态度最重要
One抯 Life Attitude is Important
拉塞尔·康威 / Russell Conwell
I was attending a seminar in Sydney in April and picked up a lecture note. In it was a reflection on "Attitude".
Let me quote the anonymous writer:
"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than fact. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, intelligence or skill. It will make or break a company, a church or a home.
"The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is to play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude.
"I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it. And so it is with you. You are in charge of your attitude."
This means that no matter what happens to you, it is how you react or respond to it that is important.