Studies serve for delight, for ornament, and for ability. Their chief use for delight, is in privateness and retiring; for ornament, is in discourse; and for ability, is in the judgment and disposition of business. For expert men can execute, and perhaps judge of particulars, one by one; but the general counsels, and the plots and marshalling of affairs come best from those that are learned.

讀書費(fèi)時(shí)過多易惰，文采藻飾太盛則矯,，全憑條文斷事乃學(xué)究故態(tài),。讀書補(bǔ)天然之不足,，經(jīng)驗(yàn)又補(bǔ)讀書之不足，蓋天生才干猶如自然花草,，讀書然后知如何修剪移接,；而書中所示，如不以經(jīng)驗(yàn)范之,，則又大而無當(dāng),。

To spend too much time in studies is sloth; to use them too much for ornament is affection; to make judgment wholly by their rules is the humor of a scholar. They perfect nature and are perfected by experience: for natural abilities are like natural plants, that need pruning by study, and studies themselves do give forth directions too much at large, except they be bounded in by experience.

有一技之長(zhǎng)鄙讀書，無知者慕讀書,，唯明智之士用讀書,，然讀書并不以用處告人，用書之智不在書中,，而在書外,，全憑觀察得之。讀書時(shí)不可存心詰難作者,，不可盡信書上所言,，亦不可只為尋章摘句，而應(yīng)推敲細(xì)思,。

Crafty men contemn studies, simple men admire them, and wise men use them, for they teach not their own use; but that is a wisdom without them and above them, won by observation. Read not to contradict and confuse; nor to believe and take for granted; nor to find talk and discourse; but to weigh and consider.

書有可淺嘗者,，有可吞食者，少數(shù)則須咀嚼消化,。換言之,，有只須讀其部分者，有只須大體涉獵者,，少數(shù)則須全讀,，讀時(shí)須全神貫注，孜孜不倦,。書亦可請(qǐng)人代讀,，取其所作摘要，但只限題材較次或價(jià)值不高者,，否則書經(jīng)提煉猶如水經(jīng)蒸餾,，淡而五味矣。

Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested; that is some books are to be read only in parts; others to be read, but not curiously; and some few to be ready wholly, and with diligence and attention. Some books also may be read by deputy and extracts made of them by others; but that would be only in the less important arguments, and the meaner sort of books; else distilled books are, like common distilled waters, flashy things.

讀書使人充實(shí),，討論使人機(jī)智,，筆記使人準(zhǔn)確。因此不常做筆記者須記憶特強(qiáng),，不常討論者須天生聰穎,，不常讀書者須欺世有術(shù)，始能無知而顯有知,。

Reading makes a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man. And therefore, if a man write little, he had need have a great memory; if he confer little, he had need have a present wit; and if he read little, he had need have much cunning to seem to know that he doth not.

讀史使人明智,，讀詩(shī)使人靈秀,，數(shù)學(xué)使人周密,，科學(xué)使人深刻,，論理學(xué)使人莊重，邏輯修辭之學(xué)使人善辯：凡有所學(xué),，皆成性格,。

Histories make men wise; poets witty; the mathematics subtle; natural philosophy deep; moral grave; logic and rhetoric able to contend.