來自哲人與幽默家的生日智慧
小時候，生日是全年度最重要的日子之一——蛋糕、冰淇淋、派對與禮物，整天都是你最閃耀的主角。而隨著年齡增長，有些人依然喜歡慶祝生日，也有人開始淡化它的存在。
想像一下，如果是 Plato 或 Jonathan Swift 為你送上生日祝福，會是什麼感覺？也許他們無法親自現身，但這些歷久不衰的名言，依然能為你帶來無比特別的生日驚喜。
William Butler Yeats
“From our birthday, until we die / Is but the winking of an eye.”
「從我們的生日到死亡 / 不過是眼睛一眨的瞬間。」
Plato
“Old age: A great sense of calm and freedom. When the passions have relaxed their hold, you may have escaped, not from one master but from many.”
「老年是一種偉大的平靜與自由。當熱情放鬆了控制，你所逃離的不只是某一個主宰，而是許多個。」
Pope John XXIII
“Men are like wine. Some turn to vinegar, but the best improve with age.”
「人如同酒，有些會變成醋，但最好的隨著年齡而愈發醇厚。」
Jonathan Swift
“May you live all the days of your life.”
「願你活出生命中的每一天。」
“No wise man ever wished to be younger.”
「從來沒有智者希望自己變年輕。」
Tom Stoppard
“Age is a high price to pay for maturity.”
「成熟的代價，是歲月的高昂票價。」
John P. Grier
“You are only young once, but you can be immature for a lifetime.”
「年輕只有一次，但你可以幼稚一輩子。」
Titus Maccius Plautus
“Let us celebrate the occasion with wine and sweet words.”
「讓我們用美酒與甜言慶祝這個時刻吧。」
Lucille Ball
“The secret to staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age.”
「保持年輕的祕訣是：誠實生活、慢慢吃飯、然後謊報年齡。」
J. P. Sears
“Let us respect gray hairs, especially our own.”
「讓我們尊重白髮，尤其是自己的。」
George Burns
“Nice to be here? At my age, it's nice to be anywhere.”
「開心能來這裡？以我這年紀，能在哪裡都值得高興了。」
Robert Browning
“Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be, the last of life, for which the first was made.”
「與我一同老去吧！最好的還在後頭，餘生才是最初所為的真正目的。」
Mark Twain
“Age is a case of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.”
「年齡只是你在不在意的問題。如果你不在意，那就沒差了。」
Madeleine L'Engle
“The great thing about getting older is you don't lose all the other ages you've been.”
「變老最棒的地方是——你並不會失去過往每個年齡的自己。」
Decimus Magnus Ausonius
“Let us never know what old age is. Let us know the happiness time brings, not count the years.”
「讓我們永遠不要知道老年是什麼，讓我們去感受時間帶來的快樂，而不是數著歲月過了幾年。」
William Shakespeare
“With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come.”
「讓我們用歡笑與喜悅迎接皺紋的到來。」
Lucy Larcom
“Whatever with the past has gone, the best is always yet to come.”
「不管過去發生了什麼，最好的總是在未來。」
Charles Schulz
“Just remember, once you're over the hill you begin to pick up speed.”
「記住，一旦你翻過山丘，下坡就會越滑越快啦。」
Brigitte Bardot
“Every age can be enchanting, provided you live within it.”
「每個年齡都能充滿魅力，只要你活在當下。」
Satchel Paige
“How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are?”
「如果你不知道自己的年齡，你會覺得自己幾歲呢？」
Ethel Barrymore
“You grow up the day you have the first real laugh at yourself.”
「當你第一次真正笑自己時，你就長大了。」
Bob Hope
“You know you are getting old when the candles cost more than the cake.”
「當蠟燭比蛋糕還貴時，你就知道自己老了。」
Bernard Baruch
“We grow neither better nor worse as we get old, but more like ourselves.”
「年紀漸長的我們，不會變得更好或更壞，只是更像自己。」
