在任何民族中,如果该民族是新生的,思想便是她一生所能获得的最大财富;如果该民族深深扎根于开明的思想之中,思想又是任何一代人从前一代人那里所能继承的最大馈赠。

Thoughts, in any nation, are the greatest fortune the nation gains in her life if the nation is newly born; and they are the greatest gift that any generation can receive from the preceding generation, provided the nation is deep-rooted in the enlightened thought.

就物质财富、科学发现、工业发明之类而言，它们的重要性都远低于思想。事实上，获得这些东西有赖于思想，而保存这些东西同样有赖于思想。

With regard to material wealth, scientific discoveries, industrial inventions and the like, all of these are of much lower importance than thoughts. In fact, to gain such matters depends on the thoughts, and preservation of these matters depends on the thoughts as well.

如果一个民族的物质财富遭到毁坏，只要该民族保存着它的智力财富，它就有可能迅速恢复。然而，如果智力财富崩溃，而民族仅保留其物质财富，这些财富很快就会萎缩，民族将陷入贫困。该民族曾经取得的大多数科学成就，只要它不丧失其思维方式，都是可以重新获得的。反之，如果它失去了富有成效的思维方式，它很快就会倒退，并失去其发现与发明。因此，必须首先关注思想。在这些思想的基础上，依据富有成效的思维方式，才能获得物质财富，并追求科学发现、工业发明及类似的成就。

If the material wealth of a nation is destroyed, it is possible for it to be restored quickly as long as the nation preserves its intellectual wealth. However, if the intellectual wealth collapses and the nation retains only its materialistic wealth, this wealth will soon shrink and the nation will fall down into poverty. Most of the scientific achievements which the nation once made can be regained, provided it does not lose its way of thinking. Whereas, if it lost the productive way of thinking, it would soon regress and lose its discoveries and inventions. Therefore, it is necessary to take care of the thoughts first. Based upon these thoughts, and according to the productive way of thinking, material wealth is gained, and the achievement of scientific discoveries, industrial inventions and the like is sought.