The art of investment has one characteristic that is not generally appreciated. A creditable, if unspectacular, result can be achieved by the lay investor with a minimum of effort and capability; but to improve this easily attainable standard requires much application and more than a trace of wisdom.

投资艺术有一个特点不为大众所知。门外汉只需些微努力与能力，便可以取得令人尊敬（即使并不可观）的结果。但是，如果想在这个容易获取的标准上更进一步，则需要更多的实践和智慧。


凡事应力求简单，但不应过分简单。
Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.


投资并不简单。认为投资简单的人都是傻瓜。
It’s not supposed to be easy. Anyone who fifinds it easy is stupid.


‘Well, Prince, so Genoa and Lucca are now just family estates of the Buonapartes. But I warn you, if you don’t tell me that this means war, if you still try to defend the infamies and horrors perpetrated by that Antichrist - I really believe he is Antichrist - I will have nothing more to do with you and you are no longer my friend, no longer my ‘faithful slave,’ as you call yourself! But how do you do? I see I have frightened you - sit down and tell me all the news.’

“子爵本人就认识那位公爵。”安娜·帕夫洛夫娜对一位客人低声说。“子爵是个了不起的讲故事的能手。”她对另一个人说。“一眼就看得出是上流社会出身的人。”她对第三个人说。于是，子爵像一盘点缀着生菜的热腾腾的煎牛里脊，以最优雅和对他最有利的方式被端出来奉献给在场的人。

The word estate is mostly used to mean a massive and fabulous house on a big piece of land. When you own an estate, it usually means you have a whole lot of money to go along with it.

一八〇五年七月，大名鼎鼎的安娜·帕夫洛夫娜·舍列尔——玛丽亚·费奥多罗夫娜皇后的女官和亲信，在迎接第一个来赴晚会的达官要人瓦西里公爵时这样说。安娜·帕夫洛夫娜咳嗽了好几天，如她所说，她患的是流行性感冒（流行性感冒在当时是新名词，还很少有人使用）。
It was in July, 1805, and the speaker was the well  known Anna Pavlovna Scherer, maid of honor and favorite of the Empress Marya Fedorovna. With these words she greeted Prince Vasili Kuragin, a man of high rank and importance, who was the first to arrive at her reception. Anna Pavlovna had had a cough for some days. She was, as she said, suffering from la grippe; grippe being then a new word in St. Petersburg, used only by the elite.

All her tations without exception, written in French, and delivered by a scarlet-liveried footman that morning, ran as follows:
请帖是当天早晨由穿红制服的听差送出的，内容全都一样：