投资 · 创业者自述
塞缪尔·斯迈尔斯:节俭·摘录 491
塞缪尔·斯迈尔斯《节俭》· Thrift · 投资
Yet poverty is more than half disarmed by those who have the moral courage to say. "I can't afford it." Fair-weather friends are of no use whatever, except as an indication of the depth of snobbery to which human beings can descend. What is "a visiting connection"? It is not at all calculated to elevate one in social, or even in business life. Success mainly depends upon character, and the general esteem in which a person is held. And if the attempt is made to snatch the reward of success before it is earned, the half-formed footing may at once give way, and the aspirant will fall, unlamented, into the open-mouthed dragon of debt.
出处:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/14418
定位:Excerpt 491 · 核对日期:2026-10-19 · 核验:短摘录
白话
然而,只要人有勇气说一句“我负担不起”,贫穷就有一大半被解除了武装。那些顺境时的朋友毫无用处,只能说明人可以势利到什么程度。所谓“社交关系”又算什么呢?它根本不能提升你的社会地位,甚至对生意也没帮助。成功主要靠品格和一个人获得的普遍尊重。如果还没挣到就想抢成功的果实,那半成的地基会立刻塌掉,攀附者会掉进张着大嘴的债务恶龙里,没人惋惜。斯迈尔斯的意思是:拒绝超出能力的消费不是丢脸,而是自保;把精力放在品格和真本事上,比混圈子可靠得多。
上下文
斯迈尔斯在《节俭》中反复强调品格重于关系,这句话针对的是19世纪英国中产阶级热衷攀附社交圈的风气。
今日一问
你最近一次说“我负担不起”是什么时候?如果说不出口,卡在哪里?
公版作品;原文逐字取自 Project Gutenberg,仅摘录段落并附全书链接。
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