赖大师的精选---我的挚爱(11)

第十一弹：行为决定命运
You are what you do

If the past has taught us anything, it is that every cause brings effect-every
action has a consequence. This thought, in my opinion, is the moral foundation
of the universe; it applis equally in this world and the next.

We Chinese have a saying:” if a man plants melons, he will reap melons; if
he sows beans, he will reap beans.” And this is true of every man’s life:
good begets¹ good, and evil leads to evil.

True enough, the sun shines on the saint and sinner alike, and too often it
seems that the wicked wax and prosper². But we can say with certitude that,
with the individual as with the nation, the flourishing of the wicked is an illusion,
for, unceasingly, life keeps books of us all.

In the end, we are all the sum total of out action. Character cannot be counterfeited³, nor can it be put on and cast off as if it were a garment to meet
the whim⁴ of the moment. Like the markings on wood which are ingrained in
the very heart of the tree, character requires time and nurture⁵ for growth
and development.

Thus also, day by day, we write out own destiny, for inexorably we become
what we do. This, I believe, is the supreme⁶ logic⁷ and the law of life.

1 begets   

v.为…之生父( beget的第三人称单数 )；产生，引起

参考例句：

• It begets at least seven standard type offspring from such matings. 这类交配中生下至少七个标准型后代。 来自辞典例句
• Violence begets violence until the innocent perish with the guilty. 暴力招致暴力直到这因罪行而无缘无故的毁灭。 来自电影对白

2 prosper   

v.成功，兴隆，昌盛；使成功，使昌隆，繁荣

参考例句：

• With her at the wheel,the company began to prosper.有了她当主管，公司开始兴旺起来。
• It is my earnest wish that this company will continue to prosper.我真诚希望这家公司会继续兴旺发达。

3 counterfeited   

v.仿制，造假( counterfeit的过去分词 )

参考例句：

• How did you spot those fifties were counterfeited? 你怎样察觉出那些50元面值的纸币是伪造的？ 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The old miser's widow counterfeited a grief she did not feel. 这个老守财奴的寡妇伪装出她并没有的哀伤。 来自辞典例句

4 whim   

n.一时的兴致，突然的念头；奇想，幻想

参考例句：

• I bought the encyclopedia on a whim.我凭一时的兴致买了这本百科全书。
• He had a sudden whim to go sailing today.今天他突然想要去航海。

5 nurture   

n.养育，照顾，教育；滋养，营养品；vt.养育，给与营养物，教养，扶持

参考例句：

• The tree grows well in his nurture.在他的培育下这棵树长得很好。
• The two sisters had received very different nurture.这俩个姊妹接受过极不同的教育。

6 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

7 logic   

n.逻辑(学)；逻辑性

参考例句：

• What sort of logic is that?这是什么逻辑？
• I don't follow the logic of your argument.我不明白你的论点逻辑性何在。