Letter to a Young Friend

Benjamin Franklin

My dear friend

I know of no Medicine fit to diminish the violent natural inclination you mention; and if I did, I think I should not communicate it to you. Marriage is the proper Remedy. It is the most natural State of man, and therefore the state in which you will find solid Happiness.Your Reason against entering into it at present appears to be not well founded. The Circumstantial Advantages you have in view by Postponing it, are not only uncertain, but they are small in comparison with the Thing itself, the being married and settled. It is the Man and Woman united that makes the complete human Being, Separate she wants his force of Body and Strength of Reason; he her Softness, Sensibility and acute Discernment. Together they are most likely to succeed in the World. A single man has not nearly the value he would have in that State of Union. He is an incomplete Animal.He resembles the odd Half of a Pair of Scissors.

If you get a prudent, health wife, your Industry in your Profession, with her good Economy, will be a Fortune sufficient.

Your Affectionate Friend

參考譯文

給年輕朋友的一封信

本杰明·富蘭克林

我知道沒有藥物能夠消除你們所提到的那種瘋狂的自然傾向;即使我知道,我想我也不該告訴你.婚姻是適當的藥物。它是人類最本能的狀態, 因此是一種最幸福的生活狀態。你拒絕現在進入婚姻殿堂的理由顯的不夠充分.你認為推遲婚姻可能存在好處,不僅不一定實現，而且,那些利益跟婚姻本身以及婚后的安定相比起來就微不足道了。男人和女人只有聯合起來才能組成完整的人.女人缺乏男人的力量和周密的推理,而男人缺乏女人的溫柔、感性和敏銳的洞察力。因此當男人和女人聯合起來。就能夠無往不勝。單身和離婚生活的男男女女不可能具有婚姻生活中的價值，是一種不完善的動物。他簡直好比半把剪刀--孤掌難鳴。

如果你擁有一位健康而謹慎的妻子，你的辛勤工作，加上她的勤儉節約，必定會創造充足的財富。

您真摯的朋友