佚名/Anonymous
A man hired a taxi outside the airfield. The cab had a woolen carpet with brilliant lace edges. On the glass partition that shielded the driver's seat was a replica of a famous painting. Its windows were all, clean. The customer was very much surprised and said to the driver. "I've never seen a nicer cab." "Thank you for your praise," the driver answered smilingly.
"How did it occur to you to decorate your car?" asked the customer.
"The car isn't mine," said the driver." It belongs to the company. I used to be a cleaner of cabs. When they returned all of them were as dirty as garbage cans with cigarette butts and rubbish scattered here and there. On the seats and door-handles could be found something sticky like peanut sauce or, chewing gum. Why so? I thought if the car itself were very clean the passengers would most likely be considerate and refrain from littering."
"So when I got a license to be a taxi-driver, I began to put my idea into practice—to tidy and decorate the car. Now before a new passenger gets on my car I'd make a check and be sure it is in good order. When my car returns after a day's work it always remains spotless."
When doing a thing one makes efforts and wants to see the result. To change others one has to make twice the effort but get half the result. To change oneself is the other way round—more fruit with less effort. One had better ask oneself why one makes demands on others much more than on oneself. If you take enough care to do as best you can for other people's sake, your efforts will yield results. If you look into the inner world of your own, examine yourself and wipe out the dust and dirt, instead of fixing your eyes on other people, you will find a cheerful mood for yourself and create a pleasant environment for others.
一个人在机场叫了一辆出租车。上车后，他发现出租车的地板上铺着羊毛地毯，地毯边上还缀着鲜艳的花边；玻璃隔板上镶着一幅名画的复制品，车窗干干净净的。客人感到十分惊讶，便对司机说：“我从没见过这么漂亮的出租车。”“谢谢您的夸奖。”司机笑着回答。