Today it is out of vogue to speak in terms of character. But there is no more essential aspect of any person.
Character is made up of those principles and values that give your life direction, meaning and depth. These constitute your inner sense of what’ s right and wrong based not on laws or rules of conduct but on whom you are. They include such traits as integrity, honesty, courage, fairness and generosity—which arise from the hard choices we have to make in life. So wrong is simply in doing wrong, not in getting caught.
Yet some people wonder if our inner values matter anymore. After all, hasn’ t our noted bank executive succeeded in every visible way, despite his transgressions?
This question demonstrates a quandary of our modern life. Many have come to believe that the only things we need for success are talents, energy and personality. But history has taught us that over the long haul, who we are is more important than who we appear to be.
无如今说关于品质方面的问题已不再流行，但是任何人都没有比品质更本质的方面了。
品格是由那些赋予你人生方向、意义和深度的原则和价值构成的，它们构成了你对正确和错误的内在感觉，不是基于法律或行为准则，而是基于你是谁。这些原则和价值源于我们在生活中必须做出的艰难抉择，包括诚实，诚实，勇气，公平和慷慨等品质。所以做错了事就是错了，而不是等到被抓到才是错了。
然而，有些人怀疑我们的内在价值是否重要。毕竟，尽管有过犯罪行为，但我们这位著名的银行高管并没有取得成功吗?
这个问题说明了我们现代生活的窘境。许多人开始相信，我们成功所需要的唯一东西是天资、精力和个性。但是历史告诉我们，从长远来看，我们是谁，比我们看起来是谁更重要。
①本文是一篇小短文， 在翻译之前首先要通读全文， 了解文章的大意与主要思想。
②But there is no more essential aspect of any person. 这句话中比较的对象是“character” ， 因此在翻译时应该补充完整。
③第二段第一句话中的give可译为“赋予” 。
④noted著名的。 transgression犯罪。 quandary困 惑； 窘境。 out of vogue过时的。 arise from由……产生。 over the long haul从长远来看。