奥里森·马登/Orison Marden
"But I'm good for something," pleaded a young man whom a merchant was about to discharge for his bluntness.
"You are good for nothing as a salesman," said his employer.
"I am sure I can be useful." said the youth.
"How? Tell me how."
"I don't know, sir, I don't know."
"Nor do I," said the merchant, laughing at the earnestness of his clerk.
"Only don't put me away, sir, don't put me away. Try me at something besides selling. I cannot sell; I know I cannot sell."
"I know that, too," said the principal; "that is what is wrong."
"But I can make myself useful somehow," persisted the young man; "I know I can."
He was placed in the counting-house, where his aptitude for figures soon showed itself, and in a few years he became not only chief cashier in the large store, but an eminent accountant.
"Rue it as he may, repent it as he often does," says Robert Waters, "the man of genius is drawn by an irresistible impulse to the occupation for which he was created. No matter by what difficulties surrounded, no matter how unpromising the prospect, this occupation is the only one which he will pursue with interest and pleasure. When his efforts fail to procure means of subsistence, and he finds himself poor and neglected, he may, like Burns, often look back with a sigh and think how much better off he would be had he pursued some other occupation, but he will stick to his favorite pursuit, nevertheless."
“可我并非一点用处也没有啊！”一个即将被老板解雇的年轻人苦苦哀求道。
雇主冷冷地说：“你根本没有做推销员的潜质！”
“我肯定自己是有价值的！”年轻人答道。
“什么价值？证明给我看啊！”
“我不知道，先生，我不知道。”
“那我就更不知道了。”雇主嘲笑着这个雄心勃勃的雇员。
“先生，我只求您不要把我开除，不要把我开除。除了销售，我做什么都可以。我不擅长销售，我知道我根本不会销售。”
“我也知道你不会，而这恰恰就是问题所在。”
“但是我知道我能在别的方面证明自己，我知道我能行。”年轻人坚持着。
最后，雇主把年轻人安排到了会计室。不久，年轻人的数学天赋得到了充分发挥。短短几年之后，这个年轻人不仅成了一家大商店的出纳主任，而且还是一名杰出的会计师。
罗伯特·韦特斯曾经说过：“也许我们会为自己的所作所为感到后悔，一个人为了自己追求的事业点燃了**的烈焰时，他才能发挥自己的天赋。不管遭受了多少艰难困苦，不管前途多么渺茫，唯有这样的事业我们才会充满兴趣，满怀热情地去追求。当我们的努力没有达到预期目标时，也许会像彭斯那样叹息，如果选择其他职业就不会落得今天这步田地了！然而，毫无疑问的是，我们不会停下追寻梦想的脚步！”
Fear not that thy life shall come to an end, but rather fear that it shall never have a beginning.
—Newman
不要害怕你的生活将要结束，应该担心你的生活永远不曾真正开始。
——纽曼
discharge[dis?t?ɑ:d?]v.卸下；放出；解雇；放电；解除
The judge discharged the prisoner.
法官把囚犯释放了。
bluntness[?bl?ntnis]n.钝；率直；迟钝
Such bluntness is characteristic of him.
他就是这么迟钝。
aptitude[??ptitju:d]n.才能；资质
Edison had a remarkable aptitude for inventing new things.
爱迪生具有发明创造的非凡才能。
eminent[?emin?nt]adj.著名的；卓越的
He is eminent among scientists.
他在科学家中是闻名的。
但是我知道我能在别的方面证明自己，我知道我能行。
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不管遭受了多少艰难困苦，不管前途多么渺茫，唯有这样的事业我们才会充满兴趣，满怀热情地去追求。
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然而，毫无疑问的是，我们不会停下追寻梦想的脚步！
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"But I'm good for something," pleaded a young man whom a merchant was about to discharge for his bluntness.
be about to：刚要；即将.
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..but he will stick to his favorite pursuit, nevertheless.
stick to：坚持
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