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Sunday, November 18, 2007

Death 死亡,Decisions 決定,Diligence 殷勤,Discipline 紀律

DEATH 死亡
When Robert Owen, the notorious freethinker, visited Alexander Campbell to arrange the preliminaries for the great debate that was to follow, they walked about the farm till they came to the family burying ground. “There is one advantage I have over the Christian,” boasted Mr. Owen. “I am not afraid to die. Most Christians have fear in death, but, if some few items of my business were settled, I should be perfectly willing to die at any moment.” “Well,” replied Mr. Campbell, “you say you have no fear in death; have you any hope in death?” “No,” said Mr. Owen after a thoughtful pause. “Then,” said Mr. Campbell, pointing to an ox standing nearby, “you are on a level with that animal. He has eaten till he is satisfied, stands in the shade whisking off the flies, and has neither hope nor fear in death.” (from Illustrations of Bible Truths # 854)
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Advances Elusive in the Drive to Cure Cancer
Published: April 23, 2009

In 1971, flush with the nation’s success in putting a man on the Moon, President Richard M. Nixon announced a new goal. Cancer would be cured by 1976, the bicentennial.

When 1976 came and went, the date for a cure, or at least substantial progress, kept being put off. It was going to happen by 2000, then by 2015.

Cancer has always been an expensive priority. Since the war on cancer began, the National Cancer Institute, the federal government’s main cancer research entity, with 4,000 employees, has alone spent $105 billion. And other government agencies, universities, drug companies and philanthropies have chipped in uncounted billions more.

Yet the death rate for cancer, adjusted for the size and age of the population, dropped only 5 percent from 1950 to 2005. In contrast, the death rate for heart disease dropped 64 percent in that time, and for flu and pneumonia, it fell 58 percent.

But difficulties arise when cancer spreads, and, often, it has by the time of diagnosis. That is true for the most common cancers as well as rarer ones.

With breast cancer, for example, only 20 percent with metastatic disease — cancer that has spread outside the breast, like to bones, brain, lungs or liver — live five years or more, barely changed since the war on cancer began.

With colorectal cancer, only 10 percent with metastatic disease survive five years. That number, too, has hardly changed over the past four decades. The number has long been about 30 percent for metastatic prostate cancer, and in the single digits for lung cancer.

A recent New York Times/CBS News poll found the public divided about progress. Older people, more likely to have friends or relatives who had died of cancer, were more dubious — just 26 percent said a lot of progress had been made. The figure was 40 percent for middle-aged people, who may be more likely to know people who, with increased screening, had received a cancer diagnosis and seemed fine.

Full text: Advances Elusive in the Drive to Cure Cancer
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你想一個人需要多少生命的保險金?「足夠讓他的家人生活得以供應,但不至于太多到叫他們過於高興,以致忘了悲傷。

“How much life insurance do you think a man ought to carry?”

“Enough to keep his family from want, but not so much as to make them utterly impervious to grief.” (More Toasts, Gertrude Stein)
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那是一個瀕死的鏡頭,但導演不滿意演員英X的演出。「拜托」 導演大喊「多放些精力在你快死的邊緣上」

It was a death-bed scene, but the director was not satisfied with the hero’s acting.

“Come on!” he cried. “Put more life in your dying!”
(More Toasts, Gertrude Stein)
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有一位老財主因為急性心臟病而逝世,當他來到耶穌前時就大發牢騷,埋怨說:「全能的主阿!今天你叫我回來,我一點也不埋怨你,我甘心順服;但有一件事,我無法諒解,為什麼叫我回來以前,不先給我一個通知?叫我好有心理準備,對後代也可以有個交待阿!」主溫柔回答他說:「我曾寫了三封信給你,提醒你預備好回天家阿!」財主很驚訝的回答說:「主,沒有阿!我絕對沒收到。」主說:「你注意聽,第一封信是我讓你腰酸背病;第二封信是你的頭髮開始斑白;第三封信是你的牙齒逐漸脫落。這些都是提醒你快回天家的信號阿!怎麼說我沒有通知你呢?」
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偉大的查理王︵Charlemagne,七匹二|八一四︶統治大部份的歐洲,他吩咐部下當他死的時候,不要按照傳統,並要求他們為他穿戴王服,坐在王座去埋葬,他的部下照辦了,並在他的膝上放一本聖經,而他的指頭指在馬太福音十六章廿六節:一個人就是贏得了全世界,卻賠上自己的生命,有什麼益處呢?﹂他當然不能夠用世界上任何事物來換取自己的生命。
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Quotes引證 :
讓我們活得多彩多姿,好讓我們臨終時,照顧我們的人都覺得遺憾。(馬可吐溫)
Let us endeavor so to live that when we come to die even the caretaker will be sorry. Mark Twain

當你沒有錢的時候,你為食物煩惱;當你有錢的時候,你為性而煩惱;當你兩者都有的時候,你為健康煩惱。如果什麼都很好的時候,那麼你只怕死。 (J. P. Donleavy)
When you don’t have any money, the problem is food. When you have money, it’s sex. When you have both, it’s health. If everything is simply jake, then you’re frightened of death. J. P. Donleavy

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DECISIONS 決定
有個人他有四個兒子,他要他的孩子們學習,不可太快下結論。所以他就要求他的孩子們去遠方尋找一棵梨子樹。第一個兒子,出發時是冬天,第二個兒子去時是春天,第三個兒子去時是夏天,小兒子去時是秋天。當他們去了又回來後,他召集他們來形容他們所見到的。

第一個兒子說那是棵很醜,彎曲並扭轉的枝條。第二個兒子說:「哦, 不是的,那是棵長滿綠苞蕾,充滿希望的梨子樹。第三個兒子回答」 不對,那是棵開滿漂亮花朵,聞起來滿有香味,那是他所看過最美麗優雅的樹。小兒子不同意所有的說法。他說那棵是果子過熟的樹。之後,父親告訴他們每一個兒子所見的都是對的。每個人所見的是不同季節梨子樹所出現的樣式。所以在人生中,不要錯過每一個片段。不要只在一個時期,判斷一棵樹,一個人,人生的喜怒哀樂,只有蓋棺定論,即如你若在冬天放棄了盼望,你就看不到春天的新希望,夏天的美麗及秋天的豐收。

There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away. The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in the fall. When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen.

The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted. The second son said no it was covered with green buds and full of promise.The third son disagreed; he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and the man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen but only one season in the tree’s life, drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment. He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that the essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up. If you give up when it’s winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, fulfilment of your fall.
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「我從不會忘記當我第一次在醫院工作時的經驗。」舊金山中心緊急醫院主治外科醫生Millar如此說。「當時有個還是大學生的實習護士在隔離病房工作。那是一個有暴力的事件,一個病人正處在最糟糕好似醉酒妄想的狀態中,我在半夜被護士長叫醒,要我立刻趕到病房,當我去到那病房時,病人正在發瘋,而且有暴力傾向,而那新護士是嚇壞了,我趕快問護士,」為什么會到如此情況呢?我不是告訴你當病人有幻想癥兆時,趕緊給他吃藥,「是的醫生」那護士如此說,「但你是說當他看到蛇時,才給他吃藥,而他卻是看到藍色的狗帶著粉紅色的尾巴。」

“I will never forget my first experience in hospital work,” said Chief Surgeon Millar of the Central Emergency Hospital in San Francisco. “There was an undergraduate nurse in the detention ward, and we had a very violent case—a man in the worst stage of delirium tremens. I was awakened in the middle of the night by the head nurse who requested me to come at once to the patient. When I got there I found him raving and very violent, with the new nurse scared out of her wits.” Then the doctor said, “Why did you let him go so far? I left you some medicine to give him as soon as he got delirious.” “Yes, doctor,” the nurse replied, “but you told me to give that to him if he saw any more snakes, but this time he was seeing blue dogs with pink tails.” (from Illustrations of Bible Truths # 874)
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有個人有一小塊的土地,他找個土地代理人要他作廣告賣地。當廣告做好了,土地代理人念給他聽,「 再念一遍」,土地代理人又念一遍,「 我想我是不會賣掉這塊地,因為這土地你所形容的,正是我長久以來所尋找的。」

A man who owned a small estate sent for an agent and asked him to write an advertisement offering it for sale. When the advertisement was ready, the agent read it to him. “Read that again,” said the owner. The agent read it once more. “I don’t think I will sell after all,” said the man. “I have been looking for an estate like that all my life and did not know that I owned it.” (from Illustrations of Bible Truths # 876)
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一位年輕律師在撰寫一份合約,他很滿意的帶給一位年長並有智慧的參謀者檢驗。他很驚訝參謀者慢慢的唸,並且搖頭的說「這是一份很好的合約,john,寫得太棒了」,年長參謀檢驗者把合約交回年輕律師的當時說「John,你忘記對方了,一份好的合約一定要包含與對方相等的權利。「我們不會是公正的,如果我們只想到自己的好處,卻忽略對方的益處。」

A young lawyer negotiated a contract of which he was rather proud and took it to an old and wise counselor for his examination. To his surprise the old man, as he read it slowly, shook his head. “That is a great contract, John. It is most skillfully drawn,” he remarked as he handed it back. “But, John, you have forgotten the other fellow. No contract is sound which neglects the rights or the equities of any party to it.” We are not righteous if we think only of our own rights and neglect the rights of others. (from Illustrations of Bible Truths # 701)
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倆位牧者在討論何為信心的議題,那是很火熱的辯論,「那是很好的」一位牧者鎮定的說道「 我們都同意不同意的論調,是在成全神的工作---- 你是走你的道路,而我是走神的道路。」

Two ministers, given to arguing about their respective faiths, were in a very heated discussion. “That’s all right,” said one calmly. “We’ll just agree to disagree. After all, we’re both doing the Lord’s work— you in your way and I in His.” (from Illustrations of Bible Truths # 521)
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北宣因為搬到康澤大廈的事開過多次會議,其中一次僅僅為了討論講台應該如何設計,就開會至凌晨 一時三刻,足足 九個小時!講台應該有多高、多長、多寬,什麼裝,講台與會眾座位之間的距離,鉅細無遺!蕭壽華 (滕近輝,都是恩典,236頁)
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你不會懷疑少數服從多數的智慧吧 ?「哦」參議員Sorghum在深思熟慮後如此反應」 什么是多數,在許多的例子中就是大多數的人已煩得不想再麻煩自己去思考,因而去接受他人的意見」。

“You don’t mean to tell me you ever doubt the wisdom of the majority?”

“Well,” responded Senator Sorghum with deliberation, “what is a majority? In many instances it is only a large number of people who have got tired out trying to think for themselves and have decided to accept somebody else’s opinion.”
(More Toasts, Gertrude Stein)
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有一天,警察攔下了一位衝過「四方停止」的指示牌的摩托騎士,剛要開罰單給他時,他開口了,
摩托騎士:「警察先生,你不能開罰單,因為我雖然沒有停下但我慢下來了,兩個是差不多的意思」
警察回答說:「你沒有停下來啊!」
摩托騎士回答:「路上車輛不多,很安全啊!」警察此時拿起警棍打那騎士,
他很驚訝的叫起來:「你在幹甚麼?」
警察回答說:「你要我慢下來還是停下來呢?」

One day a policeman stopped a motorist who had just gone through a four way stop sign and was about to give him a ticket when the motorist said. “Officer you can't give me a ticket for that!' “Why not” said the officer. “Because although I did not stop I slowed right down and its almost the same.” “But you did not stop” replied the officer, “and the sign says "STOP." “But the way was clear and it was safe” replied the motorist. The officer then pulls out his baton and starts hitting the motorist. “What are you doing!” yells the motorist in surprise. “Do you want me to slow down or stop” says the officer.
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有一個魚商放了一個招牌,上面寫著:「新鮮的魚在此賣掉」(“Fresh fish sold here.”)。有一個顧客很訝異地進前來問:「為什麼你在招版上寫『新鮮』兩個字?大家都知道你的魚是新鮮的,或者你的魚有腥味嗎?」「當然不會!」魚商十分同意便趕快把「新鮮」兩字給塗掉。過了不久,又來了另一個顧客說:「為什麼你要在招牌上寫『在此』兩個字?難道你還會在其他地方賣你的魚嗎?」「你說得有道理!」魚商十分同意便趕快把「在此」兩字給塗掉。後來又有一個顧客抱怨:「『賣掉』什麼叫『賣掉』?你一定不致於把所有的魚賣到一條不剩吧!」「當然不致於!」魚商十分同意便趕快把「賣掉」兩字給塗掉。最後,一個老婦人蹣跚地走來看到這招牌的時候,用低沈沙啞的聲音說:「『魚』?你根本不必做什麼廣告,相信我,大老遠就可以聞到這些魚的味道。」魚商就把招牌給舉起來,拿起刷子把『魚』字也給塗掉了。

A fish dealer put on a sign reading: “Fresh fish sold here.” A customer came in and asked in surprise, “Why did you put the word “fresh” on your sign? It’s understood your fish are fresh - or do they stink?” “Of course not!” agreed the fish dealer, and hurriedly paint out the word “fresh.” A little while later another customer came in and commented, “Why do you need the word ‘here’ on your sign? Where else could you be selling your fish?” “You’re right!” agreed the fish dealer, and he painted out the word “here.” Later, another customer complained, “Sold! What do you mean, ‘sold’? Surely you’re not giving away any of your fish!” “Indeed not!” agreed the fish dealer, and he painted out the word “sold.” Finally, an old lady hobbled in. She saw the sign, and croaked in a thin voice, “Fish?” You don’t need to advertise your fish! Believe me, you can smell them a mile away.” The fish dealer heaved a deep sigh, picked up his brush and painted out the word “fish.”
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A wealthy eccentric died and left a million dollars to his nephew, John. When the will was read at the lawyer’s office, the lawyer said to John, “According to your uncle’s instructions, payment of your inheritance will depend on choices that you must make.” The lawyer held his two fists out in front of him and asked, “Do you choose what is in my right hand or in my left hand?”

John decided to take what was in the attorney’s right hand. The lawyer opened his left hand to reveal a gold coin and a silver coin. “Had you chosen this hand,” he said, “you would have received a substantial share in a gold mine or a silver mine in Chile.” Then he opened his right hand to reveal a nut and a coffee bean. “These represent a million dollars’ worth of nuts or coffee from Brazil,” said the attorney. “Which do you choose?” John decided on the nuts.
A week went by before John arrived in Brazil to take charge of his holdings. In the interim, fire destroyed a huge warehouse where the nuts that John had inherited were stored and coffee prices doubled. Since John hadn’t gotten around to insuring his holdings, he soon was bankrupt.
He barely had enough for his airfare home to New York or Los Angeles, where he could stay with a friend. He chose Los Angeles.
Just before he took off, the New York plane came out on the runway—it was a brand-new super jet. For the connecting flight to Los Angeles, the plane was a 1928 Ford trimotor with a sway back that took half a day to get off the ground. It was filled with crying children and tethered goats. Over the Andes one engine fell off. Our man crawled up to the cockpit and said, “Let me out if you want to save your lives. Give me a parachute.”
The pilot agreed but said, “On this airline, anybody who bails out must wear two chutes.”
John jumped from the plane and as he fell he tried to make up his mind which rip cord to pull. Finally he chose the one on the left. It was rusty, and the wire pulled loose. He pulled the other handle. The chute opened, but its shroud lines snapped. In desperation the poor fellow cried out, “St. Francis save me!”
Suddenly a great hand reached down from Heaven, seized the poor man’s wrist and let him dangle in midair. Then a gentle voice asked, “St. Francis Xavier or St. Francis of Assisi?”
Bits & Pieces, May 25, 1995, pp. 6-8
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一個年輕的大學生為了隔天的動物學考試整晚熬夜。當他走進教室,他看見十個架子上有十隻鳥站在上面,每隻鳥用一個罩子罩著頭,只有腳露出來。他正襟危坐在最前排,因為希望能儘所能地考試,教授宣布考題是觀察每隻鳥的腳,然後寫出牠們的名稱、習性、屬種。

那位學生看了每隻鳥的腳,但是每隻腳看起來都一樣,於是他開始生氣,因為他熬夜了一整個晚上,但是現在卻必須分辨鳥的腳 他愈想愈是生氣。最後,他再也不能忍受,他站起來走到教授的桌子說,真是愚蠢的考試,誰能憑著鳥的腳看出他們的不同來,說完把考卷往桌上一丟就向門口走去。

那個教授非常地驚訝,因為斑級太大他無法記得每個人的名字,因此當那位學生走到門口的時候,那位教授喊著:「先生,你叫什麼名字?」那位憤怒的學生拉起他的褲管說:「你告訴我啊! 你告訴我啊!」

A young college student had stayed up all night studying for his zoology test the next day. As he entered the classroom, he saw ten stands with ten birds on them. Each bird had a sack over its head; only the legs were showing. He sat straight in the front row because he wanted to do the best job possible. The professor announced that the test would be to look at each of the birds’ legs and give the common name, habitat, genus and species.

The student looked at each of the birds’ legs. They all looked the same to him. He began to get upset. He had stayed up all night studying and now had to identify birds by their legs. The more he thought about it the madder he got. Finally he could stand it no longer. He went up to the professor’s desk and said, “What a stupid test! How could anyone tell the difference between birds by looking at their legs?”

With that the student threw his test on the professor’s desk and walked to the door. The professor was surprised. The class was so big that he didn’t know every student’s name so as the student reached the door the professor called, “Mister, what’s your name?” The enraged student pulled up his pant legs and said, “You tell me buddy! You tell me!”
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有一個人從寵物店買了一隻金絲雀。
『你確定這隻鳥會唱歌嗎?』他帶著懷疑的語氣問道。
『他是一位非常出色的演唱家啊!』
於是客人便離開了。一星期後他又出現了。
『嘿!你賣給我的這隻鳥是瘸的。』
『什麼阿,那你想要的到底是一個歌唱家還是一位舞蹈家呢?』

A man bought a canary from a pet store.
“You’re sure this bird can sing ?” he said suspiciously.
“He’s a grand singer.”
The customer left. A week later he reappeared.
“Say! This bird you sold me is lame!”
“What, what did you want a singer or a dancer?”
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「這裏真冷,」那位有錢客人吸著鼻子說,「請你去把冷氣機關小一點,可以嗎?」,侍應生說:「可以,先生。」
過了幾分鐘,那男士又把侍應生召來,「我現在又覺得太熱了。」侍應生說:「沒有問題,我可以把冷氣機開大一點。」可是,過不久那個客人又說太冷了。
有個坐在附近的老主顧低聲跟侍應生說:「你這麼好耐性,我很佩服。那個傢伙一定把你給煩死了。」侍應生聳聳肩說:「一點也不,我們這裏根本沒有冷氣機。」
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四個傳道人在辯論著一連串的神學問題, 三個一直跟其中一個意見不一樣而對立。 一天這個傳道人決定要向至高者呼求和上訴。
「神啊,在我心裡我確知我是對的, 而他們的觀點是錯的, 求祢賜我一個徵兆, 以致他們可以知道我明白祢的律法。」
就在那一個美麗而陽光普照天空中, 一片黑雲飄來在四個傳道人頭上, 隆隆一聱而立刻消散。
「這是一個從神而來的徵兆, 我知道我是對的。」
但其他三個不同意, 指出這只是在一酷熱天氣中的一個雷雨雲吧。
傳道人再祈禱: 「神啊, 我需要一個更大的徵兆去証明我是對的, 而他們是錯的, 更大的徵兆吧!!!」
這次, 四朵黑雲從四方出現, 直飛碰撞在一起, 一道雷電把這四個傳道人所站之處十呎以外的一棵樹擊倒, 這片雲便立刻消失。
「我說我是對的」那孤獨的傳道人說。
但其他三個說: 「沒有一件事是不可以用大自然來解釋的。」
那個堅持己見的傳道人再求: 「神啊…」
天空立時變得漆黑的, 地在震, 而天上有一個深沉的聲音說,
「他…是…對…的。」
傳道人就义著腰說: 「怎麼樣?」
「怎樣? 現在是三比二!」

Four preachers had a series of theological arguments, and three were always in accord against the fourth. One day, the odd man out decided to appeal to a higher authority.
“Oh, God!” he cried. “I know in my heart that I am right and they are wrong! Please show me a sign, so they too will know that I understand Your laws.”
It was a beautiful, sunny day. As soon as the preacher finished his plea, a storm cloud moved across the sky above the four. It rumbled once and dissolved. “A sign from God! See, I’m right, I knew it!” But the other three disagreed, pointing out that storm clouds form on hot days.
So he asked again: “Oh, God, I need a bigger sign to show that I am right and they are wrong. So please, God, a bigger sign.”
This time four storm clouds appeared, rushed toward each other to form one big cloud, and a bolt of lightning knocked down a tree ten feet away from the preachers. The cloud dispersed at once. “I told you I was right!” insisted the loner, but the others insisted that nothing had happened that could not be explained by natural causes.
The insisting preacher started to ask again; just as he said, “Oh God...” the sky turned pitch black, the earth shook, and a deep, booming voice intoned,
“HEEEEEEEE’S RIIIIIIIGHT!”
The sky returned to normal. The one preacher put his hands on his hips and said, “Well?”
“So?” replied another. “Now it’s three to two!”
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Quotes引證 :
The greatest gift which humanity has received is free choice. It is true that we are limited in our use of free choice. But the little free choice we have is such a great gift and is potentially worth so much that for this itself, life is worthwhile living. Isaac Bashevis Singer

You can make your choices but you cannot choose the consequences

Question: There were once three frogs on a log and on of them made a decision to jump in. How many were left? Answer: There are still three frogs on a log, he only made a decision, he took no action!

One is the “70 percent solution” that the military teaches... if you have 70% of the information, have done 70% of the analysis, and feel 70% confident, then move.

When any young student asks me, “Do you think I should be a dancer?” I always
say, “If you have to ask, then the answer is no.” Martha Graham

Freedom is not the right to do as you please but the liberty to do as we ought.

Making a decision is 5%; 95% is following through. Dawson Trotman

I can’t choose how I feel, but I can choose what to do about it. Andy Rooney

Your decisions determine your direction, and your direction determines your destiny.

When you’re 100% certain, you’re too late. Charles W. Robinson

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DILIGENCE/LAZINESS 殷勤懶惰
Robert Browning 告訴一個出名音樂家的事跡。,這音樂家在經濟的壓力下和通俗的要求中,做了一些不適合的表演,為了賺取現款和速成的名利。有個夜晚,當這音樂家站在表演臺,欣賞觀眾的給他熱烈的鼓掌,他瞄眼看到在私人包廂中的大師名人Rossini。這時他禁不住的眼睛下垂,臉色漲紅。觀眾還是不斷熱烈的鼓掌著,但他知道大師名人Rossini是在譴責他的低廉和沒價值的演出。

Robert Browning tells of a famous musician who, under financial pressure and the influence of popular demand, lowered his standards and produced some inferior works that brought in ready cash and a measure of success. One evening as he stood on the platform enjoying the applause of the audience, he happened to glance at a private box and see the master, Rossini. His eyes fell and his color rose. The mob applauded, but he knew that the master condemned the cheap and unworthy work. (from Illustrations of Bible Truths # 584)
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A householder left a patch of land completely unattended. On returning from a journey he found it full of stones, old bottles, and other rubbish. Though he had never attempted to garden before, he took a spade and began to dig up the ground and clear away the debris. Then he sowed a few seeds. With tremendous excitement he watched his garden patch. When at last he saw little shoots pushing up through the ground he was almost in ecstasy. Gradually the plants grew and at last the flowers appeared. To him it looked beautiful. One day his pastor stopped by. He couldn’t get the pastor excited about his garden. Finally the pastor said, “Yes, it is wonderful what Almighty God does with a patch of ground like that.” “Oh, it is,” said the man, “but I wish you had seen this place when the Almighty had it all to Himself!” (from Illustrations of Bible Truths # 567)
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有一個人告訴醫生說他再也無法做他平常做的家事了。當所有的檢查都完畢後,他說:「醫生,現在請你簡單告訴我,我的問題到底是什麼?你說什麼,我都能夠接受。」
醫生回答說:「簡單地說,你只是懶惰而已。」
這人說:「好,那麼請給我一個醫學名詞,我好告訴太太。」

A man told his doctor that he wasn’t able to do all the things around the house that he used to do. When the examination was complete, he said, “Now, Doc, I can take it. Tell me in plain English what is wrong with me.”
“Well, in plain English,” the doctor replied, “you’re just lazy.”
“OK,” said the man. “Now give me the medical term so I can tell my wife.”
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有一隻袋鼠想要從動物園逃出去。動物園的管理員知道牠會掉很高,所以就設了10尺高的柵欄。然而,隔天早晨,這隻袋鼠還是又跑了出來,在動物園裡散步。
於是管理員又把柵欄加高到20尺,可是,隔天早晨,這隻袋鼠一樣又跑了出來,在動物園裡散步。
就這樣,一晚又一晚,直到柵欄加高到60尺。最後,隔壁籠子的駱駝問袋鼠:「你覺得柵欄還會做到多高?」
袋鼠回答說:「大概會到100尺吧!除非晚上有人把柵欄的門給栓起來!」

A kangaroo kept getting out of his enclosure at the zoo. Knowing that he could hop pretty high, the zoo officials put up a ten-foot fence. However, the next morning the kangaroo was out again, just roaming around the zoo.
The zoo officials raised the height of the fence to twenty feet. Again, however, the next morning the kangaroo was again roaming around the zoo.
This kept on, night after night, until the fence was sixty feet high. Finally, the camel in the next enclosure asked the kangaroo, “How high do you think they’ll go?”
The kangaroo replied, “Probably a hundred feet, unless somebody starts locking the gate at night!”
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奧運選手的智慧
前任/現任奧運選手給有志向之運動員的忠告:
努力練習 -36%
享受運動的樂趣 -18%
設定目標 –18%
相信自己 –17%
不怕失敗 –10%
不斷求進步 –10%
因為渴望,所以運動 –10%
備註:有志者可以有多於一項以上的選擇
來源:McDonald’s Guest Breaks (USA Today 3/4/96)

Olympian Wisdom
Former/current Olympians advice for aspiring athletes:
Work hard -36%
Have fun in sport -18%
Set a goal – 18%
Believe in self – 17%
Don’t fear failure – 10%
Always improve – 10%
Play because you want to – 10%
Note: Respondents could choose more than one
Source: McDonald’s Guest Breaks (USA Today 3/4/96)
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有一名士兵想開一個玩笑,在他回到營房的時候,他大聲說:「我手裡有十塊錢,我要把它送給我們這裡最懶的人!」他的話剛說完,大夥都跑到他面前說他們是怎樣懶─只剩下一個士兵在床上躺著一動也不動,他說:「快把十塊錢拿來放在我的口袋裡!」聽完這個故事使我們會心一笑,但這並不值得我們鼓勵。
法國人伏爾泰說:「一切工作,最後總會變成無限的快樂,並且代替了生活的各種幻想。」他十分果決地指出:如果不打算自殺,便要常常找些事做,沒有事做和死亡是一樣的。這位鼓吹自由精神的鬥士,為法國大革命的先驅,伏爾泰最厭惡懶蟲,他甚至斷定:除了懶惰者以外,世界上其餘的人都是好人。
第二次世界大戰最激烈的時候,英國首相邱吉爾每天工作十八小時,有人問他:「是否為你的鉅大責任憂慮呢?」邱吉爾淡然地回答:「我太忙了,沒有時間憂慮。」的確,忙碌的人沒有時間憂慮,他的時間放在思考,放在工作,工作使他把憂慮拋得遠遠的。
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Quotes引證 :
我們需要六個 up:醒來、起來、站起來、活絡起來、振作起來以及奮發圖強。
We need six ups: Wake up, get up, stand up, warm up, cheer up and speed up.

If a man lacks enthusiasm it takes him twice as long to accomplish a task.
(More Toasts, Gertrude Stein)

對於你有能力賺取的東西,絕不彎腰乞討。(塞萬提斯Miguel de Cervantes)
Never stand begging for that which you have the power to earn. Miguel de Cervantes

神賞賜每隻鳥都有食物,但祂絕不把食物直接丟掉鳥巢裡。(J. G. Holland)
God gives every bird its food, but He does not throw it into its nest. J. G. Holland

只要盡心竭力工作,你便可以在各階層擊敗50%的人。當你誠實、正直、又站穩某種立場時,你便可擊敗另外40%的人。而要戰勝另外10%的人,就靠嘗試而且了解:即使是失敗也不能擊垮你。
You beat 50 percent of people at any level by working hard. You beat another 40 percent by being a person of honesty and integrity and standing for something. The last ten percent is beat out by simply trying and realizing failure is not defeat.

努力工作才有奇蹟。(Kevin Johnson)
Miracles are the result of hard work. Kevin Johnson

你越力工作,你就會越幸運。(Gary Player)
The harder you work, the luckier you get. Gary Player

努力工作只不過是當我應該做的時候,把一些我以前不做的易事積聚在一起。
Hard work is simply the accumulation of easy things I didn’t do when I should have done them.

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DISCIPLINE 紀律

Quotes引證 :
Discipline is not making people do things; it’s getting them to do things. Burn Philips

One ought to hold on to one’s heart; for if one lets it go, one soon loses control of the head too. Friedrich Nietzsche

The soul and the body make a man; the spirit and the discipline make a Christian. John Wesley

Learn to say ‘No’; it will be of more use to you than to be able to read Latin. Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Discipline: something I do to accomplish what I cannot do by effort

The self-controlled person says “no” to sin as it tempts his appetites. He says “yes” to righteousness and “I will” to obedience. Jerry White

Discipline is the ability to say “no” to what is sin, to say “yes” to what is right, and to say “I will” to what ought to be done. Jerry White

Commitment without discipline is like a luxury car without gas: It looks great, but it’s going nowhere. Jerry White

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