I have ever had pleasure in obtaining any little anecdotes of my ancestors. You may remember the inquiries I made among the remains of my relations when you were with me in England, and the journey I undertook for that purpose. Imagining it may be equally agreeable to you to know the circumstances of my life, many of which you are yet unacquainted with, and expecting the enjoyment of a week' s uninterrupted leisure in my present country retirement, I sit down to write them for you. To which I have besides some other inducements. Having emerged from the poverty and obscurity in which I was born and bred, to a state of affluence and some degree of reputation in the world, and having gone so far through life with a considerable share of felicity, the conducing means I made use of, which with the blessing of God so well succeeded, my posterity may like to know, as they may find some of them suitable to their own situations, and therefore fit to be imitated.
That felicity, when I reflected on it, has induced me sometimes to say, that were it offered to my choice, I should have no objection to a repetition of the same life from its beginning, only asking the advantages authors have in a second edition to correct some faults of the first. So I might, besides correcting the faults, change some sinister accidents and events of it for others more favorable. But though this was denied, I should still accept the offer. Since such a repetition is not to be expected, the next thing most like living one' s life over again seems to be a recollection of that life, and to make that recollection as durable as possible by putting it down in writing.
Hereby, too, I shall indulge the inclination so natural in old men, to be talking of themselves and their own past actions; and I shall indulge it without being tiresome to others, who, through respect to age, might conceive themselves obliged to give me a hearing, since this may be read or not as any one pleases. And, lastly (I may as well confess it, since my denial of it will be believed by nobody), perhaps I shall a good deal gratify my own vanity. Indeed, I scarce ever heard or saw the introductory words, "Without vanity I may say, " but some vain thing immediately followed. Most people dislike vanity in others, whatever share they have of it themselves; but I give it fair quarter wherever I meet with it, being persuaded that it is often productive of good to the possessor, and to others that are within his sphere of action; and therefore, in many cases, it would not be altogether absurd if a man were to thank God for his vanity among the other comforts of life.
亲爱的儿子：
我一度把搜集先辈们的奇闻逸事当做乐事。或许你还记得你和我在英国居住的那段日子。我为了这个目的作了一次旅行，走访了家族中的先辈们。我猜测你可能特别想知道我的生命历程——因为有许多事我都未曾告诉你。现在我正在乡村度假，可能会有一周的空闲时光，所以，我坐下来把这一切都写给你。诚然，我这样做还有其他目的。我出身贫苦，身份低微，然而我通过自己的努力成为一个国家的风云人物，并享誉全球，而且时至今日，我始终一帆风顺。我取得如此丰硕的成果，完全要感谢上帝的赐福。或许我的子孙希望知道其中的奥秘——他们也许会遇到相同的情况，因此，他们可以拿来借鉴。
每当我回首往事，都禁不住要说，假如再给我一次选择的机会，我会不假思索地重复我的今生。只是要像作家一样找出作品中的瑕疵，以便再版。除了这些，假如有可能的话，我还要扭转我这一生中所有的不幸遭遇。尽管这些都是命中注定的，我仍会欣然接受，虽然这是不可能发生的事情。最近脑海中重复上演的场景就是回忆。为了使我的回忆能够更加久远，我愿意将它们一一写下来。
因此，我认为最好的方式是：以一位老者的视角来重新看待自己，以及自己过去的一切行为。我不会任由它去烦劳别人。出于对老者的尊敬，他们一定会坐下来听我诉说。如果我把它们写下来，听或不听就由他们自己做主了。最后（我想我还是承认吧，尽管我否认这一点，但是没有人会相信），写自传大大满足了我的虚荣心。实际上，我不断听到或看到这样的开场白：“可以毫不夸张地说……”然而，接下来就是一些空洞无味、自吹自擂的话。大部分人都不愿意听这些，不管他有着如何成功的事业。但是，每次遇到这种情形，我总会多一点儿宽容。因为这种自负心理，不管是对他自己还是对别人都有益处。因此，在大多数情况下，假如一个人把他的自负当成上帝赐予他的一种慰藉，从而心存感激的话，就不算是荒谬。
anecdote ['鎛ikdut] n. 奇闻；逸事
What makes a good anecdote in a presentation?
在演讲中，什么样的逸事是有益的？
inducement [in'dju:smnt] n. 诱因；刺激物
Many people complain on the inducement of some message
of advertising.
很多人抱怨许多广告词非常诱人。
felicity [fi'lisiti] n. 幸福；快乐；幸运
He is a writer of fluency and felicity,of graciousness and gentleness.
他是一位文笔流畅，措辞得体、文雅而且温和的作家。
sinister ['sinist] adj. 阴险的；凶兆的；灾难性的
The ragged scar on his face lent him a sinister look.
他脸上那凹凸不平的疤使他显得更为凶恶可怕。
或许我的子孙希望知道其中的奥秘——他们也许会遇到相同的情况，因此，他们可以拿来借鉴。
每当我回首往事，都禁不住要说，假如再给我一次选择的机会，我会不假思索地重复我的今生。
为了使我的回忆能够更加久远，我愿意将它们一一写下来。
Since such a repetition is not to be expected, the next thing most like living one' s life over again seems to be a recollection of that life, and to make that recollection as durable as possible by putting it down in writing.
as possible：尽快
In many cases, it would not be altogether absurd if a man were to thank God for his vanity among the other comforts of life.
in many cases：在多数情况下
时间与机遇并存
Time and Chance
阿尔伯特·哈伯德 / Elbert Hubbard
The first point is that there is not so very much difference in the intelligence of people after all. The great man is not so great as folks think, and the dull man is not quite so stupid as he seems. The difference in our estimates of men lies in the fact that one individual is able to get his goods into the show window, and the other is not aware that he has any show window or an goods.
"The soul knows all things, and knowledge is only a remembering." says Emerson. This seems a very broad statement; and yet the fact remains that the vast majority of men know a thousand times as much as they are aware of. Far down in the silent depths of subconsciousness lie myriads of truths, each awaiting a time when its owner shall call it forth.
To utilize these stored up thoughts, you must express them to others: and to be able to express them well your soul has to soar into this subconscious realm where you have cached these net results of experience.
