自 由 - 古德明
A Persian envoy urged the Spartans to submit to Xerxes.* "You do not know what you are advising us to do," replied the Spartans, "for you know what it is to be a slave, but the sweetness of freedom you have never tasted. If you felt it, you would tell us to fight for it, not with spears only, but with axes."
* * *
A popular joke during World War Ⅱ was that, at a stream on the Swiss frontier, a Swiss and a Nazi were fishing from the opposite sides of the water. The Swiss caught one fish after another, whereas the Nazi did not have so much as a nibble.
"Why is it," called the German across the water, "that you have so much better luck?"
"Well," said the Swiss, "on this side the fish aren't afraid to open their mouths."
波斯使者勸斯巴達人向澤克西斯稱臣*，斯巴達人回答說：「先生只知道為奴為僕，自由的滋味，從未得嘗，因此，不可能明白稱臣的含義。先生假如嘗過自由，當會教我輩為自由而戰，即使沒有長矛，執起斧頭都要作戰到底。」
* * *
第二次世界大戰期間，有一個流行笑話：瑞士邊境一條小河兩岸，一個瑞士人和一個納粹黨徒相對垂釣。那瑞士人釣得一條又一條魚，那納粹黨徒的魚餌，卻連一條魚都沒有游過去咬咬。
那德國人隔河說道：「為什麼你的運氣勝過我那麼多？」
瑞士人回答說：「因為河水這邊的魚，不害怕開口。」
*澤克西斯是公元前五世紀波斯王，曾率大軍征希臘，折戟沉沙。
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