I think that we may safely trust a good deal more than we do. We may waive just so much care of ourselves as we honestly bestow elsewhere. Nature is as well adapted to our weakness as to our strength. The incessant anxiety and strain of some is a well-nigh incurable form of disease. We are made to exaggerate the imp ortance of what work we do; and yet how much is not done by us! or, what if we had been taken sick? How vigilant we are! determined not to live by faith if we can avoid it; all the day long on the alert, at night we unwillingly say our prayers and commit ourselves to uncertainties. So thoroughly and sincerely are we compelled to live, reverencing our life, and denying the possibility of change. This is the on ly way, we say; but there are as many ways as there can be drawn radii from on e centre. All change is a miracle to contemplate; but it is a miracle which is taking place every instant. Confucius said, "To know that we know what we know, and that we do not know what we do not know, that is true knowledge." When on e man has reduced a fact of the imagination to be a fact to his understanding, I foresee that all men at length establish their lives on that basis.

（徐迟译） 我想，我们可以 泰然 相信，比我们实际上相信的，更加多的事物。我们对自己的关怀 能放弃多少 ，便可以忠实地 给别人多少 的关怀。大自然既能适应我们的长处，也能适应我们的弱点。有些人无穷无尽的忧患焦虑，成了一种几乎医治不好的疾病。我们 又 生就的爱 夸耀 我们所做工作的重要性；然而却有多少工作我们没有做！要是我们病倒了，怎么办呢？我们多么谨慎！决心不依照信仰而生活，我们尽可能避免它，从早到晚警戒着，到夜晚 违心地 祈祷着，然后把自己 交托给未定的运数 。我们被迫生活得这样 周到和认真 ， 崇奉 自己的生活， 而否定变革的可能 。我们说，只能这样子生活呵；可是从圆心可以画出多少条半径来，而生活方式就有这样的多。一切变革，都是值得思考的奇迹， 每一刹那发生的事都可以是奇迹 。孔夫子曾说：“知之为知之，不知为不知，是知也。”当一个人把 他想象的事实提炼为他的理论之时 ，我预见到，一切人最后都要在这样的基础上建筑起他们的生活来。

把“ safely ”译为类似“安全地”有点太过忠实于“ safe ”了。“ We may safely say ”虽可译为“我们可以安全地说”，但听上去还是有点怪当然，把汉语地道与否完全交给耳朵判断，有人可能不赞同，况且，现在听起来怪的，也许将来就不怪了。

“ We may waive just so much care of ourselves as we honestly bestow elsewhere. ”我原来理解成“我们可以把很多对自我的关注转成对别处的关注”，而徐译把“ so much … as ”看作固定短语了。即便是固定短语，恐怕句子的重点还在“ waive ”上。

“ exaggerate ”是“夸大（言过其实）”，不是“夸耀（向人炫耀）”。

“ commit ourselves to uncertainties ”译成“ 交托给未定的运数”不易理解。人们不能主动选择改变现状，总以为生活只能如此听从命运。

一切改变都是奇迹，是可选择的，是每时每刻都在发生的奇迹。

引用孔子的名言“ 知之为知之，不知为不知，是知也。 ”回译成汉语不费力。而英语又加深了我们对汉语的理解。“ To know that we know what we know, and that we do not know what we do not know, that is true knowledge. ”我们知道我们知道的东西，我们不知道我们不知道的东西，知道这些才是真的知道。

When on e man has reduced a fact of the imagination to be a fact to his understanding, I foresee that all men at length establish their lives on that basis. 这句里看不出有“提炼成理论”之意。“生活不可改变，只好如此别无选择”，这看法本是 imagination 的事，如果一个人把它归纳成理解成“事实”，那么，可以预见，时间一长，所有人都会这么看，会以此为基础而生活。