July 25, 2015

A Treasury of English Famous Essays

英美散文菁華

陳榮吉 編譯

9.   Keeping Pleasant 保持樂觀

   Anonymous

       “He is a fool who cannot be angry, but he is really a wise man who will not.”

       The habit of keeping pleasant is indeed better than an income of a thousand dollars a year. The life without cheerfulness is like the severe winter without the sun.

       We all love cheerful company, but we are apt to forget that cheerfulness is a habit which can be cultivated by all.

       We find it very difficult to be gay when we are in distress. It requires great courage. We should never forget that to be cheerful when it is not easy to be cheerful shows greatness. Thorny may be our way, but how happy is the conqueror’s song!

       The perfection of cheerfulness consists in the happy frame of mind. It is displayed in good temper and kind behavior. It arises partly from personal goodness and partly from belief in the goodness of others. It sees the glory in the grass and the sunshine on the flower. It encourages happy thoughts, and lives in an atmosphere of peace. It costs nothing, and yet it is invaluable. It blesses its possessor, and affords a large measure of enjoyment to others.