事业 · 创业者自述

奥里森·斯威特·马登:向前进·摘录 421

奥里森·斯威特·马登《向前进》· Pushing to the Front · 领导

Young men are often told to aim high, but we must aim at what we would hit. A general purpose is not enough. The arrow shot from the bow does not wander around to see what it can hit on its way, but flies straight to the mark. The magnetic needle does not point to all the lights in the heavens to see which it likes best. They all attract it. The sun dazzles, the meteor beckons, the stars twinkle to it, and try to win its affections; but the needle, true to its instinct, and with a finger that never errs in sunshine or in storm, points steadily to the North Star; for, while all the other stars must course with untiring tread around their great centers through all the ages, the North Star, alone, distant beyond human comprehension, moves with stately sweep on its circuit of more than 25,000 years, for all practical purposes of man stationary, not only for a day, but for a century. So all along the path of life other luminaries will beckon to lead us from our cherished aim--from the course of truth and duty; but let no moons which shine with borrowed light, no meteors which dazzle, but never guide, turn the needle of our purpose from the North Star of its hope.

出处: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/21291
定位:Excerpt 421 · 核对日期:2026-10-19 · 核验:短摘录

白话

年轻人常被告诉要志存高远,但我们必须瞄准真正想击中的东西。光有笼统的目标不够。箭从弓上射出,不会一路游荡看能射中什么,而是直飞靶心。磁针也不会指向天上所有亮光,看自己最喜欢哪个——它们都吸引它:太阳晃眼,流星招手,星星闪烁,都想赢得它的心;但磁针忠于本能,无论晴雨,指针从不出错,稳稳指向北极星。因为其他星星都得绕着自己的大中心不停转,而北极星远得超出人类理解,却以庄严的轨迹走完超过两万五千年的周期,对人类实际用途来说,它一天、一个世纪都几乎不动。人生路上,其他发光体也会招手,想把你从珍视的目标、从真理和责任的道路上引开;但别让借来的月光、只晃眼不引路的流星,把你目标的指针从希望的北极星上拨开。

上下文

马登用箭、磁针和北极星的比喻,说明目标要具体、坚定,不被沿途诱惑带偏。

今日一问

你生活里有哪些“流星”在分散注意力?你的“北极星”又是什么?

公版作品;原文逐字取自 Project Gutenberg,仅摘录段落并附全书链接。

本文本为公版;底本与原文链接见上。 版权

← 返回原文库