Since George Washington's inauguration, 43 men have occupied the White House to perform one of the most difficult jobs in the world. Some defined their terms with great accomplishments or grave misjudgments; others barely made a mark on history. Yet all strove to fulfill their mandate to the best of their abilities and live up to the incredible expectations placed upon them.
自乔治·华盛顿就职以来,已有43位总统入住白宫并履行世上最为艰难的职责。有些颇有成就,有些铸成大错,有些则在历史上鲜有功过。然而,他们都努力全力以赴地践行自己的职责,并尽力不负民众寄予的厚望。

Whether they succeeded or failed, our fascination with presidents' leadership styles, habits, decisions and personalities continue long after they leave office. Their perspectives and pronouncements are dissected over and over as we seek to understand what these men, who went through an experience most Americans can barely conceptualize, can teach us about life.
不论成功还是失败,不可否认的是,即便卸任之后,总统们的领导风范、习惯、决策乃至性格仍然具有深远的影响。人们一遍又一遍地剖析他们的观点与宣言,试图理解这些卓然于普通美国民众之上的智者,究竟会留下怎样的生活训诲。

In honor of Presidents' Day, we've rounded up a list of some of the best advice from 32 presidents past and present on how to do and be your best, no matter how challenging your job is.
为纪念总统日(小编注:美国法定节日,每年二月的第三个星期一),我们特此整理出当今及往任32位总统的智慧建议,激励大家不管任务多么艰巨,也要努力做到最好!

George Washington, 1789-1797: “Associate yourself with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for ’tis better to be alone than in bad company.”
乔治·华盛顿(1789年-1797年):“你若爱惜自身名誉,就请结交品行高尚的人;宁可茕茕孑立,也不能同流合污。”

John Adams, 1797-1801: “You will ever remember that all the end of study is to make you a good man and a useful citizen.”
约翰·亚当斯(1797年-1801年):“请千万记住:所有学问最终都是为了将你培养成一个品行优良的人,一个有用的社会公民。”

Thomas Jefferson, 1801-1809: “When angry, count ten, before you speak; if very angry, a hundred.”
托马斯·杰斐逊(1801年-1809年):“生气时请先数到十再开口;如果极其愤怒,那就数到一百。”

James Monroe, 1817-1825: “It is by a thorough knowledge of the whole subject that [people] are enabled to judge correctly of the past and to give a proper direction to the future.”
詹姆斯·门罗(1817年-1825年):“只有对某一方面完全熟透[人们]才能正确评判过去并恰当指引未来。”

John Quincy Adams, 1825-1829: “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”
约翰·昆西·亚当斯(1825年-1829年):“如果你的言行能够激励他人追逐更大梦想、学习更多知识、采取更多行动并成为更优秀的人,那么你就是领导者。”

Andrew Jackson, 1829-1837: “Take time to deliberate; but when the time for action arrives, stop thinking and go in.”
安德鲁·杰克逊(1829年-1837年):“做事要深思熟虑,但时机一到就应行动,不要犹豫。”

Martin Van Buren, 1837-1841: "All the lessons of history and experience must be lost upon us if we are content to trust alone to the peculiar advantages we happen to possess."
马丁·范·布伦(1837年-1841年):“如果我们能够对碰巧拥有的特殊优势深信不疑,那么所有历史和经验上的教训都将不足而论。”

John Tyler, 1841-1845: “Wealth can only be accumulated by the earnings of industry and the savings of frugality.”
约翰·泰勒(1841年-1845年):“勤俭节约方能致富。”

Millard Fillmore, 1850-1853: “An honorable defeat is better than a dishonorable victory.”
米勒德·菲尔莫尔(1850年-1853年):“光荣的战败胜过卑鄙的胜利。”

James Buchanan, 1857-1861: “A long visit to a friend is often a great bore. Never make people twice glad.”
詹姆斯·布坎南(1857年-1861年):“朋友久扰容易滋生厌烦,逗人开心需要保持分寸。”

Abraham Lincoln, 1861-1865: "Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed, is more important than any other one thing."
亚伯拉罕·林肯(1861年-1865年):“永远记住,你自己决心成功比其他什么都重要。”

Ulysses S. Grant, 1869-1877: “The art of war is simple enough. Find out where your enemy is. Get at him as soon as you can. Strike him as hard as you can, and keep moving on.”
尤利塞斯·辛普森·格兰特(1869年-1877年):“战争之道简单至极:找到敌人,尽快擒拿,奋力击败对方,然后继续前进。”

Rutherford B. Hayes, 1877-1881: "For honest merit to succeed amid the tricks and intrigues which are now so lamentably common, I know is difficult; but the honor of success is increased by the obstacles which are to be surmounted. Let me triumph as a man or not at all."
拉瑟福德·伯查德·海斯(1877年-1881年):“我知道对于品性诚实的人而言,要想在当下猖獗的尔虞我诈中获胜是非常困难的;然而,这种克服种种障碍而获得的成功却是倍加光荣的。在我,成者为王败者为寇!”

James Garfield, 1881: “Be fit for more than the thing you are now doing. Let everyone know that you have a reserve in yourself; that you have more power than you are now using. If you are not too large for the place you occupy, you are too small for it.”
詹姆斯·加菲尔德(1881年):“要能承担当下工作之外的更多任务,让别人知道你还留一手,你具备当下拥有之外的更多权力。若你不能超越现任位置,则有可能会落后。”

Chester Arthur, 1881-1885: “Good ball players make good citizens.”
切斯特·阿瑟(1881年-1885年):“优秀球员即优秀公民。”

Grover Cleveland, 1885-1889, 1893-1897: “Whatever you do, tell the truth.”
格罗弗·克利夫兰(1885年-1889年, 1893年-1897年):“不论做什么都应实事求是。”

Teddy Roosevelt, 1901-1909: “We must dare to be great; and we must realize that greatness is the fruit of toil and sacrifice and high courage.”
泰迪·罗斯福(1901年-1909年):“我们必须敢于伟大,必须意识到伟大是艰辛、牺牲和无畏勇气的成果。”

William Taft, 1909-1913: “Don't write so that you can be understood, write so that you can't be misunderstood.”
威廉·塔夫脱(1909年-1913年):“记录不是为了被理解,而是为了不被误解。”

Woodrow Wilson, 1913-1921: “One cool judgment is worth a thousand hasty counsels. The thing to be supplied is light, not heat.”
伍德罗·威尔逊(1913年-1921年):“一个冷静判断胜过无数个草率决议,冷静判断带来的是光明,而非炽烈。”

Calvin Coolidge, 1923-1929: “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb ... Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”
卡尔文·库利奇(1923年-1929年):“世上没有任何东西能取代坚持不懈:天赋也不可以,因为有天赋却不成功的人随处可见;才能也不可以,一事无成的才能只会是笑柄……坚持不懈和决心可以创造无限可能。”

Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1933-1945: “Yours is not the task of making your way in the world, but the task of remaking the world which you will find before you.”
富兰克林·德拉诺·罗斯福(1933年-1945年):“你要做的不是在这世上闯下一条路,而是要告诉世界自己能发现什么。”

Harry S. Truman, 1945-1953: “I have found the best way to give advice to your children is to find out what they want and then advise them to do it.”
哈里·S·杜鲁门(1945年-1953年):“我觉得给儿童最好的建议就是,弄清他们想要什么,然后鼓励他们自己去争取。”

Dwight Eisenhower, 1953-1961: “Neither a wise man or a brave man lies down on the tracks of history to wait for the train of the future to run over him.”
德怀特·艾森豪威尔(1953年-1961年):“智者或勇者绝不会躺在历史轨道上等着未来列车开过来。”

John F. Kennedy, 1961-1963: “Life is never easy. There is work to be done and obligations to be met — obligations to truth, to justice, and to liberty.”
约翰·菲茨杰拉德·肯尼迪(1961年-1963年):“生活并不容易,总有需要完成的工作和需要履行的义务——实现真实、公平和自由的义务。”

Lyndon B. Johnson, 1963-1969: “If we succeed, it will not be because of what we have, but it will be because of what we are; not because of what we own, but, rather because of what we believe.”
林登·贝恩斯·约翰逊(1963年-1969年):“如果我们成功,那不是因为我们拥有什么,而是因为我们是什么样的人;不是因为我们具备什么,而是因为我们相信什么。”

Richard Nixon, 1969-1974: “The American dream does not come to those who fall asleep.”
理查德·尼克松(1969年-1974年):“美国梦不会降临睡大觉的人。”

Jimmy Carter, Jr., 1977-1981: “Piling up material goods cannot fill the emptiness of lives which have no confidence or purpose.”
吉米·卡特(1977年-1981年):“物质上的累积并不能弥补缺乏信心或目标的空虚生活。”

Ronald Reagan, 1981-1989: “The future doesn't belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave.”
罗纳德·里根(1981年-1989年):“未来不是属于胆怯的人,而是属于勇敢的人。”

George H.W. Bush, 1989-1993: “No problem of human making is too great to be overcome by human ingenuity, human energy, and the untiring hope of the human spirit.”
乔治·赫伯特·沃克·布什(1989年-1993年):“人类制造的任何问题都可以凭借人类自身的智谋、精力和孜孜不倦的精神希望加以克服。”

Bill Clinton, 1993-2001: “If you live long enough, you'll make mistakes. But if you learn from them, you'll be a better person. It's how you handle adversity, not how it affects you. The main thing is never quit, never quit, never quit.”
比尔·克林顿(1993年-2001年):“人这辈子总会犯错,但只要知错就改,就可以变得更好。这也是应对逆境的方法,不能让逆境左右自己。最重要的就是永远都不要放弃!”

George W. Bush, 2001-2009: “Life takes its own turns, makes its own demands, writes its own story, and along the way, we start to realize we are not the author.”
乔治·沃克·布什(2001年-2009年):“生活一直都是自有曲折、自发需求、自撰故事,而我们并不是作者。”

Barack Obama, 2009-present: “One voice can change a room. And if one voice can change a room, then it can change a city. And if it can change a city, it can change a state. And if it can change a state, it can change a nation, and if it can change a nation, it can change the world. Your voice can change the world.”
巴拉克·奥巴马(2009年-现在):“一个声音能改变一间屋子,而如果一个声音能改变一间屋子,那么它也能改变一座城市;若能改变一座城市,便也能改变一个州;若能改变一个州,就能改变一个国家;若能改变一个国家,就可以改变整个世界。你的声音可以改变整个世界!”