thus a new and good habit is born, for when an act becomes easy through constant repetiton it becomes a pleasure to perform and if it is a pleasure to perform it is man's nature to perform it often. when i perform it often it becomes a habit and i become its slave and since it is a good habit this is my will.
today i begin a new life.
and i make a solemn oath to myself that nothing will retard my new life's growth. i will lose not a day from these readings for that day cannot be retrieved nor can i substitute another for it. i must not , i will not, break this habit of daily reading from these scrolls and, in truth, the few moments spent each day on this new habit are but a small price to pay for the happiness and success that will be mine.
as i read and re-read the words in the scrolls to follow, never will i allow the brevity of each scroll nor the simplicity of its words to cause me to treat the scroll's message lightly. thousands of grapes are pressed to fill one jar with wine, and the grapeskin and pulp are tossed to the birds. so it is with these grapes of wisdom from the ages. much has been filtered and tossed to the wind.only the pure truth lies distilled in the words to come. i will drink as instructed and spill not a drop. and the seed of success i will swallow.
today my old skin has become as dust. i will walk tall among men and they will know me not , for today i am a new man, with a new life.
《今天，我天始新的生活》
今天，我爬出滿是失敗創傷的老繭。
今天，我重新來到這個世上，我出生在葡萄園中，國內的葡萄任人享用。
今天，我要從最高最密的藤上摘下智慧的果實，這葡萄藤是好幾代前的智者種下的。
今天，我要品嘗葡萄的美味，還要吞下每一位成功的種子，讓新生命在我心裡萌牙。
我選擇的道路充滿機遇，也有辛酸與絕望．失敗的同伴數不勝數，疊在一起，比金字塔還高。
然而，我不會像他們一樣失敗，因為我手中持有航海圖，可以領我越過洶湧的大海，抵達夢中的彼岸．
失敗不再是我奮鬥的代價．它和痛苦都將從我的生命中消失。失敗和我，就像水火一樣，互不相容。我不再像過去一樣接受它們。我要在智慧的指引下，走出失敗的陰影，步入富足、健康、快樂的樂園，這些都超出了我以往的夢想． 我要是能長生不老，就可以學到一切，但我不能永生，所以，在有限的人生里，我必須學會忍耐的藝術，因為大自然的行為一向是從容不迫的．造物主創造樹中之王橄攤樹需要一百年的時間，而洋蔥經過短短的九個星期就會枯老．我不留戀從前那種洋蔥式的生活，我要成為萬樹之王——橄欖樹，成為現實生活中最偉大的推銷員．
怎么可能？我既沒有淵博的知識，又沒有豐富的經驗，況且，我曾一度跌入愚昧與自憐的深淵．答案很簡單。我不會讓所謂的知識或者經驗妨礙我的行程．造物生已經賜予我足夠的知識和本能，這份天賦是其它生物望塵莫及的。經驗的價值往往被高估了，人老的時候開口講的多是糊塗話．說實在的，經驗確實能教給我們很多東西，只是這需要花費太長的時間．等到人們獲得智慧的時候，其價值已隨著時間的消逝而減少了．結果往往是這樣，經驗豐富了，人也餘生無多．經驗和時尚有關，適合某一時代的行為,並不尋味著在今天仍然行得通。
只有原則是持久的，而我現在正擁有了這些原則．這些可以指引我走向成功的原則全寫在這幾張羊皮卷里．它教我如何避免失敗，而不只是獲得成功，因為成功更是一種精神狀態．人們對於成功的定義，見仁見智，而失敗卻往往只有一種解釋:失敗就是一個人沒能達到他的人生目標，不論這些目標是什麼。