事业 · 创业者自述
塞缪尔·斯迈尔斯：自助论·摘录 113
塞缪尔·斯迈尔斯《自助论》· Self-Help · 领导
It is said that the Marquis of Worcester’s attention was first accidentally directed to the subject of steam power, by the tight cover of a vessel containing hot water having been blown off before his eyes, when confined a prisoner in the Tower. He published the result of his observations in his ‘Century of Inventions,’ which formed a sort of text-book for inquirers into the powers of steam for a time, until Savary, Newcomen, and others, applying it to practical purposes, brought the steam-engine to the state in which Watt found it when called upon to repair a model of Newcomen’s engine, which belonged to the University of Glasgow. This accidental circumstance was an opportunity for Watt, which he was not slow to improve; and it was the labour of his life to bring the steam-engine to perfection.
出处：
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/935
定位：Excerpt 113 · 核对日期：2026-10-19 · 核验：短摘录
白话
据说伍斯特侯爵最初关注蒸汽动力，是偶然的：他被囚禁在伦敦塔时，亲眼看到盛有热水的容器盖子被蒸汽顶开。他把观察结果发表在《发明世纪》中，这本书一度成为研究蒸汽动力者的教科书，直到萨弗里、纽科门等人将其应用于实际，使蒸汽机达到瓦特接手时的状态——当时瓦特受命修理格拉斯哥大学的一台纽科门蒸汽机模型。这个偶然事件对瓦特来说是一个机会，他迅速加以利用，并毕生努力使蒸汽机臻于完善。
上下文
斯迈尔斯讲述蒸汽机发展史，强调偶然机会与长期努力结合才能成就大事。
今日一问
当偶然的机会出现在你面前时，你是否已经准备好用长期积累的能力去抓住它？
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