01 No Pain,No Gain没有付出就没有收获

Have you ever thought why there are very few great people?I think there is probably only one great person out of 10,000 at best,and most probably much less than that.But why?Most people want to be great,right?Why are there only very few of them?Here is the reason:

你有没有想过为什么成功的人那么少?我想,大概在一万个人里有一个人能获得成功就很好了。但是为什么会这样呢?我们大多数人都渴望成功,不是吗?那为什么成功的人还是屈指可数呢?原因如下:

Most people do not pay the price of greatness.

大多数人没有为成功付出代价。

I think this one is quite obvious.Now,the next question is:why not?If there are so many people who want to be great,why only very few of them actually pay the price?The answer to these questions explains the difference between the almost 100%people who want to be great and the much less than 0.01%who actually be so.

这个答案显而易见。那么,就引出了下一个问题:为什么没有呢?为什么有那么多人想要成功,而只有很少数的人愿意为成功付出代价呢?这个问题的答案就能把0.01%真正获得成功的人和几乎是100%想要获得成功的人给区分开来。

The reason why very few people actually pay the price is this:The road to greatness is continuously painful for long time.

极少数人愿意为成功付出代价的真正原因在于:成功之路需要长期痛苦的坚持。

Greatness requires sacrifices and there is no sacrifice without pain.The kind of sacrifces required for greatness is the ones that make the process continuously painful for long time.If you want to be good it will be painful only every now and then,and many people can still handle it.But being great is a totally different level.The pain is much deeper and it is continuous.Very few people can endure this kind of pain and that's why there are very few great people.Most people naturally choose things that bring pleasures to them.It's unnatural to choose pain over pleasure,let alone doing it continuously for long time.

成功要牺牲,而所有的牺牲都伴随着痛苦。获得成功所需要的牺牲是长期的、痛苦的。如果你的目标是优秀,那可能只是“短痛”而已,很多人还是可以承受得住的。但是想要成功,那么所需要承受的就是“长痛”了。大多数人会选择能给自己带来快乐的事物,这是自然的选择。很少有人会抛开快乐去选择痛苦,更不用说是长期的痛苦了。

But that's what I believe is the secret to greatness:The secret to greatness is choosing pain over pleasures continuously for long time.

但是正是上述原因让我相信,成功的秘密就在于:选择痛苦而不是快乐,并能够长期坚持承受痛苦。

单词解析Word Analysis

greatness[ɡreɪtnəs]n.伟大;大;崇高

例He may not always achieve greatness but at least he’s a trier.

他也许并非总能成就大事,但至少他竭尽所能。

obvious[ˈɒbviəs]adj.明显的;显著的

例It was an obvious mistake for him to have gone alone.

他独自前去是个很明显的错误。

actually[ˈæktʃuəli]adv.实际上;确实;事实上

例One afternoon,I grew bored and actually fell asleep for a few minutes.

一天下午,我觉得有些无聊,还真的睡着了一小会儿。

continuously[kənˈtɪnjʊəslɪ]adv.连续不断地,接连地

例This system continuously monitors levels of radiation and relays the information to a central computer.

这个系统不间断地监控辐射水平,并将信息传送到中央计算机。

sacrifce[ˈsækrɪfaɪs]n.&v.牺牲;献祭,供奉

例Her husband’s pride was a small thing to sacrifice for their children’s security.

为了孩子们的安全,舍弃她丈夫的尊严不算什么。

endure[ɪnˈdjʊə(r)]vt.忍耐;容忍

例The company endured heavy fnancial losses.

那家公司遭受了严重亏损。

unnatural[ʌnˈnætʃrəl]adj.不自然的,做作的

例The aircraft rose with unnatural speed on take-off.

那架飞机以反常的速度起飞升空。

语法知识点Grammar Points

①The answer to these questions explains the difference between the almost 100%people who want to be great and the much less than 0.01%who actually be so.

本句中who引导定语从句,先行词是the almost 100%people,先行词在从句中做主语成分;much less than表示“远小于”。

例I use watercolors much less than I do oils or acrylics.

我用水彩比用油画颜料或丙烯酸颜料要少得多。

She got much less than she would have done if she had settled out of court.

如果她同意庭外和解的话,得到的肯定会更多。

②If you want to be good it will be painful only every now and then,and many people can still handle it.

本句中if引导的是个条件状语从句,表示某事很可能发生,条件是可能存在的,主句中某种情况发生的概率也是很高的。

例If you fail in the exam,you will let him down.

如果你考试不及格,你会让他失望的。

If you have fnished the homework,you can go home.

如果你作业做完了就可以回家了。

另外,if从句还表示不可实现的条件或根本不可能存在的条件,也就是一种虚拟的条件或假设。从句多用一般过去时或过去完成时,表示对现在或过去的一种假设。

例If I were you,I would invite him to the party.

如果我是你,我会邀请他参加聚会。

I would have arrived much earlier if I had not been caught in the traffc.

要不是交通堵塞,我会来得早一些。

every now and then表示“有时,时而,不时”。

例A few cases of infuenza cropped out every now and then.

一些流行性感冒的病例不时出现。

Every now and then you hear some bombs bursting.

你会时不时地听到一些爆炸声。

③Most people naturally choose things that bring pleasures to them.It’s unnatural to choose pain over pleasure,let alone doing it continuously for long time.

本句中bring pleasure to sb.表示“给某人带来快乐”;let alone表示“更不用说”。

例When we worship,our goal is to bring pleasure to God,not ourselves.

我们敬拜时,目标是为讨神欢心,而不是让自己开心。

He did not have enough money to have the tire patched up,let alone buy a new one.

他的钱还不够补这个轮胎,更别提买个新的了。

经典名句Famous Classics

1.Those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.

那些听不见音乐的人认为那些跳舞的人疯了。

2.You have your way.I have my way.As for the right way,the correct way,and the only way,it does not exist.

你有你的路,我有我的路。至于适当的路、正确的路和唯一的路,这样的路并不存在。

3.A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything.

在疯人院随便逛一下你就能了解,信仰什么也证明不了。

4.Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster.And when you look into the abyss,the abyss also looks into you.

想要战胜怪物就要了解成为怪物的过程;当你回望无底深渊的时候,无底深渊也会望着你。

5.The true man wants two things:danger and play.For that reason he wants woman,as the most dangerous toy.

真正的男子汉渴望两件事:危险和游戏。正因为这个原因,他追逐女人——世上最危险的游戏。

6.Those who keep themselves strong will eventually succeed.

凡是自强不息者,最终都会成功。

7.Miracles sometimes occur,but one has to work terribly for them.

奇迹有时候是会发生的,但是你得为之拼命地努力。