英文短篇勵志故事
我們有時間的話，不如找一些英文短篇勵志故事來看看，肯定會有所感悟的，那麼英文短篇勵志故事都有哪些呢?一起來看看吧。
英文短篇勵志故事：無私奉獻
One day a young man was standing in the middle of the town proclaiming that he had the most beautiful heart in the whole valley. A large crowd gathered and they all admired his heart for it was perfect. There was not a mark or a flaw in it. Yes, they all agreed it truly was the most beautiful heart they had ever seen. The young man was very proud and boasted more loudly about his beautiful heart.
Suddenly, an old man appeared at the front of the crowd and said, "Why your heart is not nearly as beautiful as mine." The crowd and the young man looked at the old man's heart. It was beating strongly, but full of scars, it had places where pieces had been removed and other pieces put in, but they didn't fit quite right and there were several jagged edges. In fact, in some places there were deep gouges where whole pieces were missing.
The people stared — how can he say his heart is more beautiful, they thought? The young man looked at the old man's heart and saw its state and laughed. "You must be joking," he said. "Compare your heart with mine, mine is perfect and yours is a mess of scars and tears."
"Yes," said the old man, "Yours is perfect looking but I would never trade with you. You see, every scar represents a person to whom I have given my love — I tear out a piece of my heart and give it to them, and often they give me a piece of their heart which fits into the empty place in my heart, but because the pieces aren't exact, I have some rough edges, which I cherish, because they remind me of the love we shared. Sometimes I have given pieces of my heart away, and the other person hasn't returned a piece of his heart to me. These are the empty gouges — giving love is taking a chance. Although these gouges are painful, they stay open, reminding me of the love I have for these people too, and I hope someday they may return and fill the space in my heart. So now do you see what true beauty is? "
The young man stood silently with tears running down his cheeks. He walked up to the old man, reached into his perfect young and beautiful heart, and ripped a piece out. He offered it to the old man with trembling hands.
The old man took his offering, placed it in his heart and then took a piece from his old scarred heart and placed it in the wound in the young man's heart. It fit, but not perfectly, as there were some jagged edges. The young man looked at his heart, not perfect anymore but more beautiful than ever, since love from the old man's heart flowed into his. They embraced and walked away side by side.
一個年輕人站在城鎮的中央，宣佈他的心是整個山谷中最美麗的心。圍觀的羣眾很多，他們都稱讚他的心的確是最完美的，沒有一點傷痕或者瑕疵。真的，他們一致認為這實在是他們見過的最美麗的心。這個年輕人非常自豪，更加起勁地大聲吹捧自己那顆美麗的心。
突然，一位老人出現在人羣面前，他説：“你的心不如我的美麗。”圍觀羣眾和年輕人都朝老人的心看去，它有力地跳動着，卻佈滿了傷疤，有的地方被挖走了，雖然重新補上了，但修補得不甚完整，留下參差不齊的疤痕。實際上，有的地方還露出很深的豁口。
人們睜大了眼睛——他們想：他怎能説自己的心更美麗呢?年輕人看了看老人的心，見是這種情形，不禁笑了起來：“你不是在開玩笑吧?”他説。“把你的心和我的比一下，我的心是那麼完美，而你的心卻佈滿了傷疤和裂痕。”
“是的，”老人説，“你的心從表面來看很完美，但我絕不會跟你交換。你看，每個傷疤都代表我為別人獻出的一份愛——我掏出一塊心給他們，他們常常會掏出自己的一塊回贈給我，但由於這兩塊不完全一樣，傷口的邊緣就留下了疤痕，不過我十分珍惜這些疤痕，因為它們能使我想起我們共同擁有的愛心。有時我送出了心，其他人並沒有回贈給我，因此就出現了這些深孔——獻出愛只是創造機會。儘管這些傷口疼痛，並且整日敞開着，卻能使我想起我給予他們的愛。我希望有一天，他們能夠回來填補上我心裏的空間。你們現在明白什麼是真正的美麗了吧?”
年輕人默默無語地站着，淚水順着臉頰流下。他走到這位老人身邊，把手伸進自己完美而年輕美麗的心裏，撕下一塊來。他用顫抖的雙手把它獻給這位老人。
老人接過饋贈，把它放進自己的心裏。然後他從自己疤痕累累的心裏掏出一塊，放在年輕人心裏的那個傷口上。正好放進去，但不是特別吻合，因為有一些疤痕。年輕人看着自己的心，看起來不再完美但比以前更美麗了，因為老人心中的愛也流淌到了他的心裏。他們互相擁抱，然後肩並肩離開了。
英文短篇勵志故事：畢加索和我
Picasso And Me 畢加索和我
This is the 50th anniversary of the day I crossed paths with Pablo Picasso. It came about in a strange way. I had written a column showing how absurd some of my mail had become.
One letter was from Philadelphia. It was written by a Temple University student named Harvey Brodsky. Harvey said he was in love with a girl named Gloria Segall, and he hoped to marry her someday. She claimed to be the greatest living fan of Picasso. The couple went to a Picasso exhibit and, to impress her, Harvey told Gloria that he could probably get the artist's autograph.
Harvey's letter continued, "Since that incident, Gloria and I have stopped seeing each other. I did a stupid thing and she threw me out and told me she never wanted to see me again.
"I'm writing to you because I'm not giving up on Gloria. Could you get Picasso's autograph for me? If you could, I have a feeling Gloria and I could get back together. The futures of two young people depend on it. I know she is miserable without me and I without her. Everything depends on you."
At the end of the letter, he said, "I, Harvey Brodsky, do solemnly swear that any item received by me from Art Buchwald (namely, Pablo Picasso's autograph) will never be sold or given to anyone except Miss Gloria Segall."
I printed the letter in my column to show how ridiculous my mail was. When it appeared, David Duncan, a photographer, was with Picasso in Cannes and Duncan translated it for Picasso.
Picasso was very moved, and he took out his crayons and drew a beautiful color sketch for Gloria Segall and signed it.
Duncan called and told me the good news.
I said, "The heck with Gloria Segall, what about me?"
David explained this to Picasso and in crayons he drew a picture of the two of us together, holding a glass of wine, and wrote on the top, "Pour Art Buchwald."
By this time, the Associated Press had picked up the story and followed through on the delivery of the picture to Gloria Segall. When it arrived special delivery in Philadelphia, Gloria took one look and said, "Harvey and I will always be good friends."
If you're wondering how the story ends, Harvey married somebody else, and so did Gloria. The Picasso hangs in Gloria's living room.
It was a story that caught the imagination of people all over the world. I received lots of letters after the column was published. My favorite came from an art dealer in New York, who wrote:
"I can find you as many unhappy couples in New York City as you can get Picasso sketches. Two girls I know are on the verge of suicide if they don't hear from Picasso, and I know several couples in Greenwich Village who are in the initial stages of divorce. Please wire me how many you need. We both stand to make a fortune."
Another letter, from Bud Grossman in London, said, "My wife threatens to leave me unless I can get her Khrushchev's autograph. She would like it signed on a Russian sable coat."
阿爾特 布赫瓦爾德著
鄒紅雲 譯
今天是我和帕勃洛?畢加索相遇的50週年紀念日。這件事發生得很是離奇。在那以前,我寫過一篇專欄文章,讓大家瞧瞧我收到的一些郵件有多荒唐。
有一封寄自費城的信,是坦普爾大學一位名叫哈維?布洛德斯基的學生寫的。哈維説他與一位叫格洛里亞?西格爾的姑娘墜入了愛河,希望有朝一日能娶她為妻。這位姑娘聲稱自己是活着的頭號畢加索迷。這一對兒去參觀了畢加索的一個畫展,為了打動她,哈維告訴格洛里亞他很有可能弄到畫家的簽名。
哈維的信繼續往下寫:“自從那件事後,格洛里亞不再和我見面。我幹了件蠢事,她就甩了我,並告訴我她再也不想見我。
“我寫信給你是因為我不想放棄格洛里亞。你能給我弄到畢加索的簽名嗎?要是弄得到的話,我覺得格洛里亞和我還能再走到一塊。兩個年輕人的未來就取決於這個簽名了。我知道,她沒有了我很痛苦,我呢,沒有了她心裏不好受。一切都靠你的了。”
在信的結尾,他寫道:“我,哈維?布洛德斯基,莊嚴宣誓:任何阿爾特?布赫瓦爾德寄給我的東西(即畢加索的簽名),我決不會賣掉或送給除了格洛里亞?西格爾以外的任何人。”
我把這封信刊載在我的專欄裏,讓大家瞧瞧我收到的郵件有多可笑。信登出來時,攝影師戴維?鄧肯正在戛納和畢加索在一起,鄧肯就把這封信翻譯給畢加索聽。
畢加索很感動,他拿出有色粉筆,為格洛里亞?西格爾畫了幅彩色速寫,並簽上了名。
鄧肯打電話告訴我這個好消息。
我説:“見格洛里亞?西格爾個鬼,有我的份嗎?”
戴維把我的話向畢加索做了説明,他便用有色粉筆畫了幅我們倆在一起手舉酒杯的畫,並在畫的上方寫道:“為阿爾特?布赫瓦爾德斟酒。”
這個時候,美聯社已嗅得了這個故事,並且一路追蹤到將畫交給格洛里亞?西格爾這一步。當畫以郵件快遞的方式到達費城時,格洛里亞看了一眼説:“哈維和我將永遠是好朋友。”
要是你想知道這個故事的結局,我可以告訴你。哈維娶了別人,格洛里亞也嫁了他人。畢加索的畫現掛在格洛里亞家的起居室裏。
這個故事引發了世界各地人們的想象力。專欄文章發表後,我收到了許多信。我最喜歡的一封信來自紐約的一位畫商,他這樣寫道:
“你弄得到多少畢加索的畫,我就能給你找到多少對不幸的人兒。有兩個我認識的姑娘要是得不到畢加索的迴音幾乎就要自殺了。我還認識格林威治村幾對正處於離婚初級階段的夫妻。 請打電報告訴我你需要多少這樣的人。我們倆也好賺一筆。”
另一封信寄自倫敦的巴德?格羅斯曼,他説:“我妻子威脅説要離開我,除非我能給她搞到赫魯曉夫的簽名。她想讓他把名字簽在一件俄羅斯的紫貂皮大衣上。”
*阿爾特?布赫瓦爾德(Art Buchwald, 1925—)美國幽默語言大師,美國藝術與文學院院士,曾獲普例策獎。舊版的《大學英語》精讀課本曾選用過他的“Ts There Life on Earth?”
英文短篇勵志故事：一位改變了我生活的女孩
My childhood and adolescence were a joyous outpouring of energy, a ceaseless quest for expression, skill, and experience. School was only a background to the supreme delight of lessons in music, dance, and dramatics, and the thrill of sojourns in the country, theaters, concerts.
我在童年和少年時代激情四溢，無時無刻不追求展現自我、磨礪才藝和體味生活。學校裏的音樂、舞蹈和戲劇課讓我歡欣不已，而劇院和音樂會更讓我身心為之震顫，鄉間流連的時光也同樣美妙。
And books, big Braille books that came with me on streetcars, to the table, and to bed. Then one night at a high school dance, a remark, not intended for my ears, stabbed my youthful bliss: “That girl, what a pity she is blind.” Blind! That ugly word that implied everything dark, blank, rigid, and helpless. Quickly I turned and called out, Please don’t feel sorry for me, I’m having lots of fun. But the fun was not to last.
還有我的書，那些厚重的盲文書籍無論在我乘車、用餐還是睡覺時都與我形影不離。然而，一天晚上，在高中的一次舞會上，一句我無意中聽到的話霎那間將我年少的幸福擊碎——“那女孩是個瞎子，真可惜!”瞎子——這個刺耳的字眼隱含着一個陰暗、漆黑、僵硬和無助的世界。我立刻轉過身，大聲喊道：“請不要為我歎惜，我很快樂!”——但我的快樂自此不復存在。
With the advent of college, I was brought to grips with the problem of earning a living. Part-time teaching of piano and harmony and, upon graduation, occasional concerts and lectures, proved only partial sources of livelihood. In terms of time and effort involved, the financial remuneration was disheartening. This induced within me searing self-doubt and dark moods of despondency. Adding to my dismal sense of inadequacy was the repeated experience of seeing my sisters and friends go off to exciting dates. How grateful I was for my piano, where—through Chopin, Brahms, and Beethoven—I could mingle my longing and seething energy with theirs. And where I could dissolve my frustration in the beauty and grandeur of their conceptions.
升入大學之後，我開始為生計而奔波。課餘時間我教授鋼琴及和聲，臨近畢業時還偶爾參加幾次演奏會，做了幾次講座，可要維持生計光靠這些還是不夠，與投入的時間和精力相比，它們在經濟上的回報讓人沮喪。這讓我失去了自信和勇氣，內心鬱悶苦惱。眼看我的姐妹和夥伴們一次次興高采烈地與人約會，我更覺消沉空虛。 所幸的是，還有鋼琴陪我。我沸騰的渴望和激情在肖邦、貝多芬、勃拉姆斯那裏得到了共鳴。我的挫敗感在他們美妙壯麗的音樂構想中消散。
Then one day, I met a girl, a wonderful girl, an army nurse, whose faith and stability were to change my whole life. As our acquaintance ripened into friendship, she discerned, behind a shell of gaiety, my recurring plateaus of depression. She said, “Stop knocking on closed doors. Keep up your beautiful music. I know your opportunity will come. You’re trying too hard. Why don’t you relax, and have you ever tried praying?”
直到有一天，我遇見一位女孩，一位出色的女孩，這名隨軍護士的信念和執著將改變我的一生。我們日益熟稔，成為好友，她也慢慢察覺出我的快樂的外表之下內心卻時常愁雲密佈。她對我説，“門已緊鎖，敲有何用?堅持你的音樂夢想，我相信機會終將來臨。你太辛苦了，何不放鬆一下——試試禱告如何?”
The idea was strange to me. It sounded too simple. Somehow, I had always operated on the premise that, if you wanted something in this world, you had to go out and get it for yourself. Yet, sincerity and hard work had yielded only meager returns, and I was willing to try anything. Experimentally, self-consciously, I cultivated the daily practice of prayer. I said: God, show me the purpose for which You sent me to this world. Help me to be of use to myself and to humanity.
禱告?我從未想到過，聽起來太天真了。一直以來，我的行事準則都是，無論想得到什麼都必須靠自己去努力爭取。不過既然從前的熱誠和辛勞回報甚微，我什麼都願意嘗試一番。雖然有些不自在，我嘗試着每天都禱告——“上帝啊，你將我送到世上，請告訴我你賜予我的使命。幫幫我，讓我於人於己都有用處。”
In the years to follow, the answers began to arrive, clear and satisfying beyond my most optimistic anticipation. One of the answers was Enchanted Hills, where my nurse friend and I have the privilege of seeing blind children come alive in God’s out-of-doors. Others are the never-ending sources of pleasure and comfort I have found in friendship, in great music, and, most important of all, in my growing belief that as I attune my life to divine revelation, I draw closer to God and, through Him, to immortality.
在接下來的幾年裏，我得到了明確而滿意的回答，超出了我最樂觀的期望值。其中一個回答就是魔山盲人休閒營區。在那裏，我和我的護士朋友每年都有幸看到失明 的孩子們在大自然的懷抱中是多麼生氣勃勃。除此之外，朋友們真摯的友誼以及美妙的音樂都給我帶來無窮無盡的歡樂和慰藉。最重要的是，我越來越意識到，在我日復一日的禱告中，當我聆聽上帝的啟示之時，我正日益與他靠近，並通過他接近永恆。
附註：
作者：羅絲·雷斯尼克，於1934年畢業於亨特學院，之後又獲得了加州大學的碩士學位，現為三藩市盲人康樂協會的執行主任。