you are what you do

You Are What You Do  by Mayling Soong  If the past has taught us anything, it is that every cause brings effect — every action has a consequence1). This thought, in my opinion, is the moral foundation of the universe; it applies equally in this world and the next. We Chinese have a saying: “If a man plants melons, he will reap melons; if he sows beans, he will reap beans.” And this is true of every man’s life: good begets2) good, and evil leads to evil.  True enough, the sun shines on the saint and sinner alike, and too often it seems that the wicked wax3) and prosper4). But we can say with certitude5) that, with the individual as with the nation, the flourishing of the wicked is an illusion6), for, unceasingly, life keeps books on us all.  In the end, we are all the sum total of our actions. Character cannot be counterfeited7), nor can it be put on and cast off as if it were a garment to meet the whim8) of the moment. Like the markings on wood which are ingrained9) in the very heart of the tree, character requires time and nurture for growth and development. Thus also, day by day, we write our own destiny, for inexorably10) we become what we do. This, I believe, is the supreme11) logic and law of life.  注释  1) consequence [’kɑːnsəkwens] n. 结果  2) beget [bɪˈɡet] vt. 招致，产生，引起  3) wax [wæks] vi. 增强，增加  4) prosper [ˈprɑːs pə(r)] v. 成功, 兴隆, 昌盛  5) certitude [ˈsɜːrtɪtuːd] n. 确实，确信  6) illusion [ɪˈluːʒn] n. 假象，错觉，幻觉  7) counterfeit [ˈkaʊntərfɪt] vt. 伪造，假冒  8) whim [wɪm] n. 一时的兴致  9) ingrained [ɪnˈɡreɪnd] adj. 根深蒂固的  10) inexorably [ɪnˈeksərəblɪ] adv. 不为所动地  11) supreme [su'prim] adj. 至高的, 最高的  你即你所为  文：宋美龄 如果过去的日子曾经教过我们一些什么的话，那便是有因必有果──每一个行为都有一种结果。依我之见，这种观念是宇宙的道德基础；它也同样适用于今生和来世。  我们中国人有句谚语说：“种瓜得瓜，种豆得豆。”这也适用于每个人的生活：善有善报，恶有恶报。  的确，圣人与罪人皆会受到阳光的披泽，而且常常似乎是恶者大行其道。但是我们可以确信地说，不管是对个人或是对国家而言，恶人猖獗只是一种幻象，因为生命无时无刻不将我们的所作所为一笔一笔记录下来。  最终，我们就是我们行为的总和。品德是无法伪造的，也无法像衣服一样随兴地穿上或脱下来丢在一旁。就像木头纹路源自树木的中心，品德的成长与发育也需要时间和滋养。  也因此，我们日复一日地写下自身的命运，因为我们的所为毫不留情地决定我们的命运。我相信这就是人生的最高逻辑和法则。