One fine afternoon I was walking along Fifth Avenue，when I remembered that it was necessary to buy a pair of socks. I turned into the first sock shop that caught my eye，and a boy clerk who could not have been more than seventeen years old came forward. “What can I do for you，sir?”“I wish to buy a pair of socks.” His eyes glowed. There was a note of passion in his voice. “Did you know that you had come into the finest place in the world to buy socks?”I had not been aware of that，as my entrance had been accidental. “Come with me，” said the boy，ecstatically. I followed him to the rear of the shop，and he began to haul down from the shelves box after box，displaying their contents for my delectation.
    “Hold on，lad，I am going to buy only one pair!”“I know that，”said he，“but I want you to see how marvelously beautiful these are. Aren’t they wonderful?” There was on his face an expression of solemn and holy rapture， as if he were revealing to me the mysteries of his religion. I became far more interested in him than in the socks. I looked at him in amazement. “My friend，”said I，“if you can keep this up，if this is not merely the enthusiasm that comes from novelty，from having a new job，if you can keep up this zeal and excitement day after day， in ten years you will own every sock in the United States.”
    一個晴朗的下午，我沿第五大道走，當(dāng)我想起它來買一雙襪子是必要的。我變成了吸引我眼球的第一家襪店，和一個男孩店員誰也已超過十七歲出面。 “我能為你做什么，先生？”“我想買一雙襪子?！彼难劬﹂W著。有一個值得注意的他的聲音激情。 “你知道，你已進入的地方在世界上買襪子嗎？”我沒有意識到這點，我的高考已經(jīng)意外。 “跟我來，”男孩欣喜若狂地說。我跟著他到店后，他開始框后從貨架箱降下，顯示它們的內(nèi)容，我的愉快。
    “堅持住，孩子，我只買一雙！”“我知道，”他說，“但我希望你能看到美麗的奇妙這些。難道它們不棒？“當(dāng)時他的臉色莊嚴(yán)而虔誠的表情，仿佛在向我透露他的信仰中的奧秘。我變得遠比襪子更感興趣的是他。我吃驚地看著他。 “我的朋友，”我說，“如果你能這樣保持下去，如果這不是僅僅緣于新奇的積極性，從有一個新的工作，如果你能一天后跟上這種熱心和激情的一天，在十年內(nèi)你將自己在美國的每一雙襪子?！?