选自《每天读点美丽英文- 生而为赢》
A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.
一群大学校友聚在一起去看望他们的老教授，他们均在事业上取得了很大成就，彼此间谈话的主题很快便转为了对工作和生活压力的抱怨。
Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups- porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal… some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite- telling them to help themselves to the coffee.
要请客人们喝咖啡了，教授便进入厨房，端出来一大壶咖啡和各式各样的杯子，告诉他们自便---有陶瓷的，塑料的，玻璃的，水晶的，一些看起来很平凡，一些很昂贵，一些则很精致。
When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: “If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups have been taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.
当所有的学生手里都端着一杯咖啡时，教授开口说道：“如果你们注意看，会发现所有好看昂贵的杯子都被拿光了，剩下一些普通便宜的杯子。你们要给自己最好的是正常的，这也正是你们的问题和压力的根源。
Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups… And then you began eyeing each other’s cups.
要相信杯子本身是不会提升咖啡质量的。大多数情况下它仅仅只是更加的昂贵，而且在某些情况下会妨碍我们品味所喝的东西。你们真正想要的是咖啡，不是杯子，但是你们却有意识地想要得到最好的杯子……然后你们开始互相盯着各自的杯子。
Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of life we live.
现在想想：人生就是咖啡，工作、金钱和社会地位则是杯子。它们只是用来盛装人生的工具，杯子的样式并不会决定我们的人生，也不会改变我们的人生。
Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee. Savor the coffee, not the cups! The happiest people don’t have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything. Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly.”
某些时候，由于仅仅关注杯子，我们不能很好地品尝咖啡。尽情享受咖啡吧，不要去管杯子！幸福的人并不拥有所有最好的东西，他们只是每件事情都尽力而为。简单地生活，慷慨地去爱，深深地关怀，和善地言语……
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