我崇拜朝气，欢喜自由，赞美胆量大的，精力强的。一个人行为或精神上有朝气，不在小利小害上打算计较，不拘泥于物质攫取与人世毁誉；它能硬起脊梁，笔直走他要走的道路，他所学的或同我所学的完全是两样东西，他的政治思想或与我的及其相反，他的宗教信仰或与我的十分冲突，那不碍事，我仍然觉得这是个朋友，这是个人。我爱这种人也尊敬这种人。这种人也许野一点，粗一点，但一切伟大事业伟大作品就只这类人有份。他不能避免失败，他失败了能再干。他容易跌倒，但在跌倒以后仍然即可以爬起。——沈从文《友情集》
I worship vitality and love freedom. Iextol the plucky and the strong in heart. Any person who is vigorous in hisactions or spirit—who doesn’t jockey for petty advantage or care about materialgain and public prestige—if he can stiffen his backbone and go his own way,straight as a ramrod, then I can accept him as a man. No matter that what heknows is different from what I know, that his political ideology is opposing tomine, or that his religious beliefs and mine are in conflict. I love this kindof person. I respect him. He might be a little wild, or a little crude, butonly people like him stand behind great accomplishments and great literaryworks. He’ll fail sometimes, then try again. In fact he’ll stumble often. Buthe’ll get up again immediately. ——Tr. by Jeffrey C. Kinkley (杰弗里·C·金介甫，美国汉学家，沈从文研究专家)
