今天，翻译接近尾声，众里寻佳句之时，觉得有一句话可以这样翻译：

　　学习的最棒之处在于当你学到知识之后，没有人能够把它从你那里拿走。
　　The most wonderful thing about learning is that when you truly acquire knowledge, no one can take it away from you.
       
　　由此，引起我对人生的联想。
　　我崇尚智慧。
　　因为它是世界上惟一不可能被剥夺的东西，你可以消灭它，也可以利用它，也可以妒嫉它，但不能拥有别人的智慧，谁的就是谁的。
　　法律是可以修改的，法律面前人人平等是不可能的，从法律诞生的那天起就不断地有人践踏它。
　　强权是可以履灭的，政权的更迭是历史的必然，只是时间长短不一。
　　金钱是可以消失的，邓通如何，有权铸币，结果最后还不是寄食他家而死。富可敌国的沈万三如何，功高盖主，发配而死。红项商人胡雪岩又如何，还不是死于朝廷斗争......
　　......
　　而惟一留传于世的是智慧。阳春白雪如老子、孔子、孙子......，下里巴人如能工、巧匠、良医......

　　法律、强权、金钱皆可灭，而惟独智慧永存。

    我一生从不相信权力，只相信智慧。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　－沈从文

    智慧都是我们自己的


　　Isn't it amazing how one person, sharing one idea, at the right time and place can change the course of your life's history? This is certainly what happened in my life. When I was 14, I was hitchhiking from Houston, Texas, through El Paso on my way to California.
　　在恰当的时间和地点，一个的想法能改变你的命运这还不够惊异吗？然而这的确千真万确，它就发生在我14岁的时候，那时，我正准备从德克萨斯州休斯顿经由厄尔巴索前往加利福利亚的路上。

　　I was following my dream, journeying with the sun. I was a high school dropout with learning disabilities and was set on surfing the biggest waves in the world, first in California and then in Hawaii, where I would later live.
　　日出即行，日落即息，追随着我的梦想，由于存在学习障碍我中学的时候就辍学了，因此我决定去世界上最大的海浪边去冲浪，起初是加利福利亚，之后是夏威夷，我后面准备呆的地方。

　　Upon reaching downtown El Paso, I met an old man, a bum, on the street corner. He saw me walking, stopped me and questioned me as I passed by. He asked me if I was running away from home, I suppose because I looked so young.
　　当我来到厄尔巴索市中心，我在街角遇到一个老的流浪汉，他看到我经过他的时候他拦下我并问我否我离家出走，我想大概我看起来太年轻太嫩的缘故了。

　　I told him, "Not exactly, sir," since my father had given me a ride to the freeway in Houston and given me his blessings while saying, "It is important to follow your dream and what is in your heart. Son. "
　　我告诉他“不完全对”。因为我爸爸开车把我送到了休斯顿的高速公路上，并送我一句祝福的话“追随你的梦想和你的心这很重要，儿子”。

　　The bum then asked me if he could buy me a cup of coffee. I told him, "No, sir, but a soda would be great." We walked to a corner malt shop and sat down on a couple of swiveling stools while we enjoyed our drinks.
　　然后流浪汉问我能否请我喝咖啡时，我告诉他“不，我觉得汽水更棒”，我们来到角落一家酒吧，坐在一个双人旋转椅子上，彼此畅饮。

　　After conversing for a few minutes, the friendly bum told me to follow him. He told me that he had something grand to show me and share with me. We walked a couple of blocks until we came upon the downtown El Paso Public Library.
　　交谈不久后，这个和蔼可亲的流浪者让我跟着他，他告诉我他有些重要的东西想和我分享，我们过了几条街，来到厄尔巴索共立图书馆前。

　　We walked up its front steps and stopped at a small information stand. Here the bum spoke to a smiling old lady, and asked her if she would be kind enough to watch my things for a moment while he and I entered the library. I left my belongings with this grandmotherly figure and entered into this magnificent hall of learning.
　　我们沿着前面的台阶向上走，停在一个小小的咨询台前，流浪者和一个笑容可掬的老太太说话，并问他在我们进入图书馆的时候是否能帮忙看着我的东西，我把行李放在这个慈祥的人那里，走进这座宏伟的学习殿堂。

　　The bum first led me to a table and asked me to sit down and wait for a moment while he looked for something special amongst the shelves. A few moments later, he returned with a couple of old books under his arms and set them on the table.
　　老汉将我带到一个桌子旁，叫我坐下稍等片刻，他自己去书架上去寻找那个特别的东西去了，一会过后，他腋下夹着几本旧书回来了并将它们放在桌子上。

　　He then sat down beside me and spoke. He started with a few statements that were very special and that changed my life. He said, "There are two things that I want to teach you, young man, and they are these: "Number one is to never judge a book by its cover, for a cover can fool you. "He followed with, "I ll bet you think I m a bum, don t you, young man?"
　　他坐在我旁边并说道，几句特别的话就改变了我的命运，他说到“年轻人，有两件事情我想教会你，第一件就是切记不要根据一本书的封面来判断书的好坏，因为封面会欺骗人，”他接着说道“我敢打赌，你肯定认为我是个流浪者，对吧，年轻人？”

　　I said, "Well, uh, yes, I guess so, sir. "
　　我说“恩，是的，我确实这么认为”

　　"Well, young man, I've got a little surprise for you. I am one of the wealthiest men in the world. I have probably everything any man could ever want. I originally come from the Northeast and have all the things that money can buy. But a year ago, my wife passed away, bless her soul, and since then I have been deeply reflecting upon life.
　　“恩，年轻人，我想给你一点小惊喜，其实我是世界上最富有的人之一，人们蒙昧以求的东西我几乎都有，我原本来自美国东北部，凡是金钱可以买到的东西我都有，但是一年前，我妻子去世上帝保佑她在天之灵，自那以后我对人生有了深深的反思。

　　I realized there were certain things I had not yet experienced in life, one of which was what it would be like to live like a bum on the streets. I made a commitment to myself to do exactly that for one year. For the past year I have been going from city to city doing just that. So, you see, don't ever judge a book by its cover, for a cover can fool you.
　　我意识到生命中还有一些事情我从未经历，其中一件就是做个街头的流浪汉会滋味如何？我决定这一年都试试看，在过去的一年来，我从一个城市流浪到另一个城市，所以，你瞧，切记不能根据封面来判断一本书的好坏，因为封面会愚弄你。

　　"Number two is to learn how to read, my boy. For there is only one thing that people can't take away from you, and that is your wisdom. " At that moment, he reached forward, grabbed my right hand in his and put them upon the books he'd pulled from the shelves. They were the writings of Plato and Aristotle-immortal classics from ancient times.
　　第二件事就是学会阅读，孩子。因为只有一件事是别人从你这里拿不走的，那就是你的智慧。这时，他伸手过来，把我的右手放在他手里并一起放在他从书架上拿来的书上，这是些古老时期柏拉图和亚里斯多德写的不朽的经典。