Ideals are like the stars — we never reach them, but like mariners, we chart our course by them.
[注解]語出Carl Schurz,美國政治家舒爾茨。
[譯]理想好像星星,不能摘到,但我們猶如水手,可借它指引航向。
Ideal is the beacon. Without ideal, there is no secure direction; without direction, there is no life.
[注解]語出Leo Tolstory,俄國作家托爾斯泰。
[譯]理想是指路明燈。沒有理想,就沒有堅(jiān)定的方向;沒有方向,就沒有生活。
Idle folks lack no excuses.
[譯]懶漢辯解,何患無辭。
Idleness is the key of beggary, and the root of all evil.
[譯]懶惰是行乞的敲門磚,是萬惡的根源。
Idleness is the mother (root) of all evil. (or Idleness is the parent of all vice.)
[注解]斯邁爾斯還說:“It is the idleness that is the curse of men, not labour.”禍根不是勞動(dòng),而是懶惰。
[譯]懶惰是萬惡之源。
Idleness rusts the mind. (or Idleness makes the wit rust.)
[注解]rust生銹,使弱。比喻懶惰使人笨,讓人的頭腦遲鈍。
[譯]人不勤變笨;刀不磨變鈍。
If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.
[譯]初試不成功,努力勿懈怠。
If it were not for hope, the heart would break.
[注解]指希望的重要性。在困難重重、日子難過之時(shí),使我們不灰心喪志、放棄奮斗的,就是內(nèi)心抱有對事情否極泰來的希望。
[譯]人若無希望,心碎肝腸斷;人靠希望活著。
If we want light, we must conquer darkness.
[譯]我們要光明,就得征服黑暗。
If you don't aim high you will never hit high.
[譯]不立大志,難攀高峰。
If you have great talents, industry will improve them; if you have but moderate abilities, industry will supply their deficiency.
[注解]語出Joshua Reynolds,美國女散文家雷諾茲。
[譯]如果你很有天賦,勤勉會(huì)使其更加完善;如果你能力一般,勤勉會(huì)補(bǔ)足其缺陷。
If you lie upon roses when young, you'll lie upon thorns when old.
[注解]指人如果年輕時(shí)躺在玫瑰上,老年時(shí)就會(huì)躺在荊棘上。
[譯]年輕圖享受,老來倍受苦。
If you run after two hares, you will catch neither.
[注解]源自拉丁語。“run after two hares”意指做徒勞無益之事。比喻一心二用,將一事無成。
[譯]同時(shí)追兩兔,全都抓不?。荒_踏兩只船,必定都落空。
If you wish to succeed, you should use persistence as your good friend, experience as your reference, prudence as your brother and hope as your sentry.
[注解]語出Thomas Edison,美國發(fā)明家愛迪生。
[譯]如果你希望成功,當(dāng)以恒心為良友,以經(jīng)驗(yàn)為參謀,以謹(jǐn)慎為兄弟,以希望為哨兵。
I have nothing to offer but blood, boil, tears and sweat.
[注解]語出Winston Churchill,英國政治家丘吉爾。
[譯]我沒有什么能奉獻(xiàn)的,只有熱血、辛勞、眼淚與汗水。
In all things, it is better to hope than to despair.
[譯]凡事抱希望為佳,不應(yīng)悲觀失望。
In for a penny, in for a pound. (As well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb.)
[注解]意指一旦介入某事,不管出現(xiàn)多大的阻力或困難,都要堅(jiān)持到底,決不半途而廢。同義諺語還有:“Over shoes, over boots.”
[譯]一個(gè)錢也干,十個(gè)錢也干,一旦開始就要干到底;一不做,二不休。
In life, as in chess, forethought wins.
[譯]人生如下棋,多謀得勝利。
In life's earnest battle they only prevail, who daily march onward and never say fail.
[譯]在人生的搏斗中,只有日日前進(jìn)、不屈不撓的人才能獲勝。
In life's ocean, a man who fears difficulties can only reap the scum and rubbish floating on the surface of the ocean, but a man who can bear hardships reaps pearls and other treasures lying deep in the bottom of the ocean.
[注解]scum泡沫,浮渣。
[譯]在生活的海洋中,畏難的人收獲的總是水面上的泡沫和垃圾,而吃苦的人收獲的卻是海底深處的珍珠瑰寶。
In prosperity caution, in adversity patience.
[譯]成功之時(shí)應(yīng)謹(jǐn)慎,憂患之時(shí)得忍耐。
Into each life some rain must fall. Some days must be dark and dreary.
[譯]每個(gè)人一生都會(huì)逢上陰雨,有些日子必然陰暗而沉悶。
It is at our mother's knee that we acquire our noblest and truest and highest ideals, but there is seldom any money in them.
[注解]語出Mark Twain,美國作家馬克·吐溫。
[譯]就是在我們母親的膝上,我們獲得了我們最高尚、最真誠和最遠(yuǎn)大的理想,但是里面很少有任何金錢。
It is better to die when life is a disgrace.
[譯]寧為玉碎,不為瓦全。
It is dogged that (as) does it.
[注解]dogged頑強(qiáng)的,堅(jiān)持不懈的。
[譯]堅(jiān)持就是勝利。
It is easy to open a shop but hard to keep it always open.
[譯]創(chuàng)業(yè)容易守業(yè)難。
It is great to be great, but it is greater to be human.
[注解]語出W. Rogers,美國幽默家羅杰斯。
[譯]成為偉人是美好的,做一個(gè)真正的人更美好。
It never will rain roses. When we want to have more roses we must plant trees.
[注解]語出G. Eliot,英國小說家艾略特。
[譯]天上不會(huì)掉下玫瑰來,如果想要更多的玫瑰,必須自己種植。