Poor Charlie's Almanack是我今年早就下定决心打算好好读一读的英文原版书，一早就听过此书大名，经常在理财投资领域看到大V们推荐这本书。15年的时候匆匆翻看过此书的中文版《穷查理宝典》，厚厚一大本，但是那时候的自己人生认知还停留在幼稚肤浅的阶段，感觉很多读不懂而且也读不进去，而现在，我相信，能够再次和这书相遇，是最佳的时候，就如同这世间上所有美好的相遇，都是注定好的。

Chapter Four一共包含了十一讲，可以说是查理芒格的智慧箴言录的精华所在。今天看的是第一讲，是1986年查理芒格在他儿子毕业典礼上的演讲，彼时的芒格已经62岁了，有充分的理由说出这句话“我吃过盐比你吃过的米还多”，但他没有直接灌输谆谆教导给毕业生们，而是利用逆向思维，向毕业生们阐述了如何过上悲惨生活的建议，从字里行间可以看出这是一个有趣有智慧的老顽童。

读完第一讲最大的感触是查理真的很博学，文章引经据典，名人名言信手拈来。不过我印象最深刻的是那句农夫的名言"I wish I knew where I was going to die, and then I'd never go there." 而学习理财投资不正是如此吗？不要投你任何不懂的东西，比如一些人抱着发财的愿望来到股市，但残酷的事实是：绝大多数人都是来给股市捐钱的。人的贪婪与欲望，会使我们陷入疯狂，从而连自己最初拥有的本金都会失去。想到这几天刷屏的某某新区，如果所有人都知道的投资机会，他其实就不是投资机会了。

Harvard School Commencement Speech

Summary

This talk was made by Charles T. Munger at the Harvard School in Los Angeles on June 13, 1986. 

In this commencement speech, Munger demonstrates imposing rhetorical talents . We also get a good taste of both Charlie's value system and wit.

Johnny Carson once gave three prescriptions for guaranteed misery in life which included "Ingesting chemicals in an effort to alter mood or perception", "Envy", "and "Resentment". Munger decided to repeat Carson's speech but in expanded form with some added  prescriptions of his own.

First, be unreliable.

Second, to learn everything only from your own experience.

Third, to go down and stay down when you get your first, second, or third severe reverse in the battle of life.

The final prescription for a life of fuzzy thinking and infelicity is to ignore a story about a rustic who said,"I wish I knew where I was going to die, and then I'd never go there."

Vocabulary

commencement   [kə'mensmənt]  n.

1. 开始；开端 beginning

2. 学位授予典礼；毕业典礼 a ceremony at which students receive their academic degrees or diplomas

behove   [bɪ'hoʊv]  v.

对…来说是应该的；对…来说是必要的；是义务 to be right and proper or appropriate for somebody

brainwash ['breɪn.wɑʃ]   v. &  n.

1. 通过宣传等说服

2.〔政〕洗脑;对人实行洗脑;强行灌输思想

to force someone to accept a particular set of beliefs by repeating the same idea many times so that the person cannot think in an independent way

vicarious [vɪ'keriəs] adj.

间接感受到的 felt or experienced by watching or reading about sb else doing sth, rather than by doing it yourself

assiduously [ə'sɪdjʊrslɪ] adv.

孜孜不辍地；勤勉地；千方百计；仔细 diligently, industriously, attentively, tirelessly, sedulously