t we put our hand upon it； it melts away like smoke； is gone forever； and the snake is eating at our heart again； we see then what we are and what our lives must e to。
A young man is so strong； so mad； so certain； and so lost。 He has everything and he is able to use nothing。 He hurls the great shoulder of his strength forever against phantasmal4 barriers； he is a wave whose power explodes in lost mid…oceans under timeless skies； he reaches out to grip a fume of painted smoke； he wants all； feels the thirst and power for everything； and finally gets nothing。 In the end； he is destroyed by his own strength； devoured by his own hunger； improvised by his own wealth。 Thoughtless of money or the accumulation of material possessions； he is none the less defeated in the end by his own greed—a greed that makes the avarice5 of King Midas seem paltry by parison。
And that is the reason why； when youth is gone； every man will look back upon that period of his life with infinite sorrow and regret6。 It is the bitter sorrow and regret of a man who knows that once he had a great talent and wasted it； of a man who knows that once he had a great treasure and got nothing from it； of a man who knows that he had strength enough for everything and never used it。
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艱辛的人生
＇美國＇西奧多·羅斯福
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西奧多·羅斯福（1858—1919），美國第26任總統、作家、探險家和軍事家，畢業於哈佛大學，曾發表《勤奮地生活》演說，旨在針對19世紀末美國驕奢淫逸、貪圖享樂之風盛行，憑藉此文遏制當時的腐敗現象。本文《艱辛的人生》也反映了他這種反對怠惰安逸、崇尚奮鬥人生的思想。
一種怠惰安逸的生活，一種僅僅是由於缺少追尋