4月28日

讀書與做人
錢穆 ( 1895~1990 )

做人,這須自年幼時即學做；即使已屆垂暮之年，
仍當繼續勉學、努力做。所謂「學到老，做到老」,
做人工夫無止境。學生在學校讀書，有畢業時期；
但做人卻永不畢業──臨終一息尚存，他仍是一人，
即仍該做；所以做人須至死才已。

為什麼讀書便能學得做一個高境界的人呢?因為
在書中可碰到很多人，這些人的人生境界高、情味
深，好做你的榜樣。他們是由千百萬人中選出，又
經得起長時間考驗而保留以至於今日，像孔子，距
今已有二千六百年，試問中國能有幾個孔子？又如
釋迦牟尼、耶穌、穆罕默德等人，我們敬仰崇拜他
們，便是由於他們的做人。世間絕沒有中了一張馬
票，成為百萬富翁而能流傳後世的。即使做大總統
或皇帝，亦沒有很多人能流傳讓人記憶，令人嚮往。

假如我們誠心想學做人，「培養情趣，提高境界」，
只此八字，便可一生受用不盡。

──選自《錢賓四先生全集》

April 28th

Reading and Conducting Oneself with Integrity
Qian Mu (1895 - 1990)
English translation: Miao Guang

The learning of how to be a human being begins at an early
age. Even when we get old, we still need to diligently continue
our efforts in learning and practicing these ways. As the saying
goes, “live and learn till your old ages.” The learning process of
how to conduct oneself is endless. School students will eventually
graduate, but human beings can never graduate from life. Even
upon the moment of death, one is still a human being who must do
what needs to be done. Thus such a learning process ends only at
death.

How does studying take one to a higher level of being human?
Because one can, from books, meet all kinds of people whose
superior life experiences, and profound sentiments can serve as
an exemplar for you. They are the ones who had emerged from
thousands and millions of people, whose legends could withstand
the test of time in order to remain until today. Take Confucius
for example, it has been two thousand and six hundred years, has
anyone good enough to parallel him ever existed? Furthermore,
we revere and admire people such as Jesus, Sakyamuni Buddha,
or Muhammad simply because of the type of human beings they
had been. No legends of anyone who ever became a millionaire
by winning the lottery has remained through time. Not even
presidents or emperors can be well-remembered or admired.
If we truly wish to be a human being, the following would suffice
to benefit you for the rest of your life, “Nurture a sentiment,
and elevate your spirituality.”

── from Qian Binsi Xiansheng Quanji (Complete Works of Mister Qian Binsi)