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塞缪尔·斯迈尔斯：自助论·摘录 207
塞缪尔·斯迈尔斯《自助论》· Self-Help · 领导
Sir Joshua Reynolds, as we have already observed, was so earnest a believer in the force of industry that he held that all men might achieve excellence if they would but exercise the power of assiduous and patient working. He held that drudgery lay on the road to genius, and that there was no limit to the proficiency of an artist except the limit of his own painstaking. He would not believe in what is called inspiration, but only in study and labour. “Excellence,” he said, “is never granted to man but as the reward of labour.” “If you have great talents, industry will improve them; if you have but moderate abilities, industry will supply their deficiency. Nothing is denied to well-directed labour; nothing is to be obtained without it.” Sir Fowell Buxton was an equal believer in the power of study; and he entertained the modest idea that he could do as well as other men if he devoted to the pursuit double the time and labour that they did. He placed his great confidence in ordinary means and extraordinary application.
出处：
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/935
定位：Excerpt 207 · 核对日期：2026-10-19 · 核验：短摘录
白话
雷诺兹爵士坚信勤奋的力量，认为只要肯下苦功、有耐心，人人都能达到卓越。他觉得苦干是通往天才的必经之路，艺术家的造诣没有上限，除非他自己不肯下功夫。他不信所谓的“灵感”，只信学习和劳动。他说：“卓越从来只作为劳动的报酬给予人。”“有大才华，勤奋会改进它；只有中等能力，勤奋会弥补不足。方向正确的劳动，没有什么得不到；不劳动，什么也得不到。”福韦尔·巴克斯顿同样相信学习的力量，他谦虚地认为，只要花别人两倍的时间和努力，自己也能做得一样好。他信的是平常的手段加非凡的用功。
上下文
斯迈尔斯在《自助》中引用画家雷诺兹和改革家巴克斯顿的观点，强调勤奋胜过天赋，是维多利亚时代自助精神的典型表达。
今日一问
你正在做的那件事，如果投入别人两倍的时间，结果会有什么不同？
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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