第7章 First Inaugural Address——Franklin Roosevelt

内容导读

何谓幸福？幸福不是一味地攫取，因为金钱只能求得物质上的满足，却包裹不住精神上的匮乏；幸福不是为了名声和地位孤注一掷，因为声名显赫只是金玉其外。幸福是付出，是奉献，是努力创造过程中的喜悦与激励。

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英文正文

Happiness lies not in the mere possession of money;it lies in the joy of achievement,in the thrill of creative effort.The joy and moral stimulation of work no longer must be forgotten in the mad chase of evanescent profits.These dark days will be worth all they cost us if they teach us that our true destiny is not to be ministered unto but to minister to ourselves and to our fellow men.

Recognition of the falsity of material wealth as the standard of success goes hand in hand with the abandonment of the false belief that public office and high political position are to be valued only by the standards of pride of place and personal profit;and there must be an end to aconduct in banking and in business which too often has given to asacred trust the likeness of callous and selfish wrongdoing.Small wonder that confidence languishes,for it thrives only on honesty,on honor,on the sacredness of obligations,on faithful protection,on unselfish performance;without them it cannot live.

中文译文

首次就职演说——富兰克林·罗斯福

幸福并不是单纯地建立在金钱的占有上，而在于取得成就后的欢悦，在于努力创造过程中的激情。一定不能忘记工作所带来的喜悦和激励，而去拼命追求过眼云烟的金钱。在这些灰暗的日子里，能使我们意识到，我们真正的命运不是要别人来侍奉，而是要为自己和同胞们服务。那么，我们所付出的代价就是完全值得的。

认识到把物质财富作为衡量成功的标准是错误的，我们就要抛弃那些以个人地位的显赫及个人的收益作为衡量公职和高级政治地位之唯一标准的错误概念。我们必须在银行界和商界制止这一行为，它常常使人把圣洁的信托视为无情和自私的不良行为。信心减弱不足为奇，因为它只能依靠诚实、信誉、忠心和无私责任来维持。如果没有这些，信心就不可能存活。

词汇速记

evanescent adj. 容易消散的；逐渐消失的

minister v. 辅助（或伺候）某人

callous adj. 无情的；麻木的

languish v. 凋萎，失去活力

美句欣赏

Happiness lies not in the mere possession of money;it lies in the joy of achievement,in the thrill of creative effort.幸福并不是单纯地建立在金钱的占有上，而在于取得成就后的欢悦，在于努力创造过程中的激情。