在紐約市的美國自然歷史博物館(American Museum of Natural History) ,入口大堂內,四邊牆上刻有前美國總統羅斯福Theodore Roosevelt對青少年、男兒氣概、國家和大自然這幾方面的勵志金言,全都很有意思的名句,謹在此與大家一起分享。
.YOUTH青少年
I want to see you game, boys, I want to see you brave and manly, and I also want to see you gentle and tender. (Address at Friends School, Washington, DC, May 24, 1907)
孩子們,我想看你們競賽,我想見到你們勇敢男子漢的一面,還有和氣細心的一刻。
Be practical as well are generous in your ideals. Keep your eyes on the stars, but remember to keep your feet on the ground. (Speech at Prize Day Exercises at Groton School, Groton, MA, May 24 1904)
你的志向必須要實事求是並且要有意義,把眼光放遠至天上的星星,但要緊記把你的雙腳踏實在地上。
Courage, hard work, self-mastery, and intelligent effort are all essential to successful life. (America and the World War, 1915)
勇氣膽量,勤奮向上,自我控制,和聰敏機靈的努力,都是成功必不可少的要素。
Alike for the nation and the individual, the one indispensable requisite is character. (American Ideals, 1897)
個性——不論對國家還是個人,都是不可缺少的。
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.MANHOOD男兒氣概
A man’s usefulness depends upon his living up to his ideals in so far as he can. (A Letter to Dr. Sturgis Bigelow, March 29, 1898)
一個人的效用功德,取決於他有否在能力範圍內盡全力實踐自己的理想志向。
It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed. (The Strenuous Life, 1900)
失敗苦,更苦的是從沒嘗試爭取便成功。 (註:因為沒經歷,很快會跌下來。Hard一詞亦可解作困難,但在這句中不是指很難才失敗。)
All daring and courage, all iron endurance of misfortune make for a finer and nobler type of manhood. (Address to Naval War College, June 2, 1897)
在厄運中磨練出來的大膽氣魄、勇氣膽量和堅韌耐力,全可把人鍛煉得更為優秀、更高尚。
Only those are fit to live who do not fear to die; and none are fit to die who have shrunk from the joy of life and the duty of life. (The Great Adventure, 1918)
留下來的都不懼怕死亡;死去的亦沒有為生命的喜悅和責任而退縮。 (註:此話是羅斯福為在第一次世界大戰中喪生的兒子Quentin Roosevelt的頌詞。自問未能翻釋出他的神緒,請高人指教。)
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.THE STATE國家
Ours is a government of liberty by, through, and under the law. (Speech at Spokane, WA, May 26, 1903)
我們這個自由的政府是依據並通過法律所定義的。
A great democracy has got to be progressive or it will soon cease to be great or a democracy. (The New Nationalism, 1910)
一個偉大的民主制度,必須不斷進步,否則會漸變得不再偉大,甚至不再是民主。
Order without liberty and liberty without order are equally destructive. (Miscellaneous Writings, c. 1890s)
沒有自由的責令,和沒有責令的自由,同樣具有破壞性。
In popular government results worth having can be achieved only by men who combine worthy ideals with practical good sense. (Address at Harvard Union, Feb. 23, 1907)
只有結合有意義的理想和實際的理智,才能產生一個值得歸屬且得人心的政府。
If I must choose between righteousness and peace I choose righteousness. (America and the World War, 1915)
如果我一定要在正義與和平之間作出選擇,我揀取正義。
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.NATURE大自然
There is delight in the hardy life of the open. (African Game Trails, 1910)
在自然曠野中艱苦生活,其實很有趣味。
There are no words that can tell the hidden spirit of the wilderness, that can reveal its mystery, its melancholy, and its charm. (African Game Trails, 1910)
曠野中所隱藏的情態是非筆墨所能形容的,語言無法揭示其奧秘、憂鬱和魅力。
The nation behaves well if it treats the natural resources as assets which it must turn over to the next generation increased and not impaired in value. (The New Nationalism, 1910)
好的國家把自然資源作為資產交給下一代時,資產價值應比以前有所增加而非受損。
Conservation means development as much as it does protection. (The New Nationalism, 1910)
環境生態保護的意思不單是保衛,還有發展。