爱默生（Ralph Waldo Emerson,1802——1882）是一位著名的思想家、散文作家、诗人。他是美国文艺复兴的领袖，也是欧洲浪漫主义潮流在美国的发言人。他主张反对权威，崇尚直觉，主张人能超越感觉和理性而直接认识真理，也就是直接从大自然中认识真理，获得人生的真谛。他尤其强调人的价值，他的很多思想极富鼓舞性。

1 An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory.
一盎司的行动值一吨的理论。
Ounce: 盎司（重量单位）

2 As a cure for worrying, work is better than whiskey.
工作比威士忌更适合于治愈忧愁。
Cure: 治愈
Whiskey: 威士忌（一种烈性酒）

3 Bad times have a scientific value. These are occasions a good learner would not miss.
艰难困苦有其科学价值，聪明的学习者绝不会错过这些机会。
Scientific: 科学的
Miss: 错过

4. Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm
缺乏热情将不会成就任何大事。
Achieve: 取得；达到
Enthusiasm: 热情

5 The ancestor of every action is a thought.
思想是每一项行动之源。
Ancestor: 祖先

6 Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
不要踏已知的路，走没有人走过“路”并且留下足迹。
Trail: 足迹

7 Don't be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment.
对于你的行动不要太胆怯和害怕。生活就是实验。
Timid: 胆怯的
Squeamish: 易受惊的，易恶心的

8 Why need I volumes, if one word suffice?
如果一句话就足够，为什么还要长篇大论？
Volume: 滔滔不绝
Suffice: 足够

9 Every artist was first an amateur.
每一个艺术家刚开始也是一个业余爱好者。
Amateur: 业余爱好者

10 Every burned book enlightens the world.
被焚的每一本书都照亮着世界。
Enlighten: 启蒙；照亮

11 Every man in his lifetime needs to thank his faults.
每一个人都应该感谢他生活中的错误。
Fault: 错误；过失

12 Fiction reveals truth that reality obscures.
现实掩盖的真理可由小说展示出来。
Fiction: 小说
Reveal: 显示
Obscure: 使模糊

13 He who is not everyday conquering some fear has not learned the secret of life.
如果一个人每天没有征服一些恐惧的话，那么他还不知道生活的秘密。
Conquer: 征服

14 I have thought a sufficient measure of civilization is the influence of good women.
我认为衡量文明的一个足够好的方法就是看优秀妇女所带来的影响。
Sufficient: 充分的
Civilization: 文明
Influence: 影响

15 The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous¹ in the common.
智慧永恒不变的特点就是在普通中看到神奇。
Invariable: 不变的
Miraculous: 神奇的

16 It is a fact often observed, that men have written good verses under the inspiration of passion, who cannot write well under other circumstances.
一个经常观察到的事实就是人们在激情的灵感下写出好诗歌，而在其它情况下则难有所成。
Verse: 诗歌
Inspiration: 启发；灵感
Passion: 激情
Circumstances: 情况

17 There is always safety in valor².
安全永远存于勇敢之中。
 Valor: 勇敢

18 Passion rebuilds the world for the youth. It makes all things alive and significant
激情重建青年人的世界。它使所有的事情鲜活而且意义重大。
Rebuild: 重建
Significant: 重要的

19 Every mind must make its choice between truth and repose³. It cannot have both.
每个人都必须在真理和安逸之间做出选择。我们不能兼而得之。
Repose: 安逸

20 No great man ever complains of want of opportunity.
伟人从不抱怨没有机会。
Complain: 抱怨
Want: 缺乏
Opportunity: 机会

21 The man of genius inspires us with a boundless⁴ confidence in our own powers.
天才激发我们无限的信心。
Genius: 天才
Boundless: 无限的
Confidence: 信心

22 The sum of wisdom is that time is never lost that is devoted⁵ to work.
全身心投入地工作，这样的时间绝不会被浪费，这就是所有的智慧。
 Wisdom:智慧，才智

23 To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment⁶.
这个世界随时都想把你变成其它模样，坚持成为你真正的自己是一项伟大的成就。
Constantly: 经常地
Accomplishment: 成就

24 What lies behind you and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what lies inside of you.
无论过去、现在还是将来，所有表象和你的内在相比都微不足道。
Pale: 苍白
Comparison: 对比

25 Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.
跟着自然的节奏：她的秘密是耐心。
Adopt: 采纳；收养
Patience: 耐心