事业 · 创业者自述
塞缪尔·斯迈尔斯:自助论·摘录 46
塞缪尔·斯迈尔斯《自助论》· Self-Help · 领导
The fashion of wig-wearing having undergone a change, distress fell upon the wig-makers; and Arkwright, being of a mechanical turn, was consequently induced to turn machine inventor or “conjurer,” as the pursuit was then popularly termed. Many attempts were made about that time to invent a spinning-machine, and our barber determined to launch his little bark on the sea of invention with the rest. Like other self-taught men of the same bias, he had already been devoting his spare time to the invention of a perpetual-motion machine; and from that the transition to a spinning-machine was easy. He followed his experiments so assiduously that he neglected his business, lost the little money he had saved, and was reduced to great poverty. His wife—for he had by this time married—was impatient at what she conceived to be a wanton waste of time and money, and in a moment of sudden wrath she seized upon and destroyed his models, hoping thus to remove the cause of the family privations. Arkwright was a stubborn and enthusiastic man, and he was provoked beyond measure by this conduct of his wife, from whom he immediately separated.
出处:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/935
定位:Excerpt 46 · 核对日期:2026-10-19 · 核验:短摘录
白话
假发不再流行后,假发匠们生计困难。阿克莱特有点机械天赋,便转行搞发明,当时人称“魔术师”。那时很多人尝试发明纺纱机,他也决心一试。像其他自学成才的发明迷一样,他先沉迷于永动机,再转向纺纱机。他实验太投入,荒废了生意,花光积蓄,陷入贫困。妻子认为他浪费时间和金钱,一怒之下毁了他的模型,想以此断了念想。阿克莱特性格倔强,被激怒后与妻子分居。这故事说明:创新常要付出巨大代价,甚至家庭冲突;但固执有时也是坚持到底的动力。
上下文
斯迈尔斯在《自助》中讲述阿克莱特从理发匠转型为发明家的坎坷经历,反映早期工业发明者的困境。
今日一问
当你投入一件有风险的事时,如何与家人沟通,减少误解?
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