44.The Road to Success
----Andrew Carnegie
It is well that young men should begin at the beginning and occupy the most subordinate positions. Many of the leading business men of Pittsburg had a serious responsibility thrust upon them at the very threshold of their career. They were introduced to the broom, and spent the first hours of their business lives sweeping out the office. I notice we have janitors and janitresses now in offices, and our young men unfortunately miss that salutary branch of a business education. But if by chance the professional sweeper is absent any morning the boy who has the genius of the future partner in him will not hesitate to try his hand at the broom. The other day a fond fashionable mother in Michigan asked a young man whether he had ever seen a young lady sweep in a room so grandly as her Priscilla. He said no, he never had, and the mother was gratified beyond measure, but then said he, after a pause, “What I should like to see her do is sweep out a room.” It does not hurt th e newest comer to sweep out the office if necessary. I was one of those sweepers myself.
Assuming that you have all obtained employment and are fairly started, my advice to you is “aim high.” I would not give a fig for the young man who does not already see himself the partner or the head of an important firm. Do not rest content for a moment in your thoughts as head clerk, or foreman, or general manager in any concern, no matter how extensive. Say each to yourself.” My place is at the top.” Be king in you r dreams.
And here is the prime condition of success, the great secret: concentrate your energy, thought, and capital exclusively upon the business in which you are engaged. Having begun in one line, resolve to fight it out on that line, to lead in it; adopt every improvement, have the best machinery, and know the most of it.
The concerns which fail are those which have scattered their capital, which means that they have scattered their brains also. They have investment in this, or that, or the other, her e, there and everywhere. “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket” is all wrong. I tell you “put all your eggs in one basket, and then watch that basket.” Look round you and take notice; men who do that do not often fail. It is easy to watch and carry the basket. It is trying to carry too much basket that breaks most eggs in this country. He who carries three baskets must put one on his head, which is apt to tumble and trip him up. One fault of the American business man is lack of concentration.
To summarize what I have said: Aim for the highest; never enter a bar-room; do not touch liquor, or if at all only at meals; never speculate, never indorse beyond your surplus cash fund; make the firm’s interest yours; break orders always to save owners; concentrate; put all your eggs in one basket, and watch that basket; expenditure always within revenue; lastly, be not impatient, for, as Emerson says, “no one can cheat out of ultimate success but yourselves,”
I congratulate poor young men upon being born to that ancient and honorable degree which renders it necessary that they should devote themselves to hard work. We have in this city creditable instances of such young men, who have pressed to the front rank of our best and most useful citizens. These deserve great credit. But the vast majority of the sons of rich men are unable to resist the temptations to which wealth subjects them, and sink to unworthy lives. I would almost as soon leave a young man a curse, as burden him with the almighty dollar. It is not from this class you have rivalry to fear. The partner’s sons will not trouble you much. Look out for the boy who has to plunge into work direst from the common school and who begins by sweeping out the office. He is the probable dark horse that you had better watch.
词语注释
1．subordinate：下属．服从，文中“subordinate position”是指“从最底层做起”。
2．threshold：开始，开端，极限，文中“at the very threshold of their career”，指“许多商界精英刚刚入行时”。
3．janitor：看门人,文中“janitress”是指“女性的守卫，女性的门警”。
4．“My place is at the top”是指“我的位置在最高层”，这是作者主张的一种确立远大目标的方式。
5．exclusively排外的，专有的，文中“capital exclusively upon the business in which you are engaged”指的是“最终成为你所从事那一行业的领导级人物”。
6．machinery [总称]机器，机械
7．tumble:翻倒，摔倒
8．expenditure:支出，花费
9．temptation:诱惑，诱惑物
10．plunge into投入，跳入
安德鲁．卡内基(Andrew Carnegie):美国著名的钢铁大王、慈善家。出生于苏格兰，13岁时与家人来到美国。他创办了著名的卡内基钢铁公司，为钢铁行业作出了巨大的贡献。l890年，他从钢铁行业中急流勇退，开始把自己的财产捐献给社会，总额达3亿多美金，成为美国乃至世界的一个传奇。
本文是1885年6月23日，卡内基对柯里商业学院毕业生的讲话节录。
成功之路----安德鲁．卡内基
年轻人应该一切都从头开始，从最底层做起，这对他们而言是极有好处的。匹兹堡许多商界精英在刚刚入行时，都曾承担过同一项重要职责——他们手持扫帚，以清扫办公室的形式开始了他们的职业生涯。我注意到，如今的办公室里都安排了清洁工。于是，我们的年轻人便不幸错过了一次极有益的企业培训课。可是，倘若某天早上，清洁工没来，那么具有领导潜质的年轻人一定会毫不犹豫地拿起扫帚。几天前，一位来自墨西哥的举止文雅、衣着入时的母亲向一个年轻人发问，问他是否见过有哪位女士像她的普里西拉那样认真地在屋内扫地。年轻人说他没见过，那位母亲感到非常满足。可是，年轻人停了一下又继续说道：“我倒更希望能见到她在屋外打扫。” 必要时，让新来的员工在办公室外扫扫地对他们并没有什么坏处，我曾经就是那些扫地人之中的一员。
当你有幸被录用，并与大家站在同一条起跑线上时，我给你们的建议是：确立远大目标。对于那些从未设想过自己将成为大公司的股东，或老板的年轻人，我倒是无话可说。无论你所在的公司有多大，都要始终将自己看成是这家公司的首席雇员、领班，或者总经理，要不断对自己说：“我的位置在最高层。”
通往成功之路的基本要素和重要秘诀是：把你的精力、思想和资本全部投入到你所从事的事业中去。既然投身于这一行，就要下定决心在这一行做出一番事业，并最终成为这一行的领导人物，要抓住每一个使自己前进的机遇，采用最好的设备，对专业知识做到精益求精。
一些公司经营失败的主要原因，就在于其资金的分散，以及由此导致的精力分散。他们在投资上往往毫无选择性。“不要把所有的鸡蛋都放在同一个篮子里”——这句话可谓是大错特错。我给你们的建议是：把所有的鸡蛋都放在同一个篮子里。然后看紧它。仔细观察周围环境，并时刻保持警惕，能够做到这一点的人就不会失败。照管一个篮子是非常简单的事；然而，正是因为人们总是试图多提几个篮子，才使这个国家大部分的鸡蛋都被打破了。选择一次提三个篮子的人，就不得不把其中一个篮子顶在头上，而这个篮子掉下来时，就会将其绊倒。美国商人所犯的一个错误就是做事情不够专注。
综上所述，成功的要求是：要目标远大；不要涉足酒吧；不要沾酒，或在用餐时仅喝一点：不要搞投机买卖；资金投入不要超越自己所能承受的范围；把公司的利益当作是自己的：要以业主的利益作为自己工作安排的准绳；做事要专注；要把所有的鸡蛋都放在同一个篮子里，并要精心照看；消费永远少于收入；最后，要有耐心。正如爱默生所说的那样：“除了你自己，没有人会阻挡你走向成功。”
有些家庭，虽然贫穷，但却以艰苦奋斗、自食其力为家训，我为出生在这种清贫家庭的年轻人感到庆幸!在我们这座城市中，许多家境贫寒的年轻人都凭借着自身的努力而成为杰出的人才，成为一名有益于社会的公民，这一点是毋庸置疑的。与之相比，许多出身豪门的富家子弟却往往抵挡不住金钱的诱惑，甘愿成为它的奴隶，最终成为一介庸才。对于那些拥有数不尽的金银财宝，但却一无是处的年轻人，我根本不屑一顾。你们也无需惧怕生活在这一阶层的人，更不要在富商之子身上多下功夫。去看看那些从普通院校毕业后，直接来到工作岗位上、从打扫办公室开始的年轻人吧!也许他才是你应该注意的黑马!