Companionship of Books

Companionship of Books
by Samuel Smiles
 

The best books are treasuries of good words, the golden thoughts, which, remembered and cherished, become our constant companions and comforters.
---Samuel Smiles

一篇能道出愛書人心境的文章。

A man may usually be known by the books he reads as well as by the company he keeps; for there is a companionship of books as well as of men; and one should always live in the best company, whether it be of books or of men.
選書如擇友，終須謹慎。從一個人閱讀的範疇可以看出一個人的素養。



Books possess an essence of immortality. They are by far the most lasting products of human effort. Temples and statues decay, but books survive. Time is of no account with great thoughts, which are as fresh today as when they first passed through their author's minds, ages ago. What was then said and thought still speaks to us as vividly as ever from the printed page. The only effect of time has been to sift out the bad products; for nothing in literature can long survive but what is really good.
好書恆久遠，經典之作不可錯過。

The great and good do not die even in this world. Embalmed in books, their spirits walk abroad. The book is a living voice. It is an intellect to which one still listens.
書傳達智慧之聲，要閱讀，要傾聽。

讀好書，日起有功，領悟天地的奧妙。