13 the secret of happiness

the secret of happiness

Once there lived a king of great strength and wealth.Yet he was not happy.He told his servants to find him things to make him happy,but each came back saying,"Noting in the world can match the wonderful things you have already."Then in that land,there lived a poor man with a patch¹ over one eye and a crutchto help him walk.Although he had little,he was always happy.When the king heard of this,he asked the man to teach him his secret.

"I never push." the man replied,"and I never rush.Most of all,I never wish for too much."Then he smiled and was gone.

If you would make a man happy,do not add to his possessions² but subtract³ from his desires.

Translation: 从前有一位国王，很有权力和财富，然而他并不快乐。他告诉仆人去找可以使他快乐的东西，但是每个回来的人都说：“世界上没有什么比得上你已经拥有的极好的东西。”当时那个国家住着一个穷人，他一个眼睛戴着眼罩并靠拐杖走路。虽然他拥有的很少，但是他总是很快乐。当国王听说这件事的时候，他要求这个人教他快乐的秘决。 “我从来不强迫，”这个人答道，“而且我从不匆忙。最重要的是，我从不希望得到太多。”然后，他笑着离开了。

如果你想使一个人快乐，不要增加他的财产，而是要减少他的欲望。

1 patch   

n.补丁；斑；一小块地；vt.补，修补

参考例句：

• This patch looks a bit unprofessional.这块补丁有点像出自外行之手。
• We managed to patch our quarrel.我们设法平息争吵。

2 possessions   

n.[法]财产；占有( possession的名词复数 )；领地；个人财产；持有违禁物

参考例句：

• The group forswears all worldly possessions. 这个团体放弃一切尘世财物。
• I lost some of my most prized possessions in the fire. 大火吞噬了我的一些最珍贵的物品。

3 subtract   

v.减去，扣除

参考例句：

• Subtract four from nine and you have five.九减四得五。
• In their first year at school,most children learn to add and subtract.入学第一年，多数孩子都学加减法。