THE SAYINGS OF JOHN MCCARTHY
约翰·麦卡锡语录 Vol.2
It’s possible to program a computer in English. It’s also possible to make an airplane controlled by reins and spurs. – jmc 196x
用英语写计算机程序是有可能的。制造一个通过缰绳和马刺来控制的飞机也是有可能的。
The reason why a professor does something has even less connection with why he says he does it than with most people – jmc 1985
与大多数人相比，一个教授做一件事情的真实理由同他所宣称理由之间的联系更为薄弱。
It’s a poor cause for which no-one will scuttle a ship or cut a throat. – jmc 1985
这是个差劲的目标，没有人会为它而毁掉船只，也没有人会为它而割断别人的喉咙。
In this book masculine pronouns embrace not only the feminine but also the robotic. – jmc 1985
在这本书中，阳性代词不仅被用来指代女性，也被用来指代机器人。
A true intellectual is a man who, after reading a book and being convinced by its arguments, will shoot someone or, more likely, order someone shot. – jmc 1985
真正的知识分子在读了一本书并被其中所言折服之后，会朝某个人开枪，或者更有可能的是，去命令某个人开枪。
As T. J. Sr. said to T. J. Jr., “remember my boy, every minute a future valued customer is born and two to meet his requirements”. – jmc 1985
正如老T.J.对小T.J.所说，“孩子请记住，每一分钟都将诞生一个在未来有价值的客户，以及两个去满足他需求的人。”
When he talks about “firing that loony” he reminds me of a robin attacking its image in a hubcap. – jmc 1985
当他说“开除那个疯子”时，他让我想起一只攻击车轮毂盖上自己映像的知更鸟。
Whenever I hear a dog continually barking, my reaction is one of relief—that it’s not my dog making all that racket and inciting the neighbors to call the police. – jmc 1985
每当我听到一只狗不停吠叫的时候，我都感到松了口气——这只乱吠的、扰民的、让人忍不住叫警察的狗，不是我家的。
Amateur bureaucrats are often even worse than professional bureaucrats. – jmc 1985
业余官僚常常比职业官僚还要糟糕。
The last ten percent of any reform is the most difficult to achieve. Moreover, it is often harmful. – jmc 1985
任何改革的最后百分之十都是最难完成的，而且常常是有害的。
When thugs by nature meet thugs by political conviction, 5-0 is not surprising. – jmc 1982?
当天生的暴徒遇到被政治信念所驱使的暴徒，5比0也没什么好惊讶的。
Note to Douglas Hofstadter and Raymond Smullyan: Excessive self reference is as dangerous as smoking. – jmc 1985.
寄语侯世达（Douglas Hofstadter）和雷蒙德·斯穆里安（Raymond Smullyan）：过度的自我引用和吸烟一样危险。
The squabbles among linguists remind me of a saying of my mother-in-law, a retired farmer’s wife. “When the chickens start cannibalizing one another, the only thing to do is to butcher the lot or sell them to someone else and start over”.
语言学家的争论让我想起我丈母娘的话，她是位退休农场主的媳妇。“当那些鸡开始同类相食，唯一的解决办法就是把它们全杀了，或者把它们卖给别人，然后重新养一批。”
Praising the Sandinistas while criticizing the Soviets is like loving kittens and deploring cats. Actually it’s not such a nice kitty. – jmc 1986
褒奖桑地诺分子的同时批判苏联人，就好比喜欢猫崽的同时责备大猫。其实它也不是什么好猫。
Soccer riots kill at most tens. Intellectuals’ ideological riots sometimes kill millions. – jmc 1986
足球骚乱最多死几十个人。知识分子的意识形态骚乱有时会杀掉几百万人。
You have to transcend your class interests. Since you belong to the class from which bureaucrats are recruited, you naturally favor making people deal with bureaucracies. – jmc
你必须要超越自己的阶级利益。因为官僚正是来自你所在的阶级，你就很自然地喜爱让人们与官僚做交易。
The peace advocates are more interested in beating the conservatives than in reaching agreement with the Soviets. – jmc 1987
相比起与苏联人达成共识，和平倡议者更喜欢攻击保守党。
Your statements amount to saying that if AI is possible, it should be easy. Why is that? – jmc 1987
你的言论无异于是说，如果人工智能是可能的，那就应当是容易实现的。何以如此？
Here’s a way to tell scientific intelligence from legal intelligence. Both may start from the idea that something cannot be done and think up arguments to explain why. However, it is possible that the scientist may discover a flaw in the argument that leads him to change his mind and discover a way to do it. He will be pleased. The legal thinker will merely try to patch the flaw in the argument, because once he has chosen a side, all his intelligence is devoted to finding arguments for that side. – jmc 1987
有种方法可以区分科学智力和法学智力。两者的起点都是发现有些工作无法完成，然后去想出一些说辞对此作出解释。然而，科学家可能会发现说辞之中的疏漏，并因此改变自己的想法，并找到一种完成工作的方式。科学家会因此感到满足。法学思维的人只会试图填补说辞的缺口，因为一旦他选择了一边，他的所有智力都会用于为他所选择的立场进行论证。
I don’t see as how this Marxist-Leninist is any different from any other Marxist-Leninist. – jmc 1987
我没看出这个马列主义者和其他马列主义者有什么区别。
We modern Marxists regard socialism as a historically brief transitional stage between feudalism and capitalism, necessary only in backward countries. – jmc 1987
我们现代马克思主义者认为，社会主义是由封建制度向资本主义转变的短暂历史阶段，只有在落后国家才是必须的。
An excessive knowledge of Marxism is a sign of a misspent youth. – jmc 1980s
拥有过量的马克思主义知识是虚度青春的标志。
To pop where no-one has pushed. – jmc 1987
在没有人压住的地方跳出来。
Both politicians and journalists face situations which strain their honesty and humanity. My opinion is that politicians on the average stand up somewhat better than journalists. – jmc 1988
政客和记者都会面对挑战他们诚实和人性的场合。我的观点是，政客一般比记者更能经受住考验。
Ask not for whom the horn honks. It honks for thee. – jmc 1988
别问喇叭为谁而鸣。它为你而鸣。
Imaginary dialog: Please explain why you are not to be regarded as a pompous fool. …
Well, perhaps you are a pompous fool with power. Please explain what you want me to do and what harm you are threatening to do to me if I don’t comply with your wishes. – jmc
想象中的对话：
请解释为何别人不应把你当成一个自大的蠢货……
啊，可能你是一个有权势的自大的蠢货。请解释你想让我做什么，以及如果我不按照你的愿望来的话，你会用什么威胁我。
He has the first half of the Golden Rule down pat: Do unto others. – jmc 1988
他只记住了黄金法则的后一半：施于人。
If I owned Marseilles and Hell, I’d rent out Marseilles and live in Hell. – Marcel Proust, 1989
如果我拥有马赛和地狱，那么我会把马赛租出去，自己住地狱。——马塞尔·普鲁斯特
The SCLC draft has a whole mile of good intentions. – jmc 1989
SCLC草案的初衷是很好的。【译注：SCLC是Southern Christian Leadership Conference（南方基督教领袖会议）的缩写，是一个美国黑人民权运动组织，1957年由马丁·路德·金召集60多位黑人牧师创建。】
Foolishness is rarely a matter of lack of intelligence or even lack of information. – jmc 1989
愚蠢很少是因为缺乏智力，甚至很少是因为缺乏信息。
An extreme optimist is a man who believes that humanity will probably survive even if it doesn’t take his advice. – jmc 1989
极端乐观主义者认为，即使不听取他的建议，人类仍然有可能存活下去。
– We should get him interested in the abortion issue.
– Which side?
– It doesn’t matter which side. Both sides have relatively responsible leadership, and neither is likely to prompt him to kill for the cause.
– jmc 1989
——我们应该让他关注堕胎问题。
——站哪边？
——站哪边都不是问题。两边都有还算负责任的领袖，并且任何一边都不太可能鼓励他因此而杀人。
Committing genocide on behalf of an institution generates greater loyalty to it than merely getting people fired from their jobs on its behalf. – jmc 1989
相比起让人们为一个制度而被炒鱿鱼，以这个制度为名进行种族屠杀能为它带来更多的忠诚。
He divides up this subject the way a Chinese cook divides up a duck. – jmc 1990
他像中国大厨切烤鸭那样将这个主题切开。
It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker, that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own self interest. – Adam Smith
Alas few socialists are either benevolent enough to work hard at these occupations out of benevolence or self-interested enough to work hard at them for money. – jmc 1991
我们的晚餐并非来自于屠夫、酿酒者、或是面包师的慈悲，而是来自于他们为自我利益的考量。——亚当·斯密
哎呀，很少有社会主义者慈悲到了可以出于慈悲而在这些职位上努力，也没有多少社会主义者自利到能够为了钱而在这些职位努力工作。
It’s just a pissing contest, but unfortunately the contestants never seem to run out of piss. – jmc 1991
这只是个撒尿比赛，可遗憾的是参赛者好像永远也尿不完。
There is only one thing more harmful to society than an elected official forgetting the promises he made in order to get elected; that’s when he doesn’t forget them. – jmc 1992
对社会来讲，只有一件事比当选官员忘掉为赢得选票所做出的承诺更加糟糕，那就是他没有忘记这些承诺。
This is not the first time my views on some topic have inspired in someone the desire to psychoanalyze me. Previous experience leads me to ask about your couch. Is it comfortable? Are its springs in good shape? – jmc
我对一些问题的看法勾起了一些人对我进行精神分析的愿望，这种状况已经不是第一次了。由于先前的经验，我想要了解一下沙发的状况。它舒适吗？它的弹簧没变形吧？
My opinion is that he’s a swindler and you’re a sucker. – jmc 1993
我的意见是，他是个骗子而你是个傻蛋。
Inside of many liberals is a fascist struggling to get out. – jmc 1993
许多自由派的内心都有一个急欲挣脱而出的法西斯。
The new class struggle will pit the workers and the bosses against the others. – jmc 1993
新的阶级斗争将会是工人和老板联合对抗其他人。
The Republican majority in 1994 was a coalition of the workers and the bosses against the others. – jmc 1995
1994年的共和党国会多数，是一个工人和老板共同对抗其他人的联盟。【译注：共和党在1994年中期选举中获得自1946年以来最辉煌的胜利，终结了民主党对国会长达40年的控制，并在此后12年占据国会两院多数，同时还赢得了过半数的州长和州议会选举，史称“共和党革命”。这次胜利一是利用了选民对克林顿医保改革方案的担忧，二是得益于金里奇所提出的“与美国之契约（Contract with America）”这一政治纲领的巨大号召力，这份纲领为此后十几年的保守主义复兴奠定了基调，其所带来的选举后果也重构了美国的政治光谱。不过，麦卡锡此处所指为何，却不太清楚，或许是指金里奇纲领中的亲企业部分。】
翻译：斑马（@鹿兔马朦）
校对：慕白（@李凤阳他说）
编辑：辉格@whigzhou