Vic - Quotes of the Day 34

2011年9月20日

If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?
如果問題只是有些邪惡的人在某處暗中作惡，而我們只需要將他們隔離開來，加以毀滅，那該多好。但是，善與惡的界線劃過每一個人的心，而有誰願意毀掉自己部分的心？
- Alexander Solzhenitsyn, novelist, Nobel laureate (1918-2008)

Too many parents make life hard for their children by trying, too zealously, to make it easy for them.
太多父母因為太努力嘗試讓孩子舒服過活，結果反而令他們日子艱難。
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, poet, dramatist, novelist, and philosopher (1749-1832)

Many a secret that cannot be pried out by curiosity can be drawn out by indifference.
好奇打聽仍無法得知的秘密，很多時候可以靠假裝冷漠刺探出來。
- Sydney J. Harris, journalist (1917-1986)

Vic - Quotes of the Day 33

2011年9月19日

News is what people want to keep hidden; everything else is publicity.
有人想掩蓋的才是新聞，餘者皆為宣傳。
- Bill Moyers, journalist (1934- )

Only enemies speak the truth; friends and lovers lie endlessly, caught in the web of duty.
只有敵人會跟你說實話；朋友與戀人基於義務，不斷地說謊。
- Stephen King, novelist (b. 1947)

I prefer the sign NO ENTRANCE to the sign which says NO EXIT.
我寧可看到「禁止進入」的標誌，也不想看到「此路不通」。
- Stanislaw J. Lec, poet and aphorist (1909-1966)

Vic - Quotes of the Day 32

2011年9月16日

Loneliness... is and always has been the central and inevitable experience of every man.
人生在世，孤獨向來是必然的核心體驗。
- Thomas Wolfe, novelist (1900-1938)

A business that makes nothing but money is a poor business.
除了賺錢，對世界毫無貢獻的事業，實在糟糕。
- Henry Ford, industrialist (1863-1947)

I was gratified to be able to answer promptly, and I did. I said I didn't know.
我很高興自己能馬上回答，而我也這麼做了：我說我不知道。
- Mark Twain, author and humorist (1835-1910)

Vic - Quotes of the Day 31

2011年9月14日

Every act of conscious learning requires the willingness to suffer an injury to one's self-esteem. That is why young children, before they are aware of their own self-importance, learn so easily; and why older persons, especially if vain or important, cannot learn at all.
有意識的學習，莫不需要學習者願意承受自尊受損。這就是為什麼小孩在發展出自尊意識前，學得那麼輕鬆，而成年人，尤其是虛榮或自大者，則完全無法學習。
- Thomas Szasz, author, professor of psychiatry (1920- )

Jealousy in romance is like salt in food. A little can enhance the savor, but too much can spoil the pleasure and, under certain circumstances, can be life-threatening.
情愛中的妒忌，有如食物中的鹽：少量可提味，太多則令人倒盡胃口，某些情況下甚至可能危及性命。
- Maya Angelou, poet (1928- )

It is human nature to hate the man whom you have hurt.
恨自己傷害過的人，乃是人性。
- Publius Cornelius Tacitus, historian (c.55-c.120)

Vic - Quotes of the Day 30

2011年9月13日

Ignorance, allied with power, is the most ferocious enemy justice can have.
無知加權力，是正義最可怕的敵人。
- James Baldwin, writer (1924-1987)

To believe in something, and not to live it, is dishonest.
信而不行是不誠實。
- Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948)

We find comfort among those who agree with us, growth among those who don't.
意見相合者令我們感到安慰，意見不同者促使我們成長。
- Frank A. Clark, writer (1911- )

Vic - Quotes of the Day 29

2011年9月12日

I have made a ceaseless effort not to ridicule, not to bewail, not to scorn human actions, but to understand.
我一直努力避免嘲笑、哀嘆或鄙視人類的行為，我只是努力試著理解。
- Baruch Spinoza, philosopher (1632-1677)

If you want something really important to be done you must not merely satisfy the reason, you must move the heart also.
若想成就真正重要的事，你不能僅說之以理，你還得感動人心。
- Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)

Conceal a flaw, and the world will imagine the worst.
你隱瞞一個錯誤，世人就會把事情想得最壞。
- Martial (Marcus Valerius Martialis)

Vic - Quotes of the Day 28

2011年9月9日

He who dares not offend cannot be honest.
不敢得罪人的人不可能誠實。
- Thomas Paine, philosopher and writer (1737-1809)

A belief in a supernatural source of evil is not necessary; men alone are quite capable of every wickedness.
我們不必將邪惡歸因於超自然力量；種種惡事，人類本身皆能做到。
- Joseph Conrad, novelist (1857-1924)

When we enlarge upon the affection our friends have for us, this is very often not so much out of a sense of gratitude as from a desire to persuade people of our own great worth, that can deserve so much kindness.
我們大談朋友如何愛我們時，與其說是出於感激，不如說是希望說服別人相信我們很了不起，值得別人對我們這麼好。
- Francois, duc de La Rochefoucauld, moralist (1613-1680)

Vic - Quotes of the Day 27

2011年9月8日

One of the most time-consuming things is to have an enemy.
與人為敵，至為費時。
- E.B. White, writer (1899-1985)

If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.
面對不義時保持中立，就是選擇站在壓迫者那邊。如果象腳踩著鼠尾，而你說自己是中立的，老鼠不會感激你的中立。
- Desmond Tutu, clergyman (b. 1931)

How can we expect another to keep our secret if we have been unable to keep it ourselves.
如果我們自己無法保守秘密，又怎能期望別人替我們保密？
- Francois de La Rochefoucauld, writer (1613-1680)

Vic - Quotes of the Day 26

2011年9月7日

In this age, the mere example of nonconformity, the mere refusal to bend the knee to custom, is itself a service.
在這年代，單純的不服從，單純的拒絕屈服於俗例，本身就很有意義。
- John Stuart Mill, philosopher and economist (1806-1873)

I love America more than any other country in this world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.
我愛美國甚於世上任何國家，正因如此，我堅守不斷批評她的權利。
- James Baldwin, writer (1924-1987)

None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.
誤以為自己很自由的人，是最無可救藥的奴隸。
- Johann Wolfgang van Goethe, poet, dramatist, novelist, and philosopher (1749-1832)

Vic - Quotes of the Day 25

2011年9月6日

Insanity in individuals is something rare - but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule.
個人的瘋狂是罕見的，但群體、政黨、國家以至時代的瘋狂卻很普遍。
- Friedrich Nietzsche, philosopher (1844-1900)

People who want to share their religious views with you almost never want you to share yours with them.
想跟你分享自身宗教觀的人，幾乎從不想聽你講你的宗教觀。
- Dave Barry, author and columnist (1947- )

Today's public figures can no longer write their own speeches or books, and there is some evidence that they can't read them either.
今天的公眾人物已不能寫自己的講辭或著作，而且若干證據顯示，他們連唸稿都不行。
- Gore Vidal (1925- )

Vic - Quotes of the Day 24

2011年9月5日

So long as men worship the Caesars and Napoleons, Caesars and Napoleons will duly rise and make them miserable.
只要人們崇拜凱撒和拿破崙這種人，這種人就會適時冒起，令人們痛苦不堪。
- Aldous Huxley, novelist (1894-1963)

For in reason, all government without the consent of the governed is the very definition of slavery.
照理說，未得被管治者同意的管治，正正是奴役。
- Jonathan Swift, satirist (1667-1745)

Alas, after a certain age every man is responsible for his face.
啊，某個年紀之後，人人皆需為自己的面目負責。
- Albert Camus, writer and philosopher (1913-1960)

Vic - Quotes of the Day 23

2011年9月4日

Man's capacity for justice makes democracy possible, but man's inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary.
民主之所以可能，是因為人有尋求公義的能力；民主之所以必要，則是因為人有不義的傾向。
- Reinhold Niebuhr, theologian (1892-1971)

Truth never damages a cause that is just.
真相絕不會損害正義的事業。
- Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948)

The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.
現代保守派所追尋的，是人類道德哲學最古老的命題之一，也就是為自私自利尋找一個高尚的道德理據。
- John Kenneth Galbraith, economist (1908-2006)

Vic - Quotes of the Day 22

2011年8月31日

If you want to make peace, you don't talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies.
如果你想和解，不必找朋友談。你應該跟敵人談。
- Moshe Dayan, military leader and politician (1915-1981)

Only the madman is absolutely sure.
只有瘋子是絕對肯定、毫無懷疑的。
- Robert Anton Wilson, novelist (1932-2007)

Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product.
快樂不是目的，而是一種副產品。
- Eleanor Roosevelt, diplomat and author (1884-1962)

Vic - Quotes of the Day 21

2011年8月30日

Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.
中立助長壓迫，緘默鼓勵暴行，受害者從不曾因別人保持中立或緘默而受益。
- Elie Wiesel, writer, Nobel laureate (b. 1928)

Commandment Number One for any truly civilized society is this: Let people be different.
真正文明的社會，第一誡皆是：容許個人特立獨行。
- David Grayson [pen name of Ray Stannard Baker], journalist, author (1870-1946)

Plenty of kind, decent, caring people have no religious beliefs, and they act out of the goodness of their hearts. Conversely, plenty of people who profess to be religious, even those who worship regularly, show no particular interest in the world beyond themselves.
許多厚道、正派、仁慈的人沒有宗教信仰，他們憑自己的善心行事。相反，許多自稱虔誠的教徒，甚至包括那些時常祈禱的，除了關心自己，對世界似乎並不特別感興趣。
- John Danforth, priest, ambassador, senator (b. 1936)

Vic - Quotes of the Day 20

2011年8月29日

When you battle with your conscience and lose, you win.
與自己的良心交戰落敗，是一種勝利。
- Henny Youngman, comedian and violinist (1906-1998)

The propagandist's purpose is to make one set of people forget that certain other sets of people are human.
宣傳者的目的，是令某些人忘了另外一些人也是人。
- Aldous Huxley, novelist (1894-1963)

A belief which leaves no place for doubt is not a belief; it is a superstition.
容不下任何懷疑的信仰不是信仰，是迷信。
- Jose Bergamin, author (1895-1983)

Vic - Quotes of the Day 19

2011年8月26日

The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.

眼下最可悲的事，是科學知識增加得比人類智慧快。

- Isaac Asimov, scientist and writer (1920-1992)

Ask the experimenters why they experiment on animals, and the answer is: "Because the animals are like us." Ask the experimenters why it is morally OK to experiment on animals, and the answer is: "Because the animals are not like us." Animal experimentation rests on a logical contradiction.

你問實驗者為什麼拿動物做實驗，答案是：「因為動物很像我們。」你問實驗者為什麼動物實驗是合乎道德的，答案是：「因為動物不像我們。」動物實驗的理念基礎是自相矛盾的。

- Charles R. Magel, professor of philosophy

Illegal aliens have always been a problem in the United States. Ask any Indian.

在美國，非法移民向來是個問題。不信可以問任何一個印第安人。

- Robert Orben, magician and author (b. 1927)

Vic - Quotes of the Day 18

2011年8月25日

The perfection of a clock is not to go fast, but to be accurate.
時鐘的完美狀態不是走快點，而是準確。
- Luc de Clapiers, marquis de Vauvenargues, moralist and essayist (1715-1747)

Do not believe that it is very much of an advance to do the unnecessary three times as fast.
別以為以三倍速度去做多餘的事，是了不起的進步。
- Peter Drucker, management consultant, professor and writer (1909-2005)

It is an ironic habit of human beings to run faster when we have lost our way.
人類習慣在迷路時跑快點，這實在諷刺。
- Rollo May, psychologist (1909-1994)

Vic - Quotes of the Day 17

2011年8月24日

In this world there are only two tragedies. One is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it. The last is much the worst.
世上只有兩種悲劇。一種是得不到自己想要的，另一種是得到了。後者慘得多。
- Oscar Wilde, writer (1854-1900)

We sometimes congratulate ourselves at the moment of waking from a troubled dream; it may be so the moment after death.
有時從惡夢中醒來後，我們會感到慶幸；或許我們死後也將如此。
- Nathaniel Hawthorne, writer (1804-1864)

When one has been threatened with a great injustice, one accepts a smaller as a favor.
在遭受巨大的不公義威脅後，人們會接受程度較輕的不公義，並認為這是一種恩惠。
- Jane Welsh Carlyle, letter writer (1801-1866)

Vic - Quotes of the Day 16

2011年8月23日

The voice of conscience is so delicate that it is easy to stifle it; but it is also so clear that it is impossible to mistake it.
良心之聲非常柔弱，很容易壓制，但它無比清晰，不可能誤解。
- Madame De Stael, writer (1766-1817)

Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.
據我所知，有思想的人極少快樂。
- Ernest Hemingway, author and journalist, Nobel laureate (1899-1961)

I hate mankind, for I think myself one of the best of them, and I know how bad I am.
我討厭人類，因為我認為自己在他們當中出類拔萃，但我也知道自己有多糟。
- Samuel Johnson, lexicographer extraordinaire

Vic - Quotes of the Day 15

2011年8月22日

I think there is only one quality worse than hardness of heart, and that is softness of head.
我認為只有一種特質比冷酷無情更糟，那就是頭腦不清楚。
- Theodore Roosevelt, 26th US President (1858-1919)

You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions.
要知道一個人是否聰明，可以看他如何回答問題。要知道他是否有智慧，可以看他問些什麼問題。
- Naguib Mahfouz, writer (1911- )

Be good and you will be lonesome.
做個好人，然後你就知道孤寂的滋味。
- Mark Twain, author and humorist (1835-1910)