英语名篇诵读 自制

Self-control

自制

Self-control is essential to happiness and usefulness. It is the master of all the virtues¹, and has

its root in self-respect. Let a man yield to his impulses and passions, and from that moment he

gives up his moral freedom.

It is the self-discipline of a man that enables him to pursue success with superior diligence

and sobriety . Many of the great characters in history illustrate² this trait. In ordinary life the

application is the same. He who would lead must first command himself. The time of test is when

everybody is excited or angry, then the well-balanced mind comes to the front.

There is a very special demand for the cultivation³ of this trait at present. The young men who

rush into business with no good education or drill will do poor and feverish⁴ work. Endurance is

a much better test of character than act of heroism⁵.

A fair amount of self-examination is good. Self-knowledge is a preface to self-control. Too

much self-inspection leads to morbidness⁶ ; too little conducts to careless and hasty action.

There are two things which will surely strengthen our self-control. One is attention to conscience;

the other is a spirit of good will. The man who would succeed in any great undertaking⁷ must hold

all his faculties⁸ under perfect control; they must be disciplined and drilled until they quickly and

cheerfully obey the will.

自制对于获取幸福、发挥效能是至关重要的。自制掌控着所有的美德，扎根于自尊。

若一个人听凭种种冲动和激情的摆布，从那一刻起，他就放弃了道德自由。

一个人自律使他能够更勤奋、更理性地追求成功。历史上的许多伟人的业绩都说明了

这个特性。这在平常生活中也同样适用。要领导他人必须先能约束自己。考验人的时刻

是，当每个人都情绪激动、怒气冲冲的时候，气定神闲的人便走到了领先的位置上。

时下，尤其需要培养这种特性。没有接受过良好教育或训练的年轻人，匆忙就进入业

务工作，必然会做事急躁而无成效。与逞英雄相比，磨难更能考验人的品性。

应当适当地自我反省，自知才能自律。过多的自省会导致病态心理，过少的自省则会

导致做事粗心而草率。有两样东西肯定能够加强我们的自制。其一是听从良知，其二是友

善精神。要想成就大事者，必须把他的各种官能牢牢地控制住；这些官能必须受到教育和

训练，直到能快速服从意志，而且心悦诚服。

1 virtues   

美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处

参考例句：

• Doctors often extol the virtues of eating less fat. 医生常常宣扬少吃脂肪的好处。
• She delivered a homily on the virtues of family life. 她进行了一场家庭生活美德方面的说教。

2 illustrate   

v.举例说明，阐明；图解，加插图

参考例句：

• The company's bank statements illustrate its success.这家公司的银行报表说明了它的成功。
• This diagram will illustrate what I mean.这个图表可说明我的意思。

3 cultivation   

n.耕作，培养，栽培（法），养成

参考例句：

• The cultivation in good taste is our main objective.培养高雅情趣是我们的主要目标。
• The land is not fertile enough to repay cultivation.这块土地不够肥沃，不值得耕种。

4 feverish   

adj.发烧的，狂热的，兴奋的

参考例句：

• He is too feverish to rest.他兴奋得安静不下来。
• They worked with feverish haste to finish the job.为了完成此事他们以狂热的速度工作着。

5 heroism   

n.大无畏精神，英勇

参考例句：

• He received a medal for his heroism.他由于英勇而获得一枚奖章。
• Stories of his heroism resounded through the country.他的英雄故事传遍全国。

6 morbidness   

（精神的）病态

参考例句：

• Too much self-inspection leads to morbidness; too little conducts to careless and hasty action. 不过过度的自我检讨会成为病态，检讨不足则又导致行事粗心草率。 来自互联网

7 undertaking   

n.保证，许诺，事业

参考例句：

• He gave her an undertaking that he would pay the money back with in a year.他向她做了一年内还钱的保证。
• He is too timid to venture upon an undertaking.他太胆小，不敢从事任何事业。

8 faculties   

n.能力( faculty的名词复数 )；全体教职员；技巧；院

参考例句：

• Although he's ninety, his mental faculties remain unimpaired. 他虽年届九旬，但头脑仍然清晰。
• All your faculties have come into play in your work. 在你的工作中，你的全部才能已起到了作用。 来自《简明英汉词典》