Macaulay had wealth and fame， rank and power， and yet he tells us in his biography that he owed the happiest hours of his life to books. In a charming letter to a little girl ， he says： "If anyone would make me the greatest king that ever lived ， with palaces and gardens and fine dinners， and wines and coaches， and beautiful clothes， and hundreds of servants， on condition that I should not read books， I would not be a king. I would rather be a poor man in garret with plenty of books than a king who did not love reading."
书对于人类，就如同记忆对于个人一样。书记载了民族的历史，人类的发现，世代累积的知识和？ 验；书为我们描述自然界的奇迹和美丽，帮我们渡过难关，在我们伤痛时给予安慰，将疲劳的日子变为快乐的时刻；书把各种想法存储于我们的头脑，并用美好而快乐的思想充实它，从而使我们得以提升与超越。
读书时，请不要做王宫里的国王，最好让自己沉醉在山林海滨，探寻美丽奇景，而不必受疲惫、麻烦和费用巨大之苦。书籍把珍贵无价的祝福撒在身边的小径。我们以高尚的心灵，在想象中穿过瑰丽迷人的地方。
麦考利拥有财富和名声、地位和权力，然而他在自传里告诉我们，他一生中最快乐的时光就是与书为伴的日子。在一封写给一个小女孩的迷人信件中，他写道：“如果有人能让我做有史以来最伟大的国王，让我拥有宫殿、园林、美酒、佳肴、马车、华服和上百名仆从，却以不能读书为条件，我不会做这个国王。我宁愿做个穷人，住在小阁楼却能博览群书，而不愿变成不爱读书的国王。”
适合的才是最好的
Suit Is Best
[英国]威廉·黑兹利特/William Hazlitt
The proper force of words lies not in the words themselves， but in their application. A word may be a fine sounding word， of an unusual length， and very imposing from its learning and novelty， and yet in the connection in which it is introduced may be quite pointless and irrelevant. It is not pomp or pretension， but the adaptation of the expression to the idea， that clenches a writer' s meaning： as it is not the size or glossiness of the materials， but their being fitted each to its place， that gives strength to the arch； or as the pegs and nails are as necessary to the support of the building as the larger timbers， and more so than the mere showy， unsubstantial ornaments. I hate anything that occupies more space than it is worth. I hate to see a load of bandboxes go along the street， and I hate to see a parcel of big words without anything in them. A person who does not deliberately dimples of all his thoughts alike in cumbrous draperies and flimsy disguises—may strike out twenty varieties of familiar everyday language， each coming somewhat nearer to the feeling he wants to convey， and at last not hit upon that particular and only one which may be said to be identical with the exact impression in his mind. This would seem to show that Mr. Cobalt is hardly right in saying that the first word that occurs is always the best. It may be a very good one； and yet a better may present itself on reflection or from time to time. It may be suggested naturally， however， and spontaneously， from a fresh and lively conception of the subject.