Talk about an ideal democracy! In the realm of time there is no aristocracy of wealth, and no aristocracy of intellect. Genius is never rewarded by even an extra hour a day. And there is no punishment. Waste your infinitely precious commodity as much as you will, and the supply will never be withheld from you. Mo mysterious power will say: "This man is a fool, if not a knave. He does not deserve time; he shall be cut off at the meter." It is more certain than consols, and payment of income is not affected by Sundays. Moreover, you cannot draw on the future. Impossible to get into debt! You can only waste the passing moment. You cannot waste tomorrow; it is kept for you. You cannot waste the next hour; it is kept for you.
I said the affair was a miracle. Is it not?
You have to live on this twenty-four hours of daily time. Out of it you have to spin health, pleasure, money, content, respect, and the evolution of your immortal soul. Its right use, its most effective use, is a matter of the highest urgency and of the most thrilling actuality. All depends on that. Your happiness—the lusive prize that you are all clutching for, my friends!—depends on that. Strange that the newspapers, so enterprising and up-to-date as they are, are not full of "How to live on a given income of time, " instead of "How to live on a given income of money"! Money is far commoner than time. When one reflects, one perceives that money is just about the commonest thing there is. It encumbers the earth in gross heaps.
If one can' t contrive to live on a certain income of money, one earns a little more—or steals it, or advertises for it. One doesn' t necessarily muddle one' s life because one can' t quite manage on a thousand pounds a year; one braces the muscles and makes it guineas, and balances the budget. But if one cannot arrange that an income of twenty-four hours a day shall exactly cover all proper items of expenditure, one does muddle one' s life definitely. The supply of time, though gloriously regular, is cruelly restricted.
Which of us lives on twenty-four hours a day? And when I say "lives, " I do not mean exists, nor "muddles through." Which of us is free from that uneasy feeling that the "great spending departments" of his daily life are not managed as they ought to be? Which of us is quite sure that his fine suit is not surmounted by a shameful hat, or that in attending to the crockery he has forgotten the quality of the food? Which of us is not saying to himself-which of us has not been saying to himself all his life: "I shall alter that when I have a little more time"?
We never shall have any more time. We have, and we have always had, all the time there is. It is the realization of this profound and neglected truth (which, by the way, I have not discovered) that has led me to the minute practical examination of daily time-expenditure.
“没错，他是属于不懂得如何理财的那一类人。虽然拥有较好的工作、稳定的收入，足够供他日常消费和享用奢侈品了，但他并非特别奢华之人，时常陷入困境。总之，他属于那种不会理财的人。他有一套很不错的公寓，但里面空荡荡的，看起来总像是接待了一拨又一拨拍卖经纪人似的。崭新的西装，破旧的帽子；脖子上的领带华丽无比，下面的裤子却皱皱巴巴；请你吃饭时，他用雕花的玻璃器皿盛糟糕的羊肉，或把土耳其的咖啡泡在带裂痕的杯子里。他也弄不清楚，只好简单地解释说，他零星地花完了所有的收入。真希望我能有他一半的收入！我一定会教他……”
所以，大多数人偶尔都会怀着优越感对他人说三道四，加以批评。
我们每个人几乎都是财务部长，但这种骄傲转瞬即逝。一些关于如何消费的文章时常见于报端，这类文章常常能引起读者巨大的反响。由此可见，此类话题很受大众青睐。最近，一场激烈的争论在一份日报上展开了，话题围绕85英镑能否维持本国一名妇女一年的安逸生活。我曾看过一篇名为《8先令如何度过一周》的文章，但从未见过《如何度过一天的24小时》一类的报道。有人说，时间就是金钱。但我认为这句格言并不严谨，因为时间要比金钱更珍贵。通常，如果你有时间，就可以获得金钱。即使你拥有卡尔顿旅馆行李管理员的薪水，也无法买到比我或者火炉旁边的那只猫多一分钟的时间。
许多哲学家曾经阐释过太空，却从未阐释过时空。时间是无法解说的万物之源。拥有它，一切皆有可能；没有它，则一无所有。时间源源而来的确是每天的奇迹，人们每每遐想于此，总会为之震惊。清晨醒来时，当你睁开双眼，哦！24小时已魔法般地装进你的钱包，它是你生命里一笔永恒的财富！它是属于你的，是你最为珍贵的财产。它是一件非凡的日用品，展现在你面前，就像它自身一样神奇。
注意！没有人能偷走你的时间，它是无法被偷走的。没有人能得到比你更多的时间，但也不会比你更少。
时间是完美的民主主义者。在时间王国里，财富和智慧的特权不复存在。即使是天才，也不可能在一天中多得哪怕一小时的酬劳。时间王国里也没有惩罚，即便这无价之宝被你随心所欲地浪费掉，它也不会拒绝再给你提供。只有神秘的灵魂会指责道：“这个人是傻瓜，不然就是流氓。他不配拥有时间，应剥夺他的时间享用权。”但时间远远比英国公债更可靠，它不会因为周末的到来而停止付息。另外，未来的时间你不能预支，更不可能负债！你仅能耗费过去的时刻，但不能耗费为你保留着的明天；也不能消耗为你保留着的下一个小时。
这是一件非常奇特的事，不是吗？
你每天都生活在这24小时里，另外，你还要获得健康、快乐、金钱、欲望、敬重以及提升你那圣洁的心灵。那么，时间能否正确高效地被利用，则是一件高度紧急又令人兴奋的事，它决定了一切。我的朋友！你的幸福——你所追求的一切都依赖于它。奇怪的是，报纸如此富于开拓精神，站在时代的最前沿，却并没有太多关于“怎样在有限的时间里生活”的文章，反而充斥许多关于“如何支配固定收入”的文章！事实上，时间比金钱更昂贵，你仔细想想，便会意识到钱是很普通的东西，随处可见，比比皆是。
如果一个人不能靠有限的收入维持生计时，他就会去挣更多——或者去窃取，或登报求职。一个人仅靠1000英镑维持一年的生计的确很拮据，但他没必要因此浑浑噩噩地过一辈子。只要不辞辛苦，努力多赚些钱，完全可以达到收支平衡。然而，如果他没有充分有效地利用这一天24小时，那的确是虚度了。时间虽然定期而至，但也有严格的限制。
谁能把握一天的24个小时呢？我所谈及的“生活”既不是“生存”，也不是“稀里糊涂地度日”。我们当中谁能从因“巨大日常消费”问题而产生的焦虑中解脱出来呢？而这应该是我们可以应付自如的。又有谁能够确信，自己穿一套新西装时就不会戴一顶寒酸的帽子呢？或者说在关注器皿质地时，而忽略食物的质量呢？有谁一生都没有对自己说过“等有更多的时间，我就会改变”呢？
我们永远都不会有任何更多的时间。我们所拥有的只是原有的所有时间。这个真理意义深远却又常被忽视（顺便说一下，我仍未发现），它驱使我通过实践，考察自己每天所花费的每一分钟。
extravagant [iks'tr鎣gnt] adj. 奢侈的；浪费的
Despite this, he was so extravagant that he was always in debt.
尽管这样，他还是如此浪费，以至于经常负债。
fritter ['frit] v. 逐渐浪费；细切；剁碎
He has frittered away every chance he ever got.
他把到手的每个机会都糟蹋掉了。
criticise ['kritisaiz] v. 批评；吹毛求疵；非难
Many people criticise George Catlin.
许多人批评乔治·卡特林。
understate ['nd'steit] v. 保守地说；轻描淡写地报道
He understates his views.
他轻描淡写地表达了自己的观点。
有人说，时间就是金钱。但我认为这句格言并不严谨，因为时间要比金钱更珍贵。
时间是完美的民主主义者。在时间王国里，财富和智慧的特权不复存在。
我们永远都不会有任何更多的时间。我们所拥有的只是原有的所有时间。
He does not deserve time; he shall be cut off at the meter.
cut off：切断
By the way, I have not discovered.
by the way：顺便说；顺便问一下
人在旅途中
We Are on a Journey
亨利·凡·戴克 / Henry Van Dyke
