獲取完美品德

In the various enumerations of the moral virtues I had met with in my reading, I found the catalogue more or less numerous，as different writers included more or fewer ideas under the same name. I proposed to myself, for the sake of clearness, to use rather more names，with fewer ideas annexed to each, than a few names with more ideas; and I included under thirteen names of virtues all that at that time occurred to me as necessary or desirable, and annexed to each a short precept, which fully expressed the extent I gave to its meaning.
在閱讀的過程中，我發(fā)現(xiàn)在列舉道德品質(zhì)時，分類繁多，不同的作者對同一個類別的解釋多少有些出入，釋義有深有淺。為了明確起見，我主張自己多設(shè)定幾個名稱類別，每個名稱包含更加簡明的含義，而不要分類少而釋義多。我提出了十三種品德，這是當(dāng)時我認(rèn)為要么必需要么合意的全部品德的名稱，每個名稱底下我附了一些簡單的戒律，充分說明我認(rèn)為該詞應(yīng)有的含義。

These names of virtues, with their precepts, were:
這些品德的名稱和相應(yīng)的戒律如下：

1.TEMPERANCE. Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.
一、節(jié)制。食不過飽；酒不過量。

2.SILENCE. Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.
二、沉默寡言。言必于人于己有益；避免無益的談話。

3.ORDER. Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.
三、生活有秩序。每一樣?xùn)|西應(yīng)有安放的位置;每件事務(wù)當(dāng)安排好相應(yīng)的時間。

4.RESOLUTION. Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.
四、決心。當(dāng)做必做；一旦決定，不可半途而廢。

5.FRUGALITY. Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing.
五、儉樸。花錢必須于人或于己有益；比如，不要浪費一分一厘。

6.INDUSTRY. Lose no time; be always employed in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.
六、勤勉。不浪費時間；每時每刻做有用的事，終止一切不必要的行動。

7.SINCERITY. Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly.
七、誠懇。不惡意騙人；思想要純潔公正，說話也要如此。

8.JUSTICE. Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.
八、公正。不做損人之事，不要忘記履行對人有益而且是你應(yīng)盡的義務(wù)。

9.MODERATION. Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.
九、中庸適度。避免極端；如果對你造成的傷害是應(yīng)該的，當(dāng)克制怒火。

10.CLEANLINESS. Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, clothes, or habitation.
十、清潔。身體、衣服和住所力求清潔。

11.TRANQUILLITY. Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.
十一、鎮(zhèn)靜。勿因小事或不可避免的事故而驚慌失措。

12.CHASTITY. Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another's peace or reputation.
十二、貞節(jié)。除了為了健康或生育后代起見，節(jié)制房事，以免傷害身體或損害你自己或他人的安寧或名譽。

13.HUMILITY. Imitate Jesus and Socrates.
十三、謙虛。仿效耶穌和蘇格拉底。

My intention being to acquire the habitude of all these virtues, I judged it would be well not to distract my attention by attempting the whole at once, but to fix it on one of them at a time; and, when I should be master of that, then to proceed to another, and so on, till I should have gone through the thirteen; and, as the previous acquisition of some might facilitate the acquisition of certain others, I arranged them with that view, as they stand above. Temperance first，as it tends to procure that coolness and clearness of head, which is so necessary where constant vigilance was to be kept up, and guard maintained against the unremitting attraction of ancient habits，and the force of perpetual temptations. This being acquired and established, Silence would be more easy; and my desire being to gain knowledge at the same time that I improved in virtue, and considering that in conversation it was obtained rather by the use of the ears than of the tongue, and therefore wishing to break a habit I was getting into of prattling, punning，and joking，which only made me acceptable to trifling company, I gave Silence the second place. This and the next, Order, I expected would allow me more time for attending to my project and my studies. Resolution, once become habitual, would keep me firm in my endeavors to obtain all the subsequent virtues; Frugality and Industry freeing me from my remaining debt, and producing affluence and independence, would make more easy the practice of Sincerity and Justice, etc., etc. Conceiving then, that, agreeably to the advice of Pythagoras in his Golden Verses, daily examination would be necessary.
既然我的目的是將這些美德變成一種習(xí)慣，我認(rèn)為最好不要同時嘗試所有項目，以致分散注意力，最好是一段時間內(nèi)集中精力執(zhí)行其中的一項。當(dāng)我掌握了一個美德后，接著繼續(xù)實踐下一個，如此類推，直到我做到十三項為止。因為先獲得的某些美德可能有利于其他美德的養(yǎng)成，依據(jù)這個想法，我就按照上面的次序把它們進行了排列。我把節(jié)制放在第一，因為它有助于使人頭腦冷靜，思維清晰，為了經(jīng)常保持警惕，抵抗舊習(xí)慣不斷地吸引以及無窮無盡的誘惑的侵?jǐn)_，這種冷靜的頭腦和清晰的思維是非常必要的。在獲得和養(yǎng)成了這一美德以后，沉默寡言就容易多了。在提高我品德的同時我還想增進知識，我認(rèn)為在談話中用耳朵比用嘴更能增長知識，因此我想打破當(dāng)時我正在形成的喋喋不休、愛說俏皮話、愛戲謔的習(xí)慣，這種習(xí)慣只會讓我結(jié)交到一些輕浮的朋友，因此我把沉默寡言放在第二位。我想沉默寡言和下一條生活有秩序的美德會使我有更多時間致力于我的計劃和學(xué)習(xí)。意志堅決一旦成為習(xí)慣，將會使我更堅決地努力獲得其余的美德。儉樸和勤勉能使我還清剩下的債款，帶給我財富和獨立，會使誠懇和公正兩項美德的實踐更加容易，如此等等。接著，按照畢達哥拉斯在《金詩篇》里提出的建議，我認(rèn)為每日必須進行自我檢查。