Macaulay had wealth and fame， rank and power， and yet he tells us in his biography that he owed the happiest hours of his life to books. In a charming letter to a little girl ， he says： "If anyone would make me the greatest king that ever lived ， with palaces and gardens and fine dinners， and wines and coaches， and beautiful clothes， and hundreds of servants， on condition that I should not read books， I would not be a king. I would rather be a poor man in garret with plenty of books than a king who did not love reading."
書對於人類，就如同記憶對於個人一樣。書記載了民族的曆史，人類的發現，世代累積的知識和？ 驗；書為我們描述自然界的奇跡和美麗，幫我們渡過難關，在我們傷痛時給予安慰，將疲勞的日子變為快樂的時刻；書把各種想法存儲於我們的頭腦，並用美好而快樂的思想充實它，從而使我們得以提升與超越。
讀書時，請不要做王宮裏的國王，最好讓自己沉醉在山林海濱，探尋美麗奇景，而不必受疲憊、麻煩和費用巨大之苦。書籍把珍貴無價的祝福撒在身邊的小徑。我們以高尚的心靈，在想象中穿過瑰麗迷人的地方。
麥考利擁有財富和名聲、地位和權力，然而他在自傳裏告訴我們，他一生中最快樂的時光就是與書為伴的日子。在一封寫給一個小女孩的迷人信件中，他寫道：“如果有人能讓我做有史以來最偉大的國王，讓我擁有宮殿、園林、美酒、佳肴、馬車、華服和上百名仆從，卻以不能讀書為條件，我不會做這個國王。我寧願做個窮人，住在小閣樓卻能博覽群書，而不願變成不愛讀書的國王。”
適合的才是最好的
Suit Is Best
[英國]威廉·黑茲利特/William Hazlitt
The proper force of words lies not in the words themselves， but in their application. A word may be a fine sounding word， of an unusual length， and very imposing from its learning and novelty， and yet in the connection in which it is introduced may be quite pointless and irrelevant. It is not pomp or pretension， but the adaptation of the expression to the idea， that clenches a writer' s meaning： as it is not the size or glossiness of the materials， but their being fitted each to its place， that gives strength to the arch； or as the pegs and nails are as necessary to the support of the building as the larger timbers， and more so than the mere showy， unsubstantial ornaments. I hate anything that occupies more space than it is worth. I hate to see a load of bandboxes go along the street， and I hate to see a parcel of big words without anything in them. A person who does not deliberately dimples of all his thoughts alike in cumbrous draperies and flimsy disguises—may strike out twenty varieties of familiar everyday language， each coming somewhat nearer to the feeling he wants to convey， and at last not hit upon that particular and only one which may be said to be identical with the exact impression in his mind. This would seem to show that Mr. Cobalt is hardly right in saying that the first word that occurs is always the best. It may be a very good one； and yet a better may present itself on reflection or from time to time. It may be suggested naturally， however， and spontaneously， from a fresh and lively conception of the subject.