原文翻译：
谨记两条规则
我最近来到路易·阿拉贡旧居，它是塞纳河边上的避暑纳凉之角，在这里我正和一群来自巴黎美国艺术学院正在写作的学生一起郊游。期间，有一位女性把我拉到一旁，然后问我这本书中我希望传达的核心是什么。当时我没有直接回答她的问题，过了一会儿，于是我们又回到刚才大家轮流讨论的话题：说出把自己如何带到那儿的曲折路径（自己想去的地方）。几乎每一个人曾经都有一个想去巴黎的故事，在某些情况下，可能有些人要经历30—40年才能完成，当然这种假设不可能（只要你想去，根本用不到30年就可以做到）。
一边听着他们的故事，一边拿出些草稿纸记下要刚才问题的答案。在这本书中，我想传达的核心：
1.如果你收集了正确且实地验证过的信念和习惯，那么无论你怎样定义成功，你都可以完成你的目标。还有些人做过之前你做成功过的模版，并且经常还有许多人做过和你类似的东西。但是你可能要问：“那到底是谁第一个尝试这种方法的，就像到底是谁第一个发现新大陆的？”不要问这些，因为这些就是成功的食谱。你先看看三种风格的帝国建筑，再来看看建筑大师罗伯·摩斯生活中最大的决策,或许你会容易地发现在那个时候被认为不可能的事很快成为了一件伟大的事情。（站在巨人的肩膀上）这就是一个可供你借用的共享DNA。
2.在你心目中的超级英雄（偶像，牛人，亿万富翁等等），他们几乎都有缺陷，而这些缺陷最终恰恰变成了他们1到2种最强的优势。人类本身就是一个不完美的物种。你不成功是因为你没有缺点；你成功了，是因为你发现了独特的力量，并且将注意力放在发展你的爱好上。为了更清楚地表达我的意思，我故意放了两个部分在这本书中（197页 和 616页）让你想想：“哇，蒂莫西·费里斯生活原来一团糟，他是怎样在困境中完成每件事的？ ”每个人正在打一场你不了解的战斗。本书中的英雄无一例外。请把这慰藉放进去，和你一起打赢这场战斗。
译者笔记：
作者写这本书的核心：1.站在巨人的肩膀上；2.没有人是完美的。首先我们要学习巨人的优点，借鉴他们那些特有的习惯，而且要大胆地去借鉴，去尝试，保留下最适合自己的，最终成为自己的一部分；要正视自己的缺点，不要害怕它，有些缺点就是你的一部分，没有必要为了别人而改掉，或许它会成为你的一个优势。我们应该将注意力放在那些我们可以改变和我们喜欢的东西上，没有必要为了完美而完美，因为你越想完美你越是不敢去改变自己，不断改变自己的过程本身就是一个不完美的过程！
原文：
JUST REMEMBER TWO PRINCIPLES
I was recently standing in Place Louis Aragon , a shaded outdoor nook on the River Seine , having a picnic with writing students from the Paris American Academy. One woman pulled me aside and asked what I hoped to convey in this book ,at the core . Seconds later , we were pulled back into to the fray, as the attendees were all taking turns talking about the circuitous paths that brought them there that day. Nearly everyone had a story of wanting to come to Paris for years— in some cases, 30 to 40 years — but assuming it was impossible.
Listening to their stories, I pulled out a scrap of paper and jotted down my answer to her question . In this book ,at its core, I want to convey the following:
1.Success ,however you define it , is achievable if you collect the right field-tested beliefs and habits . Someone else has done your version of “success” before ,and often , many have done something similar. “But," you might ask , "what about a first , like colonizing Mars?” There are still recipes. Look at empire building of there types, look at the biggest decisions in the life of Robert Moses (read The Power Broker), or simply find someone who stepped up to do great things that were deemed impossible at the time(e.g.,Walt Disney). There is shared DNA you can borrow.
2.The superheroes you have in your mind (idols ,icons , titans ,billionaires, etc.) are nearly all walking flaws who’ve maximized 1 or 2 strengths. Humans are imperfect creatures. You don’t “succeed” because you have no weaknesses; you succeed because you find your unique strengths and focus on developing habits around them . To make this crystal-clear , I’ve deliberately included two sections in this book (page 197 and 616 ) that will make you think:”Wow ,Tim Ferriss is a mess. How the hell does he ever get anything done?”Everyone is fighting a battle you know nothing about .The heroes in this book are no different .Everyone struggles. Take solace in that
未完待续
推荐阅读：
《巨人的工具》
—— 蒂莫西.费里斯 著
