事业 · 创业者自述
P.T. 巴纳姆：奋斗与胜利·补录 73
P.T. 巴纳姆《奋斗与胜利》· Struggles and Triumphs · 领导
The company generally saw the catch; but Turner was very much interested in the problem, and although he admitted he knew nothing about arithmetic he was convinced that as the son was gradually gaining on the father he must reach him if there was time enough--say, a thousand years, or so--for the race. But an old gentleman gravely remarked that the idea of a son becoming as old as his father while both were living was simply nonsense, and he offered to bet a dozen of champagne that the thing was impossible, even “in figures.” Turner, who was a betting man, and who thought the problem might be proved, accepted the wager; but he was soon convinced that however much the boy might relatively gain upon his father, there would always be thirty years difference in their ages. The champagne cost him $25, and he failed to see the fun of my arithmetic, though at last he acknowledged that it was a fair offset to the Avery trick.
出处：
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/50115
定位：Additional excerpt 73 · 核对日期：2026-10-19 · 核验：短摘录
白话
巴纳姆出了道算术题：儿子年龄逐渐追赶父亲，特纳虽然承认不懂算术，却相信只要时间够长——比如一千年——儿子总能追上父亲。一位老先生说儿子不可能在父亲活着时赶上父亲，并赌一打香槟说这在“数字上”也不可能。特纳爱打赌，就接了。结果他很快明白，无论儿子相对追得多近，两人年龄差永远是30岁。香槟花了他25美元，他看不出这算术有什么好玩，但最后承认这正好抵消了之前艾弗里恶作剧给巴纳姆带来的伤害。这说明有些看似能“追上”的差距，其实有恒定不变的部分，别被表面趋势迷惑。
上下文
巴纳姆用一道年龄追赶的算术题回敬老板特纳的恶作剧，出自其自传。
今日一问
你生活中有没有那种看似在缩小、实际永远存在的差距？你是否误以为只要时间够长就能追上？
公版传记；原文逐字取自 Project Gutenberg，仅摘录段落并附全书链接。
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