Everybody wants to preach to the young, and tell them to be good and they will be happy. I shall not enter far upon that field, but confine myself to presenting from a business man's standpoint of view, a few rules, which, I believe, lie at the root of business success.
First--Never enter a bar-room. Do not drink liquor as a beverage. I will not paint the evil of drunkenness, or the moral crime; but I suggest to you that it is low and common to enter a bar-room, unworthy of any self-respecting man, and sure to fasten upon you a taint which will operate to your disadvantage in life, whether you ever become a drunkard or not.
Second--I wish young men would not use tobacco--not that it is morally wrong, except in so far as it is used in excess and injures health, which the medical faculty declares it does. But the use of tobacco requires young men to withdraw themselves from the society of women to indulge the habit. I think the absence of women from any assembly tends to lower the tone of that assembly. The habit of smoking tends to carry young men into the society of men whom it is not desirable that they should choose as their intimate associates. The practice of chewing tobacco was once common. Now it is considered offensive. I believe the race is soon to take another step forward, and that the coming man is to consider smoking as offensive as chewing was formally considered. As it is practically abandoned now, so I believe smoking will be.
Third--Having entered upon work, continue in that line of work. Fight it out on that line (except in extreme cases), for it matters little what avenue a young man finds first. Success can be attained in any branch of human labor. There is always room at the top in every pursuit. Concentrate all your thought and energy upon the performance of your duties. Put all your eggs into one basket and then watch that basket, do not scatter your shot. The man who is director in a half dozen railroads and three or four manufacturing companies, or who tries at one and the same time to work a farm, a factory, a line of street cars, a political party and a store, rarely amounts to much. He may be concerned in the management of more than one business enterprise, but they should all be of the one kind, which he understands. The great successes of life are made by concentration.
Fourth--Do not think a man has done his full duty when he has performed the work assigned him. A man will never rise if he does only this. Promotion comes from exceptional work. A man must discover where his employer's interests can be served beyond the range of the special work allotted to him; and whenever he sees his employer's interests suffer, or wherever the latter's interests can be promoted, tell him so. Differ from your employers upon what you think his mistakes. You will never make much of a success if you do not learn the needs and opportunities of your own branch much better than your employer can possibly do. You have been told to "obey orders if you break owners." Do no such foolish thing. If your employer starts upon a course which you think will prove injurious, tell him so, protest, give your reasons, and stand to them unless convinced you are wrong. It is the young man who does this, that capital wants for a partner or for a son-in-law.
Fifth--Whatever your wages are, save a little. Live within your means. The heads of stores, farms, banks, lawyers' offices, physicians' offices, insurance companies, mills and factories are not seeking capital; they are seeking brains and business habits. The man who saves a little from his income has given the surest indication of the qualities which every employer is seeking for.
Sixth--Never speculate. Never buy or sell grain or stocks upon a margin. If you have savings, invest them in solid securities, lands or property. The man who gambles upon the exchanges is in the condition of the man who gambles at the gaming table. He rarely, if ever, makes a permanent success. His judgment goes; his faculties are snapped; and his end, as a rule, is nervous prostration after an unworthy and useless life.
Seventh--If you ever enter business for yourself, never indorse for others. It is dishonest. All your resources and all your credit are the sacred property of the men who have trusted you; and until you have surplus cash and owe no man, it is dishonest to give your name as an indorser to others. Give the cash you can spare, if you wish, to help a friend. Your name is too sacred to give.
Do not make riches, but usefulness, your first aim; and let your chief pride be that your daily occupation is in the line of progress and development; that your work, in whatever capacity it may be, is useful work, honestly conducted, and as such ennobling to your life.
To sum up, do not drink, do not smoke, do not indorse, do not speculate. Concentrate, perform more than your prescribed duties; be strictly honest in word and deed. And may all who read these words be just as happy and prosperous and long lived as I wish them all to be. And let this great fact always cheer them: It is impossible for any one to be cheated out of an honorable career unless he cheats himself.
每个人都想告诫年轻人,告诉他们为善,他们将会过的很快乐。我相信，如果我仅仅限于从一个根源于商业成功的商人的观点来看待这一领域，我将无法在这个领域走的更远。
第一，永远不要进入一个酒吧。永远不要把白酒当做饮料。我不擅于描绘醉酒之恶或者酒后失德，但是我给你提个建议，只有那些不配有任何自尊的人才会低贱的随大流进酒吧。进入酒吧后，你铁定被弄脏，那将使你的处于不利的地位在生活中，不管你是否成为一个酒鬼。
第二，我希望年轻人不要吸烟。不是因为它在道德上是不对的,而是因为医学机构宣布过度吸烟会损害健康。同时因为吸烟迫使年轻人远离社交女性来迁就自己的不良习惯。我以为女性缺席的任何聚会都降低了聚会的品味。抽烟的习惯,往往把年轻人带入不可取的男人的社会,他本应该选择这些人作为自己的亲密伙伴。嚼烟曾经非常普遍。现在被看做无礼的行为。我相信,人类很快会再向前迈进一步,未来的人将会认为吸烟会象嚼烟一样正式被看着无礼的行为。因为它实际上是被遗弃的，所以我认为吸烟也会被遗弃。
第三，进入一行工作后，就继续在这一行工作。在该行奋斗到底（除非在极端的情况下），对于一个年轻人来说一开始从事什么并不重要。任何形式的劳动都可以成功。每一个成功的顶点都是还有发展的空间。竭尽你所有的思想和能量去完成你的职责。把你所有的鸡蛋放到一个篮子里，然后小心的看好你的篮子，不要分散你的注意力。一个人可能主持修筑6段铁路和3、4个制造公司，或者或者谁在同一个时间经营一个农场，一间工厂，一个政党和一个商店，几乎很多东西。但是他应该只管理一类他懂的那行。伟大的成就都是由专心造就的。
第四，不要认为一个人完成了分配给他的工作时，他就完成了他全部职责。一个人永远不会有提高，如果他只完成分配给他的工作。晋升来自额外的工作。一个人必须去发现和满足雇主的利益除了分配给他的特殊任务，同时要观察雇主的利益什么时候遭受损害或者怎么能使雇主的利益得到发展，即使告诉他。发现他没有发现的错误，你不会有太大的成功如果你了解你的本职工作没有的雇主了解的多。你被教做“服从命令的给雇主提意见”，不要做那样的傻事。如果你的老板开始做一件你认为将会是是错误的决策，直接告诉他，你反对这个决策，摆出你的理由并坚持你的理由，除非证明你是错误的。这样做的年轻人，资本家都希望他成为合伙人或者女婿。
第五，不管你的薪水是多少，攒一点钱。量入为出。商店的老板，农场的主人，银行的经理，律师的办公室，外科医生的办公室，磨坊主，工厂老板不缺少资本，他们缺少的是智囊和商业习惯。那个每天从自己的收入中节省一点钱的人正是提供了每一个老板所寻求的最可靠的素质。
第六，永远不要投机。永远不要购买或者出售粮食或者股票在非常时刻。如果你又存款，投资于固体证券，土地或者固定资产。在交易所碰运气的人就如在游戏桌上赌博的人一样。他几乎不可能永远的成功，即使成功，一般来说经过这样的一段无价值和无用的生活以后也是失去判断力，他的才能被挥霍一空，最后以致神经虚脱。
第七，如果你曾经只是为自己进入商界，永远不要帮助别人。这是不诚实的。你所有的资源和所有的信用是所有信任你的人给与你的神圣财产。直到你不欠别人的钱有了剩余的现金，把自己作为一个给与者是不对的。如果你愿意用你可以支配的钱，去帮助一个朋友。你的名字将会因为你的给与变的神圣。
不要让赚钱变富成为你无用的第一目标，让你的首要自豪来自你日常的职业的进步和发展。,确保你的工作是一项有用的工作，不论它有多大的容量，诚实的管理。只有这样才能使你的生活变得熠熠生辉。
总之，不要喝酒，不要抽烟，不要沉迷，不要投机；专心，多做你份外的事，严格诚实对待的言行。也许所有人只当高兴或者一时兴起来读这些文字但是我希望它们都长久的留在读过它们的人的心中。让这个伟大的事实总是鼓励这些读过这些文字的人：没有人会被可敬的职业欺骗除非他欺骗他自己。
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