Part Two

Companionship of Books (Excerpt)

A man may usually be known by the books he reads as well as by the company he keeps; for there is a companionship of books as wellas of men; and one should always live in the best company, whether it be ofbooks or of men.

A good book may be among the best of friends . It is the same today that it always was, and it will never change. It is the most patient and cheerful of companions. It does not turn its back upon us in times of adversity or distress. It always receives us with the same kindness; amusingand instructing us in youth, and comforting and consoling us in age.

Men often discover their affinity to each other by the mutual love they have for a book just as two persons sometimes discover a friend by the admiration which both entertain for a third. There is an old proverb, 'Love me, love my dog." But there is more wisdom in this:" Love me, love my book." The book is a truer and higherbond of union. Men can think, feel, and sympathize with each other through their favorite author. They live in him together, and he in them.

A good book is often the best urn of a life enshriningthe best that life could think out; for the world of a man's life is, for the most part, but the world of his thoughts. Thus the best books are treasures of good words, the golden thoughts, which, remembered and cherished, become our constant companions and comforters.

Books possess an essence of immortality. They

are byfar the most lasting products of human effort. Temples and statues decay, butbooks survive. Time is of no account with great thoughts, which are as freshtoday as when they first passed through their author's minds, ages ago. Whatwas then said and thought still speaks to us as vividly as ever from the printed page. The only effect of time have been to sift out the bad products; for nothing in literature can long survive e but what is really good.

Books introduce us into the best society; they bring us into the presence of the greatest minds that have ever lived. We hear what they said and did; we see the as if they were really alive; we sympathize with them, enjoy with them, grieve with them; their experience becomes ours, and wefeel as if we were in a measure actors with them in the scenes which theydescribe.

The great and good do not die, even in this world. Embalmed in books, their spirits walk abroad. The book is a living voice. It is an intellect to which on still listens.

Usually you can tell a person's character by looking at the books he reads, just like you can tell by the people he associates with. But we know that they are the same as people, because some people use people as companions, while others use books as companions. Whether we are book friends or friends, we should surround ourselves with the best.

A good book is like your best friend. It has always been the same, it has always been the same, it is the same now, and it will always be the same in the future. It is the most patient and delightful companion. Even when we are in poverty or in danger, it will not abandon us and will always be as kind to us as before. When we are young, good books cultivate our temperament and increase our knowledge; when we are old, they give us comfort and encouragement.

People often become close friends because they like the same book, just like two people sometimes become friends because they admire the same person. There is an old proverb that says: "Love the house and the house." In fact, the sentence "Love me and the book" contains more philosophy. Books are a more sincere and noble bond of friendship. People can communicate with their favorite writers through the Internet, exchange thoughts and feelings, and be closely connected with each other.

Good books are often like the most exquisite treasures, collecting the essence of life's thoughts, because the realm of life mainly lies in the realm of its thoughts. The best books, therefore, are repositories of good words and noble thoughts, which, if remembered and cherished, become our constant companions and everlasting comfort.

Books are of an immortal nature and are the most lasting results of human endeavor. Temples may collapse and idols may decay, but books endure. To great minds, time is irrelevant. The great ideas that first flashed into the author's mind many years ago are still as fresh today as ever. The only function of time is to eliminate bad works, because only truly excellent works can last forever.

Books introduce us to the company of the best people, placing us among the great masters of the past, as if we hear their voices, observe their actions, see their people, and blend with their emotions, sorrows, joys and * **, I feel the same way. We feel as if we are on stage with them on the stage described by the author.

Even in this world, great and outstanding people will never come back. Their spirit was recorded in books and spread throughout the world. Books are the voice of wisdom that people still listen to in life, and they are always full of vitality.

·Part 4: If I Rest, I Rust If I rest, I will rust

If I Rest, I Rust

The significant inscription found on an old key---"IfI rest, I rust"---would be an excellent motto for those who are afflicted with the slightest bit of idleness. Even the most industrious person might adopt it with advantage to serve as a reminderthat, if one allows his faculties to rest, like the iron in the unused key, they will soon show signs of rust and, ultimately, cannot do the work required of them.

Those who would attain the heights reached and kept by great men must keep their faculties polished by constant use, so that they mayunlock the doors of knowledge, the gate that guard the entrances to the professions, to science, art, literature, agriculture---every department of human endeavor.

Industry keeps bright the key that opens the treasury of achievement. If Hugh Miller, after toiling all day in a quarry, had devoted his evenings to rest and recreation, he would never have become afamous geologist. The celebrated mathematician, Edmund Stone, would never have published a mathematical dictionary, never have found the key to science of mathematics, if he had given his spare moments to idleness, had the little Scotch lad, Ferguson, allowed the busybrain to go to sleep while he tended sheep on the hillside instead ofcalculating the position of the stars by a string of beads, he would never have become a famous astronomer.

Labor vanquishes all--- not inconstant, spasmodi

c, orill-directed labor; but faithful, unremitting, daily effort toward awell-directed purpose. Just as truly as eternal vigilance is the price of liberty, so is eternal industry the price of noble and enduring success.

·Article 4: If I rest, I will rust

A profound inscription was found on an old key - If I rest, I will rust. This will be a wise saying for those who are lazy and worried. This serves as a warning to even the most industrious of people: If a man has talents but does not use them, like the iron in a discarded key, those talents will soon rust and he will eventually be unable to complete the work assigned to him.

For those who want to achieve the achievements that great men have achieved and maintained, they must constantly use their talents in order to open the doors of knowledge, that is, those doors that lead to every field of human endeavor, including all fields. Occupations: science, art, literature, agriculture, etc.

Diligence keeps the key to success bright. Hugh Miller would not have gone down in history as a geologist if he had spent his evenings relaxing after a long day at the quarry. If the famous mathematician Edmund Stone had been doing nothing in his spare time, he would not have published a dictionary of mathematics, nor would he have discovered the key to mathematics. Had Ferguson, a young Scotsman, let his active brain rest while tending sheep on a hillside instead of calculating the position of the stars with the help of a string of beads, he would not have become a famous astronomer.

Labor conquers all. The labor referred to here is not intermittent, intermittent, or directional labor, but firm, unremitting, and correct-directed daily labor. Just as freedom requires constant vigilance, so great and lasting success requires perseverance.

·Part 5: Ambition

Ambition

It is not difficult to imagine a world short of ambition. It would probably be a kinder world: with out demands, without abrasions, without disappointments. People would have time for reflection. Such work as they did would not be for themselves but for the collectivity. Competition would never enter in. conflict would be eliminated, tension become a thing of the past. The stress of creation would be at an end. Art would nolonger be troubling, but purely celebratory in its functions. Longevity would be increased, for fewer people would die ofheart attack or stroke caused by tumultuous endeavor. Anxiety would be extinct.Time would stretch on and on, with ambition long departed from the human heart.

Ah, how unrelieved boring life would be!

There is a strong view that holds that success is amyth, and ambition therefore a sham. Does this mean that success does notreally exist? That achievement is at bottom empty? That the efforts of men and women are of no significance alongside the force of movements and events nownot all success, obviously, is worth esteeming ,nor all ambition worth cultivating. Which are and which are not is something one soon enough learns on one's own. But even the most cynical secretly admitthat success exists; that achievement counts for a great deal; and that the true myth is that the actions of men and women are useless. To believe otherwise is to take on a point of view that is likely to be derangi

ng.(disorder)It is, in its implications, to remove all motives for competence, interest inattainment, and regard for posterity(descendants).

We do not choose to be born. We do not choose our parents. We do not choose our historical epoch, the country of our birth, or the immediate circumstances of our upbringing. Wedo not, most of us, choose to die; nor do we choose the time or conditions of our death. But within all this realm of choicelessness, we do choose how weshall live: courageously or in cowardice, honorably or dishonorably, with purposeor in drift. We decide what is important and what is trivial in life. We decidethat what makes us significant is either what we do or what we refuse to do.But no matter how indifferent the universe may be to our choices and decisions,these choices and decisions are ours to make. We decide. We choose. And as wedecide and choose, so are our lives formed. In the end, forming our own destiny is what ambition is about.

We decide what makes us meaningful, by what we do or what we refuse to do, but no matter how indifferent the world is to our choices and decisions, The control of these choices and decisions is always in our hands.

It is not difficult to imagine what a world lacking ambition would be like. Perhaps, this will be a kinder world: no longing, no friction, no disappointment. People will have time to reflect. The work they do will not be for themselves, but for the collective. Competition will never intervene; conflict will be eliminated. Tensions among people will become a thing of the past. The weight of creation will end. Art will no longer be a distraction; its function will be purely celebratory. People will live longer because fewer deaths from heart attacks and strokes caused by strenuous efforts will occur. Anxiety will disappear. Time passes, but ambition has long been far away from people's hearts.

Oh, how boring and boring life will become in the long run!

There is a popular view that success is a myth and therefore ambition is illusory. Does this mean that it is not actually successful? Achievement itself is in vain? Do the efforts of men and women pale in comparison to the power of so many movements and events? Obviously, not all success is worthy of admiration, and not all ambitions are worth pursuing. A person learns naturally and quickly the choice between what is worthwhile and what is not. But even the most cynical of people secretly admit that success does exist, achievement matters, and that it is true nonsense to say that what men and women do in the world is futile.

The belief that success does not exist is likely to cause confusion. The original intention of this view is to wipe out all motivations for improving abilities, interest in performance, and concern for future generations.

We cannot choose our birth, our parents, the historical period and country in which we are born, or the surrounding environment in which we grow. Most of us do not get to choose death, the time or conditions of death. But among these choices, we can indeed choose our own way of life: whether to be brave or fearless, to be aboveboard or shameless, to be firm in purpose or to go with the flow. We decide what in life is crucial and what is trivial. We decide that our own importance will be demonstrated either by what we do or by what we refuse to do. But no matter how indifferent the world may be to the choices and decisions we make, they are ultimately ours to make. We decide, we choose. And when we decide and choose, our lives are formed. It is our aspirations that ultimately shape our destiny.