身为一个英语爱好者，非常喜欢上Quora（类似国内的知乎）看一些精彩的回答，这是我收藏的一个非常棒的的回答，自己翻译了下贴到这里供大家分享。
题目：what is the one skill that,if you have it ,will completely change your life?
作者：Archie D'Cruz
I could offer countless stories of people who have succeeded in life because they had that skill. But I won’t.
我本可以说出数不清的因为那个技能而在生活中获得巨大成功的故事，但我不会。
For example, I could have told you about J.K. Rowling, a broke, divorced mother who bashed out the first Harry Potter story on an old manual typewriter, and had her manuscript rejected by 12 publishers before being accepted by one who nevertheless warned her there was no money in children’s books.
比如，我本可以告诉你J.K.罗琳的故事，她是一个破产的离了婚的女人，在一台老式的手动打字机上写出了她的第一本故事书《哈利.波特》，并且她的手稿被12家出版社拒绝直到被一家仍然警告她在儿童书籍市场没钱可赚的出版社接受。
But I won’t.
但我不会
I could have told you about Ethiopian Abebe Bikila, son of a shepherd, who won back-to-back Olympic marathons in the Sixties, became a quadriplegic after a car accident, and returned to international sports as an archer.
我本可以告诉你关于埃塞俄比亚的阿比比.比基拉，他是牧羊者的儿子，在60年代连续获得奥运会马拉松比赛冠军，在一场车祸中变成了四肢瘫痪者，并且以一名弓箭手的身份重返国际赛场。
But I won’t.
但我不会。
I could have told you about Mr Bean actor Rowan Atkinson or comedian Wayne Brady, both of whom had serious stuttering problems as children and used the stage as a way to overcome them.
我本可以告诉你憨豆先生的主演罗温.阿特金森或者喜剧演员韦恩.布兰迪，两个人都在儿时遭受着严重的口吃问题并且用舞台表演的方式战胜了它们。
But I won’t.
但我不会
I could have told you about Nick Vujicic, born without arms and legs, but whose motivational speeches attract stadium-sized crowds and give hope to those living with disabilities.
我本可以告诉你尼克.胡哲的故事，他出生时就没有手臂和双腿，但是他的励志演讲吸引了有体育场容量大小的观众并且给他们带着残缺的身体活下去的希望。
But I won’t.
但我不会。
Instead, I’ll tell you to take a good, close look at your own life and the challenges that came up along the way.
反而，我会让你好好地仔细地回顾下你自己的生活和和伴随其中的挑战。
Of the time when you were five, and the simple act of tying your shoelaces made you frustrated. When you eventually figured it out, it wasn’t because you were talented. It was because you persisted (or your parents encouraged you to) until you got it right.
当你还是5岁的时候，系鞋带这种简单的动作使都会让你很挫败。当你最终完成它，并不是因为你很有天赋，而是因为你坚持（或者你父母鼓励你这么做）直到你正确地系好了它。
Or the time you were in school and had to learn a new language, and it seemed unthinkable you would ever be able to speak it with any degree of fluency. But you stuck with it, and you did.
当你在学校必须要学习一门新语言时，在你看来流利地使用它说话似乎是不可能的，但你坚持学习，最后你做到了。
Or the time you fell in love and thought the girl or guy of your dreams might be impossible to get. But you wooed them anyway, and you did.
当你陷入爱河并且认为你梦中的女神或者男神很可能永远也追不到，但是不管怎样你向他们求爱了，并且最终成功了。
Or the time when the love ran out and the relationship appeared to be drifting aimlessly, until you consciously decided to work on making things better. And they did.
当爱情快耗尽了并且关系似乎没有了方向感，直到你有意识地决定努力使关系变好。最终你做到了。
Or the time you continued to send out job applications, despite the sinking feeling that came with every rejection letter or no letter at all. Until one company called you in.
当找工作时，尽管总是会有那种因为收到拒绝消息或者压根没有消息而产生的失落感，这个时候你还是不断地投求职简历，直到终于有一家公司录取了你。
Or the time you started work at a new place and had this horrid feeling you’d be shown up as a fake because you had no clue of what needed to be done. Until you figured it all out.
当你开始在一个新的地方工作，你因为脑子里对于需要做什么没有一个清晰大概，所以觉得自己的样子像个骗子一样，这让你很不爽，直到你搞定所有的工作。
Or the time you tried to get started in a business of your own, and kept failing at it, until you found a way to steady the ship and power ahead.
当你尝试自己创业，屡败屡战，直到你找到一种方式去稳固自己的航船和前进的力量（这边不太会翻译，会的同学帮忙指正）。
Or the time you decided to take up something new, like woodworking or web coding, and you couldn’t but be disheartened at how hard it was. But you persevered, and now looking back, it surprises you at how far you’ve come.
当你决定开始做一件新的事情，像木工活或者网络编程，你刚开始总会控制不住地觉得它们太困难了。但是你坚持了下来，现在你回顾它们，你会感到惊讶你居然你已经走过来相当长一段路了。
Talent is a nice thing to have. It’ll take you far. But to get to where you really want to, that takes perseverance.
天赋这件东西如果你有那非常幸运，它将会带你走的很远。但是真正带你到你梦想彼岸的，却是——坚持。
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