1. ON HIS SCHOOLING¹ 关于上学

 

"At school, I was never more than about halfway² up the class. It was a very bright class. My classwork was very untidy, and my handwriting was the despair of my teachers. But my classmates gave me the nickname Einstein, so presumably they saw signs of something better. When I was twelve, one of my friends bet another friend a bag of sweets that I would never come to anything. I don't know if this bet was ever settled, and if so, which way it was decided³."

“在学校时，我的学习一直都是中不溜。班里的同学都很聪明。我的作业写得很乱，我的那笔字让老师头疼。但是我同学给我起绰号叫爱因斯坦，显然他们觉得我还是有点才华的。在我12岁那年，我的一个朋友用一包糖和另一个朋友打赌我将会一事无成。我不知道这个赌局有结果了没，如果有，是谁得到了那包糖。”

 

— From the lecture "My Brief History," 2010

——霍金2010年讲座《我的简史》

 

2. ON ALIEN LIFE 关于外星人

 

"If aliens visit us, the outcome would be much as when Columbus landed in America, which didn't turn out well for the Native Americans. We only have to look at ourselves to see how intelligent life might develop into something we wouldn't want to meet."

“如果外星人来拜访我们，结果可能和哥伦布登陆美洲差不多，而哥伦布的到来对美洲原住民并不是什么好事。我们只需看看自己，就能知道外星人大概会变成什么样的凶神恶煞。”

 

— From Into the Universe with Stephen Hawking⁴, 2010

——《与霍金一起了解宇宙》，2010年

 

3. ON FATE VERSUS⁵ FREE WILL 关于命运和自由意志

 

"I have noticed that even people who claim everything is predetermined and that we can do nothing to change it, look before they cross the road."

“我注意到，即使那些声称一切都已注定、人力无法改变天意的人在过马路的时候还是会左看右看。”

 

— From Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays

——《黑洞、小宇宙和其他论文》

 

4. ON IMPERFECTION 关于不完美

 

"Next time someone complains that you have made a mistake, tell him that may be a good thing. Because without imperfection, neither you nor I would exist."

“下一次有人抱怨你犯错时，告诉他这可能是件好事。因为如果没有不完美，你和我都不会存在。”

 

— From Into the Universe with Stephen Hawking, 2010

——《与霍金一起了解宇宙》，2010年

 

5. ON HIS IQ 关于智商

 

"I have no idea. People who boast about their IQ are losers."

“我对自己的智商没概念。吹嘘自己智商的人都是失败者。”

 

— To The New York Times, December 2004

——2004年12月，霍金致《纽约时报》的信

 

6. ON WOMEN 关于女人

 

"They are a complete mystery.”

“女人完全是个谜。”

 

— To New Scientist, January 2012

——2012年1月，霍金致《新科学家》杂志的信

 

7. ON THE ADVICE HE GAVE HIS CHILDREN 给孩子的建议

 

"One, remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Two, never give up work. Work gives you meaning and purpose and life is empty without it. Three, if you are lucky enough to find love, remember it is there and don't throw it away."

“第一，要记得仰望星辰，而不是低头看脚。第二，永远不要放弃工作。工作赋予你意义和目标，没有工作的人生是空虚的。第三，如果你有幸得到了爱情，不要忘记爱情的存在，也不要抛弃爱情。”

 

— To Diane Sawyer/ABC News, June 2010

——2010年6月，霍金告诉美国广播公司新闻节目的黛安·索耶

 

8. ON OPTIMISM 关于乐观

 

"Most of the threats we face come from the progress we've made in science and technology. We are not going to stop making progress, or reverse it, so we must recognize the dangers and control them. I'm an optimist⁶, and I believe we can."

“我们所面临的大部分威胁来自我们在科技上取得的进展。我们不会停止科技进步或逆向而行，因此我们必须意识到这些危险并加以控制。我是个乐观主义者，我相信我们能控制住。”

 

— To the Radio Times, January 2016

——2016年1月，霍金致《广播时代》杂志的信

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