“My wish,” argues our opponent, “does him no harm, because when I wish for the danger I wish for the rescue at the same time.” What you mean by this is not that you do no wrong, but that you do less than if you wished that the danger might befall him, without wishing for the rescue. It is wicked to throw a man into the water in order that you may pull him out, to throw him down that you may raise him up, or to shut him up that you may release him. You do not
bestow1 a benefit upon a man by ceasing to wrong him, nor can it ever be a piece of good service to anyone to remove from him a burden which you yourself imposed on him. True, you may cure the hurt which you
inflict2, but I had rather that you did not hurt me at all. You may gain my
gratitude3 by curing me because I am wounded, but not by wounding me in order that you may cure me: no man likes scars except as compared with wounds, which he is glad to see thus healed, though he had rather not have received them. It would be cruel to wish such things to befall one from whom you had never received a kindness; how much more cruel is it to wish that they may befall one in whose debt you are.
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收听单词发音
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1
bestow
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| v.把…赠与，把…授予；花费 |
参考例句： |
- He wished to bestow great honors upon the hero.他希望将那些伟大的荣誉授予这位英雄。
- What great inspiration wiII you bestow on me?你有什么伟大的灵感能馈赠给我？
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2
inflict
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| vt.(on)把…强加给，使遭受，使承担 |
参考例句： |
- Don't inflict your ideas on me.不要把你的想法强加于我。
- Don't inflict damage on any person.不要伤害任何人。
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3
gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 |
参考例句： |
- I have expressed the depth of my gratitude to him.我向他表示了深切的谢意。
- She could not help her tears of gratitude rolling down her face.她感激的泪珠禁不住沿着面颊流了下来。
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