《股票作手回忆录·第十二章·棉花惨败·被专家说服》第3节
“If I fool myself,” I told him, “I alone suffer and I pay the bill at once. There are no drawn-out payments or unexpected annoyances. I play a lone hand by choice and also because it is the wisest and cheapest way to trade. I get my pleasure out of matching my brains against the brains of other traders--men whom I have never seen and never talked to and never advised to buy or sell and never expect to meet or know. When I make money I make it backing my own opinions. I don’t sell them or capitalise them. If I made money in any other way I would imagine I had not earned it. Your proposition does not interest me because I am interested in the game only as I play it for myself and in my own way.” He said he was sorry I felt the way I did, and tried to convince me that I was wrong in rejecting his plan. But I stuck to my views. The rest was a pleasant talk. I told him I knew he would “come back” and that I would consider it a privilege if he would allow me to be of financial assistance to him. But he said he could not accept any loans from me. Then he asked me about my July deal and I told him all about it; how I had gone into it and how much cotton I bought and the price and other details. We chatted a little more and then he went away.
注释摘要
这段对话发生在拉里·利文斯顿与珀西·托马斯的第一次会面中。要理解利文斯顿这番话的分量，我们得先看清他对面坐着的是怎样一个人。珀西·托马斯在当时的棉花市场是一个传奇名字，从美国的种植园主到欧洲的银行家，但凡跟棉花沾边的人，没有不知道他的。他曾经惨败，又在两年之内奇迹般地东山再起，还清了所有旧债，这种人在华尔街被视作打不死的英雄。当这样一个重量级人物主动登门，…