If I were a boy again, I would practice perseverance more often, and never give up a thing because it was difficult or inconvenient. If we want light, we must conquer darkness. Perseverance can sometimes equal genius in its results. “There are only two creatures,” says a proverb, “who can surmount the pyramids—the eagle and the snail.”
If I were a boy again, I would school myself into a habit of attention; I would let nothing come between me and the subject in hand. I would remember that a good skater never tries to skate in two directions at once. The habit of attention becomes part of our life, if we begin early enough. I often hear grown-up people say “ I could not fix my attention on the sermon or book, although I wished to do so,” and the reason is, the habit was not formed in youth.
If I were to live my life over again, I would pay more attention to the cultivation of the memory. I would strengthen that faculty by every possible means, and on every possible occasion. It takes a little hard work at first to remember things accurately; but memory soon helps itself, and gives very little trouble. It only needs early cultivation to become a power.
【助读词汇】
-perseverance n. 坚定不移
-surmount vt. 越过，登上
-sermon n. 布道，讲道
-cultivation n. 栽培，培养，教养
-faculty n. 能力；才能，天赋
【参考译文】
假如我再次回到童年，我要加强磨练自己的毅力，决不因为事情艰难或者麻烦而放弃。如果我们要光明，我们就必须征服黑暗，毅力引出的结果有时能同天才相比。俗话说：“能登上金字塔的只有两种动物——鹰和蜗牛。”
假如我又回到了童年，我要锻炼我自己养成专心致志的习惯；我决不会让任何事情阻碍我做事的就。我要牢记：优秀的滑冰手从不试图同时滑向两个方向。如果我们及早养成这种专心致志的习惯，它将成为我们生命的一部分。我常听成年人说：“虽然我希望能集中注意力听牧师讲道或读书，但这不过是我的希望。”而原因就是年轻时没有养成这种习惯。
假如我现在能重新开始我的生命，我就要更注意记忆力的培养。我要采取一切可能的办法，并且在一切可能的场合增强记忆力。刚开始要正确无误地记住一些东西是需要做出一番努力的，但是不久记忆力本身就会起作用，使得问题迎刃而解，只需及早培养，记忆力就会成为一种力量。
【人生启迪】
童年对于我们每个人来说都只有一次，并且是弥足珍贵的，有句老话叫做“三岁定八十”，可见童年时候的习惯是可以影响一辈子的。事实上，回到童年对我们来说只是一种奢望，但是只要我们抓住现在，从现在开始改变自己不良的生活习惯，那么相信在未来的日子里，我们的生活一样会过得多姿多彩。