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THE FALLACY OF SUCCESS

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There has appeared in our time a particular class of books and articles which I sincerely and solemnly think may be called the silliest ever known among men. They are much more wild than the wildest romances of chivalry2 and much more dull than the dullest religious tract3. Moreover, the romances of chivalry were at least about chivalry; the religious tracts4 are about religion. But these things are about nothing; they are about what is called Success. On every bookstall, in every magazine, you may find works telling people how to succeed. They are books showing men how to succeed in everything; they are written by men who cannot even succeed in writing books. To begin with, of course, there is no such thing as Success. Or, if you like to put it so, there is nothing that is not successful. That a thing is successful merely means that it is; a millionaire is successful in being a millionaire and a donkey in being a donkey. Any live man has succeeded in living; any dead man may have succeeded in committing suicide. But, passing over the bad logic6 and bad philosophy in the phrase, we may take it, as these writers do, in the ordinary sense of success in obtaining money or worldly position. These writers profess7 to tell the ordinary man how he may succeed in his trade or speculation—how, if he is a builder, he may succeed as a builder; how, if he is a stockbroker8, he may succeed as a stockbroker. They profess to show him how, if he is a grocer, he may become a sporting yachtsman; how, if he is a tenth-rate journalist, he may become a peer; and how, if he is a German Jew, he may become an Anglo-Saxon. This is a definite and business-like proposal, and I really think that the people who buy these books (if any people do buy them) have a moral, if not a legal, right to ask for their money back. Nobody would dare to publish a book about electricity which literally9 told one nothing about electricity; no one would dare to publish an article on botany which showed that the writer did not know which end of a plant grew in the earth. Yet our modern world is full of books about Success and successful people which literally contain no kind of idea, and scarcely any kind of verbal sense.
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1 ass qvyzK     
n.驴；傻瓜，蠢笨的人
参考例句：
  • He is not an ass as they make him.他不象大家猜想的那样笨。
  • An ass endures his burden but not more than his burden.驴能负重但不能超过它能力所负担的。
2 chivalry wXAz6     
n.骑士气概，侠义；（男人）对女人彬彬有礼，献殷勤
参考例句：
  • The Middle Ages were also the great age of chivalry.中世纪也是骑士制度盛行的时代。
  • He looked up at them with great chivalry.他非常有礼貌地抬头瞧她们。
3 tract iJxz4     
n.传单，小册子，大片(土地或森林)
参考例句：
  • He owns a large tract of forest.他拥有一大片森林。
  • He wrote a tract on this subject.他曾对此写了一篇短文。
4 tracts fcea36d422dccf9d9420a7dd83bea091     
大片土地( tract的名词复数 )； 地带； （体内的）道； （尤指宣扬宗教、伦理或政治的）短文
参考例句：
  • vast tracts of forest 大片大片的森林
  • There are tracts of desert in Australia. 澳大利亚有大片沙漠。
5 mere rC1xE     
adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过
参考例句：
  • That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
  • It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。
6 logic j0HxI     
n.逻辑(学)；逻辑性
参考例句：
  • What sort of logic is that?这是什么逻辑？
  • I don't follow the logic of your argument.我不明白你的论点逻辑性何在。
7 profess iQHxU     
v.声称，冒称，以...为业，正式接受入教，表明信仰
参考例句：
  • I profess that I was surprised at the news.我承认这消息使我惊讶。
  • What religion does he profess?他信仰哪种宗教？
8 stockbroker ihBz5j     
n.股票（或证券），经纪人（或机构）
参考例句：
  • The main business of stockbroker is to help clients buy and sell shares.股票经纪人的主要业务是帮客户买卖股票。
  • My stockbroker manages my portfolio for me.我的证券经纪人替我管理投资组合。
9 literally 28Wzv     
adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实
参考例句：
  • He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
  • Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。
10 perfectly 8Mzxb     
adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地
参考例句：
  • The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
  • Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。
11 scattered 7jgzKF     
adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的
参考例句：
  • Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。
12 rambles 5bfd3e73a09d7553bf08ae72fa2fbf45     
（无目的地）漫游( ramble的第三人称单数 )； （喻）漫谈； 扯淡； 长篇大论
参考例句：
  • He rambles in his talk. 他谈话时漫无中心。
  • You will have such nice rambles on the moors. 你可以在旷野里好好地溜达溜达。
13 bracing oxQzcw     
adj.令人振奋的
参考例句：
  • The country is bracing itself for the threatened enemy invasion. 这个国家正准备奋起抵抗敌人的入侵威胁。
  • The atmosphere in the new government was bracing. 新政府的气氛是令人振奋的。
14 maudlin NBwxQ     
adj.感情脆弱的，爱哭的
参考例句：
  • He always becomes maudlin after he's had a few drinks.他喝了几杯酒后总是变得多愁善感。
  • She continued in the same rather maudlin tone.她继续用那种颇带几分伤感的语调说话。
15 humanitarians 97d02cbefff61ce6d18752c74ab69b72     
n.慈善家( humanitarian的名词复数 )
参考例句：
  • Finally, humanitarians saw it as a means of helping to feed the hungry of the world. 人道主义者把这一计划看成是为世界上那些忍饥挨饿的人提供粮食的一项措施。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
  • All humanitarians fought against slavery. 所有人道主义者都为反对奴隶制而斗争过。 来自互联网
16 grit LlMyH     
n.沙粒，决心，勇气；v.下定决心，咬紧牙关
参考例句：
  • The soldiers showed that they had plenty of grit. 士兵们表现得很有勇气。
  • I've got some grit in my shoe.我的鞋子里弄进了一些砂子。
17 superstition VHbzg     
n.迷信，迷信行为
参考例句：
  • It's a common superstition that black cats are unlucky.认为黑猫不吉祥是一种很普遍的迷信。
  • Superstition results from ignorance.迷信产生于无知。
18 avarice KeHyX     
n.贪婪；贪心
参考例句：
  • Avarice is the bane to happiness.贪婪是损毁幸福的祸根。
  • Their avarice knows no bounds and you can never satisfy them.他们贪得无厌，你永远无法满足他们。
19 exquisite zhez1     
adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的
参考例句：
  • I was admiring the exquisite workmanship in the mosaic.我当时正在欣赏镶嵌画的精致做工。
  • I still remember the exquisite pleasure I experienced in Bali.我依然记得在巴厘岛所经历的那种剧烈的快感。
20 Founder wigxF     
n.创始者，缔造者
参考例句：
  • He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
  • According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。
21 locomotion 48vzm     
n.运动，移动
参考例句：
  • By land,air or sea,birds are masters of locomotion.无论是通过陆地，飞越空中还是穿过海洋，鸟应算是运动能手了。
  • Food sources also elicit oriented locomotion and recognition behavior patterns in most insects.食物源也引诱大多数昆虫定向迁移和识别行为。
22 amassed 4047ea1217d3f59ca732ca258d907379     
v.积累，积聚( amass的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
  • He amassed a fortune from silver mining. 他靠开采银矿积累了一笔财富。
  • They have amassed a fortune in just a few years. 他们在几年的时间里就聚集了一笔财富。 来自《简明英汉词典》
23 monarch l6lzj     
n.帝王，君主，最高统治者
参考例句：
  • The monarch's role is purely ceremonial.君主纯粹是个礼仪职位。
  • I think myself happier now than the greatest monarch upon earth.我觉得这个时候比世界上什么帝王都快乐。
24 attaining da8a99bbb342bc514279651bdbe731cc     
（通常经过努力）实现( attain的现在分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况）
参考例句：
  • Jim is halfway to attaining his pilot's licence. 吉姆就快要拿到飞行员执照了。
  • By that time she was attaining to fifty. 那时她已快到五十岁了。
25 utterances e168af1b6b9585501e72cb8ff038183b     
n.发声( utterance的名词复数 )；说话方式；语调；言论
参考例句：
  • John Maynard Keynes used somewhat gnomic utterances in his General Theory. 约翰·梅纳德·凯恩斯在其《通论》中用了许多精辟言辞。 来自辞典例句
  • Elsewhere, particularly in his more public utterances, Hawthorne speaks very differently. 在别的地方，特别是在比较公开的谈话里，霍桑讲的话则完全不同。 来自辞典例句
26 prostrate 7iSyH     
v.拜倒，平卧，衰竭；adj.拜倒的，平卧的，衰竭的
参考例句：
  • She was prostrate on the floor.她俯卧在地板上。
  • The Yankees had the South prostrate and they intended to keep It'so.北方佬已经使南方屈服了,他们还打算继续下去。
27 exult lhBzC     
v.狂喜，欢腾；欢欣鼓舞
参考例句：
  • Few people would not exult at the abolition of slavery.奴隶制被废除了，人们无不为之欢乐鼓舞。
  • Let's exult with the children at the drawing near of Children's Day.六一儿童节到了，让我们陪着小朋友们一起欢腾。
28 unreasonable tjLwm     
adj.不讲道理的，不合情理的，过度的
参考例句：
  • I know that they made the most unreasonable demands on you.我知道他们对你提出了最不合理的要求。
  • They spend an unreasonable amount of money on clothes.他们花在衣服上的钱太多了。
29 pious KSCzd     
adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的
参考例句：
  • Alexander is a pious follower of the faith.亚历山大是个虔诚的信徒。
  • Her mother was a pious Christian.她母亲是一个虔诚的基督教徒。
30 revels a11b91521eaa5ae9692b19b125143aa9     
n.作乐( revel的名词复数 )；狂欢；着迷；陶醉v.作乐( revel的第三人称单数 )；狂欢；着迷；陶醉
参考例句：
  • Christmas revels with feasting and dancing were common in England. 圣诞节的狂欢歌舞在英国是很常见的。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • Dickens openly revels in the book's rich physical detail and high-hearted conflict. 狄更斯对该书中丰富多彩的具体细节描写和勇敢的争斗公开表示欣赏。 来自辞典例句
31 deity UmRzp     
n.神，神性；被奉若神明的人(或物)
参考例句：
  • Many animals were seen as the manifestation of a deity.许多动物被看作神的化身。
  • The deity was hidden in the deepest recesses of the temple.神藏在庙宇壁龛的最深处。
32 ecstasy 9kJzY     
n.狂喜，心醉神怡，入迷
参考例句：
  • He listened to the music with ecstasy.他听音乐听得入了神。
  • Speechless with ecstasy,the little boys gazed at the toys.小孩注视着那些玩具，高兴得说不出话来。
33 fully Gfuzd     
adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地
参考例句：
  • The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
  • They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。
34 upwards lj5wR     
adv.向上，在更高处...以上
参考例句：
  • The trend of prices is still upwards.物价的趋向是仍在上涨。
  • The smoke rose straight upwards.烟一直向上升。
35 fables c7e1f2951baeedb04670ded67f15ca7b     
n.寓言( fable的名词复数 )；神话，传说
参考例句：
  • Some of Aesop's Fables are satires. 《伊索寓言》中有一些是讽刺作品。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • Little Mexican boys also breathe the American fables. 墨西哥族的小孩子对美国神话也都耳濡目染。 来自辞典例句
36 conceal DpYzt     
v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽
参考例句：
  • He had to conceal his identity to escape the police.为了躲避警方，他只好隐瞒身份。
  • He could hardly conceal his joy at his departure.他几乎掩饰不住临行时的喜悦。
37 confidential MOKzA     
adj.秘（机）密的，表示信任的，担任机密工作的
参考例句：
  • He refused to allow his secretary to handle confidential letters.他不让秘书处理机密文件。
  • We have a confidential exchange of views.我们推心置腹地交换意见。
38 peculiarity GiWyp     
n.独特性，特色；特殊的东西；怪癖
参考例句：
  • Each country has its own peculiarity.每个国家都有自己的独特之处。
  • The peculiarity of this shop is its day and nigth service.这家商店的特点是昼夜服务。
39 blackmail rRXyl     
n.讹诈，敲诈，勒索，胁迫，恫吓
参考例句：
  • She demanded ＄1000 blackmail from him.她向他敲诈了1000美元。
  • The journalist used blackmail to make the lawyer give him the documents.记者讹诈那名律师交给他文件。
40 reverently FjPzwr     
adv.虔诚地
参考例句：
  • He gazed reverently at the handiwork. 他满怀敬意地凝视着这件手工艺品。
  • Pork gazed at it reverently and slowly delight spread over his face. 波克怀着愉快的心情看着这只表，脸上慢慢显出十分崇敬的神色。
41 snobbish UhCyE     
adj.势利的，谄上欺下的
参考例句：
  • She's much too snobbish to stay at that plain hotel.她很势利，不愿住在那个普通旅馆。
  • I'd expected her to be snobbish but she was warm and friendly.我原以为她会非常势利，但她却非常热情和友好。
42 inflame Hk9ye     
v.使燃烧；使极度激动；使发炎
参考例句：
  • Our lack of response seemed to inflame the colonel.由于我们没有反应,好象惹恼了那个上校。
  • Chemical agents manufactured by our immune system inflame our cells and tissues,causing our nose to run and our throat to swell.我们的免疫系统产生的化学物质导致我们的细胞和组织发炎，导致我们流鼻水和我们的喉咙膨胀。
43 lust N8rz1     
n.性(淫)欲；渴(欲)望；vi.对…有强烈的欲望
参考例句：
  • He was filled with lust for power.他内心充满了对权力的渴望。
  • Sensing the explorer's lust for gold, the chief wisely presented gold ornaments as gifts.酋长觉察出探险者们垂涎黄金的欲念，就聪明地把金饰品作为礼物赠送给他们。
44 viler d208264795773854276a3f6fbadc2287     
adj.卑鄙的( vile的比较级 )；可耻的；极坏的；非常讨厌的
参考例句：
  • Ever viler screamsshot forth, cutting through my head like cold, sharp blades. 是那尖啸，像冰冷的，锋利的刀一样穿过我的头脑。 来自互联网
45 industrious a7Axr     
adj.勤劳的，刻苦的，奋发的
参考例句：
  • If the tiller is industrious,the farmland is productive.人勤地不懒。
  • She was an industrious and willing worker.她是个勤劳肯干的员工。
46 apprentice 0vFzq     
n.学徒，徒弟
参考例句：
  • My son is an apprentice in a furniture maker's workshop.我的儿子在一家家具厂做学徒。
  • The apprentice is not yet out of his time.这徒工还没有出徒。
47 thrift kI6zT     
adj.节约，节俭；n.节俭，节约
参考例句：
  • He has the virtues of thrift and hard work.他具备节俭和勤奋的美德。
  • His thrift and industry speak well for his future.他的节俭和勤勉预示着他美好的未来。
48 manly fBexr     
adj.有男子气概的；adv.男子般地，果断地
参考例句：
  • The boy walked with a confident manly stride.这男孩以自信的男人步伐行走。
  • He set himself manly tasks and expected others to follow his example.他给自己定下了男子汉的任务，并希望别人效之。
49 virtues cd5228c842b227ac02d36dd986c5cd53     
美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处
参考例句：
  • Doctors often extol the virtues of eating less fat. 医生常常宣扬少吃脂肪的好处。
  • She delivered a homily on the virtues of family life. 她进行了一场家庭生活美德方面的说教。
50 avowedly 22a8f7113a6a07f0e70ce2acc52ecdfa     
adv.公然地
参考例句：
  • He was avowedly in the wrong. 他自认错了。 来自辞典例句
  • Their policy has been avowedly marxist. 他们的政策被公开地宣称为马克思主义政策。 来自互联网
51 vices 01aad211a45c120dcd263c6f3d60ce79     
缺陷( vice的名词复数 )； 恶习； 不道德行为； 台钳
参考例句：
  • In spite of his vices, he was loved by all. 尽管他有缺点，还是受到大家的爱戴。
  • He vituperated from the pulpit the vices of the court. 他在教堂的讲坛上责骂宫廷的罪恶。

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