We must come to the second question, “What advice would you give to a young friend which would help him to keep his balance in the most difficult experiences of his life?”
现在，让我们来回答第二个问题：“如果请你给一位年轻朋友一些建议，来帮助他平稳度过生命中最艰难的时期，你会给他什么建议？”
That's a question for a book, not for an essay. I think I should begin by insisting on the necessity for discipline. It is not well for a man or a woman to be ceaselessly seeking the whys and wherefores of everything. That a life may be happy, it must be based on fixed principles. I would almost say that it is of little importance what those principles are so long as they are solid, steady; and that we accept them without compromise. I am not speaking here of doctrinal creeds.“That,” says the poet Byron, “is an affair between a man and his Maker.” I am speaking of actions self-imposed, of building upon a solid base, of living by strict discipline. The discipline of a religious life, the discipline of work, of every kind of sport—these are all sane and wholesome, provided they are whole-heartedly believed in.
这个问题需要一本书才能回答，一篇文章回答不了。但如果要我勉为其难地回答的话，首先我要强调约束自己的重要性。一个人无休止地探求每件事的前因后果并不好。要生活得幸福，就必须建立在严格的原则之上。我甚至要说，是什么原则并不重要，重要的是，这些原则是可靠的、稳定不变的；而且我们不能打折扣。我在这里说的并不是宗教信条。诗人拜伦说：“教义是一个人和他的创造者之间的事。”我说的是那些自愿的行为，必须建立在稳固的基础之上，依照严格的原则生活。宗教生活的原则、工作的原则、每一种活动的原则——这些都一样有益，只要你全心全意信奉这些原则。
Another condition making for mental and moral balance seems to me to be unity in the plan, continuity in the pattern. A young person is tempted by every possibility, and the possibilities are infinite. Limiting himself to a choice irks him. He wants to have every kind of friend; to take every possible journey; to embrace all learning; to embark upon every kind of career; to experience every kind of love. But one of life's conditions is that he must limit himself; he has to choose. Then, and only then, can he live deeply and steadily.
达到心理平衡和道德完善的另一个条件，在我看来，是计划的一致性和延续性。年轻人会受到各种机会的诱惑，而机会是无限的。限制一个年轻人的选择会激怒他。他想拥有各种朋友，踏上每一次可能的旅行，拥抱所有的学问，尝试每一种事业，经历各种爱情。但生活的一个条件是，人必须限制自己；他必须做出选择。那时，而且只有那时，他才能够深入生活，稳步向前。
These, I think, would be my answers—if I were to answer.
我想，这些就是我对这两个问题的回答——如果要我回答的话。
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