If the past has taught us anything, it is that every cause brings effect -- every action has a consequence. This thought, in my opinion, is the moral foundation of the universe; it applies equally in this world and the next. We Chinese have a saying: "If a man plants melons, he will reap melons; if he sows beans, he will reap beans." And this is true of every man's life: good begets good, and evil leads to evil. True enough, the sun shines on the saint and sinner alike, and too often it seems that the wicked wax and prosper. But we can say with certitude that, with the individual as with the nation, the flourishing of the wicked is an illusion, for, unceasingly, life keeps books on us all. In the end, we are all the sum total of our actions. Character cannot be counterfeited, nor can it be put on and cast off as if it were a garment to meet the whim of the moment. Like the markings on wood which are ingrained in the very heart of the tree, character requires time and nurture for growth and development. Thus also, day by day, we write our own destiny, for inexorably we become what we do. This, I believe, is the supreme logic and the law of life.
如果過去的日子曾經(jīng)教過我們一些什么的話，那便是有因必有果──每一個行為都有一種結(jié)果。依我之見，這種觀念是宇宙的道德基礎(chǔ);它也同樣適用于今生和來世。 我們中國人有句諺語說：“種瓜得瓜，種豆得豆�！边@也適用于每個人的生活：善有善報，惡有惡報。 的確，圣人與罪人皆會受到陽光的披澤，而且常常似乎是惡者大行其道。但是我們可以確信地說，不管是對個人或是對國家而言，惡人猖獗只是一種幻象，因為生命無時無刻不將我們的所作所為一筆一筆記錄下來。 最終，我們就是我們行為的總和。品德是無法偽造的，也無法像衣服一樣隨興地穿上或脫下來丟在一旁。就像木頭紋路源自樹木的中心，品德的成長與發(fā)育也需要時間和滋養(yǎng)。 也因此，我們?nèi)諒鸵蝗盏貙懴伦陨淼拿\，因為我們的所為毫不留情地決定我們的命運。我相信這就是人生的最高邏輯和法則。