有的人一生默默无闻，有的人一生轰轰烈烈，甚至千古流芳，为什么会这样？因为默默无闻的人只是满足于现状，而不去想怎么轰轰烈烈过一生，不要求自己，去做，去行动，怎么能够成功？下面是小编为您整理的名人励志故事英文版，希望对你有所帮助!

名人励志故事英文版篇一：人生变幻，“富二代”成了鞋钉匠

如果故事里的“富二代”琼斯，在自己家庭很富裕时，拒绝了自己感兴趣但是很累很苦很低贱的“铁匠”工作时，那么当家产在意外中失去时，他该拿什么来维持生计?一个很小的决定，就可能改变你的一生;一件很小的事，却有很大的意义。

The hardworking blacksmith Jones used to work all day in his shop and so hard working was he that at times he would make the sparks fly from his hammer.

琼斯是个非常勤劳的铁匠，常常一整天都在店里工作。他工作非常努力，他的铁锤下常常是火花飞舞。

The son of Mr. Smith, a rich neighbor, used to come to see the blacksmith everyday and for hours and hours he would enjoy himself watching how the tradesman worked.

邻居史密斯先生很有钱，他的儿子常常来看琼斯打铁。他喜欢看这位工匠工作，常常一看就是几个小时。

"Young man, why don't you try your hand to learn to make shoe tacks, even if it is only to pass the time?" said the blacksmith. "Who knows, one day, it may be of use to you."

“年轻人，为什么不亲自尝试一下如何制作鞋钉呢，哪怕只是为了消磨时间?”铁匠说，“没准，有一天它会对你有帮助。”

The lazy boy began to see what he could do. But after a little practice he found that he was becoming very skilled and soon he was making some of the finest tacks.

懒懒的孩子开始想看看自己到底能做什么。然而，仅仅经过很短的练习，他便发现自己非常熟练起来，很快他就做出了最好的鞋钉。

Old Mr. Smith died and the son on account of the war lost all his goods. He had to leave home and was forced to take up residence in another country. It so happened that in this village there were numerous shoemakers who were spending a lot of money to buy tacks for their shoes and even at times when they paid high prices they were not always able to get what they wanted, because in that part of the country there was a high demand for soldiers' shoes.

老史密斯先生去世了，而他的儿子则因为战争的缘故失去了所有的财产。他不得不离开家园，在另外一个国家住了下来。巧的是，这个国家的这个地区，急需大量军鞋，所以这个村子里有很多鞋匠，他们总是花费很多钱购买鞋钉。有时，即使付了很高的价钱，也买不到他们想要的鞋钉。

Our young Mr. Smith, who was finding it difficult to earn his daily bread, remembered that once upon a time he had learned the art of making tacks and had the sudden idea of making a bargain with the shoemakers. He told them that he would make the tacks if they would help to get him settled in his workshop. The shoemakers were only too glad of the offer. And after a while, Mr. Smith found that he was soon making the finest tacks in the village.

在这食不果腹的困难时刻，年轻的史密斯记起自己曾学过制鞋钉这门手艺，便突发奇想，想和这些鞋匠们做一个交易。他对他们说，如果他们可以帮助他成立一个店铺，他就可以做鞋钉。鞋匠们对他的这一提议欣喜若狂。很快，史密斯发现他做的鞋钉是村里面最好的。

"How funny it seems," he used to say, "even making tacks can bring a fortune. My trade is more useful to me than were all my former riches."

“这真是有趣，”他常常会说，“即便是做鞋钉也会带来财富。与我以前所有的财富相比，我现在做的事情对于我来说更有用。”

名人励志故事英文版篇二：罗琳的神来之笔

——The Magic Pen of J. K. Rowling

Joanne Kathleen Rowling was born in England in 1965, and wrote her first story at the age of six. She was in her mid-20s when the idea for the Harry Potter novels came to her, during a long train ride. By the end of that journey, she says, the character of Harry and the school for wizards which he attends were more or less fully formed in her mind.

乔安妮·凯瑟琳·罗琳1965年在英国出生，六岁时写了她的第一篇故事。二十四五岁时，在一次长途火车中，她有了写《哈利波特》这部小说的想法。她说，旅途结束时，哈利这个角色和他就读的魔法学院或多或少已在她脑海中成形了。

It would be several years, however, before the novel was completed. By that time, Rowling had been through a failed marriage. Living on welfare as a single parent, she wrote about Harry Potter while sitting in an Edinburgh cafe with her daughter asleep beside her. She could not have dreamed of the fame and success which Harry would bring her in the years to come.

然而，这部小说的完成却是几年以后的事。当时罗琳经历了一次失败的婚姻。作为一个靠救助金生活的单亲母亲，她坐在爱丁堡的咖啡馆中写着《哈利波特》，女儿睡在她的身旁。她绝对想不到，哈利竟会在以后的岁月里给她带来如此的名誉和。

Harry Potter is not your average superhero. He is 12 years old, skinny, wears glasses, and tends to worry a lot. Yet, he has captured the imagination of children and adults the world over, and has introduced millions to the joys of reading.

哈利波特可不是一个普通的超级英雄。他12岁，瘦削，戴副眼镜而且常常发愁。然而，他却抓住了全世界儿童和成人的，带给千万人阅读的乐趣。

Harry's appeal stems from his role as a very ordinary boy who finds himself in extraordinary situations. Orphaned as a baby, Harry spends the next 10 years being mistreated by the awful relatives with whom he lives. On his 11th birthday, he learns that he possesses magical powers and is admitted for training at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

哈利的魅力来自于他的角色，一个发现自己身处不寻常境遇中的平凡男孩。从小就是孤儿的哈利，在寄居的亲戚家中遭受了十年的虐待。在11岁生日那天，他得知他拥有魔法的力量，并被获准进入霍格沃茨魔法学校学习。

The adventures of Harry and his friends at the school are superbly narrated by J. K. Rowling. She manages to lead her millions of readers deep into the world of the supernatural, while at the same time dealing with the fears and emotions of the ordinary human world. Many feel that this is the real magic of Harry Potter. .

J. K.罗琳精采地讲述了哈利和他的朋友在学校的冒险。她设法让数百万的读者深入到一个超自然的世界，同时也触及了人间的恐惧和情感。许多人觉得这才是《哈利波特》真正的魔力所在。

名人励志故事英文版篇三：亨利福特

When Henry ford decided to produce his famous v-8 motor, he chose to build an engine with the entire eight cylinders cast in one block, and instructed his engineers to produce a design in one for the engine. The design was placed on paper, but the engineers agreed, to a man, that it was simply impossible to cast an eight-cylinder engine-block in one piece.

Ford said, “Produce it anyway.”

“But,” they replied, “It’s impossible!”

“Go ahead.” Ford commanded, “And stay on the job until you succeed, no matter how much time is required.”

The engineers went ahead. There was nothing else for them to do, if they were to remain on the ford staff. Six months passed and nothing happened. Another six months passed, and still nothing happened. The engineers tried every conceivable plan to carry out the orders, but the thing seemed out of the question:“impossible!”

At the end of the year ford checked with his engineers, and again they informed him they had found no way to carry out his orders.

“go right head,” said ford, “I want it, and I’ll have it.”

They went ahead, and then, as if by a stroke of magic, the secret was discovered.

The ford determination had won once more!

This story may not be described with minute accuracy, but the sum and substance of it is correct. Deduce from it, you who wish to think and grow rich, the secret of the ford millions, if you can. You’ll not have to look very far.

Henry ford was successful, because he understood and applied the principles of success. One of these is desire: knowing out the lines in which the secret of his stupendous achievement have been described. If you can do this, if you can lay your finger on the particular group of principles which made Henry ford rich, you can equal his achievements in almost any calling for which you are suited.

亨利福特在要制造有名的v8汽缸引擎汽车时，曾指示他手下的工程师着手设计一种引擎，要把八个汽缸全放在一起。设计的纸上作业完成了，但是工程师们都异口同声地跟福特说，“要把八个汽缸全放在一起，压根是不可能。”

福特说：“无论如何都要做出来。”

他们又回答：“但是，那不可能啊!”

“动手做。”福特一声令下， “不论花多少时间，做到交差为止!”

工程师只得着手去做。如果他们还想呆在福特的公司里讨生活，就别无他途可行，值得去做。过了半年，没有动静。又过了半年，一样没有半点进展。工程师们试过了所有想得出来的计划去执行命令，结果仍然是：“不可能!”

过了一年，福特的工程师们都没有进展，他们再次告诉他，他们想不出有什么办法可以做到的指示。

“继续做，”福特说。“我要八汽缸引擎，就一定要做到!”

他们继续努力，然后仿佛如有神助似的，做法出笼了。

福特的决心又打赢了一仗。

这个故事也许说的不够详尽，但是故事的内容却都是“如假包换”的。要想致富的你，从这个故事可以推算出福特百万家财的秘密何在。务须舍近求远，就在眼前。

亨利福特了解成功的原则，也运用了这些原则，所以他成功了。这些原则中，有一项就是渴望：知道自己要做的是什么。阅读这篇文章时，请牢记这则福特的故事，时时在字里行间寻找他了不起的原因。只要你能做到，能正确无误地指认出福特所运用的原则，就几乎可以在适合自己的任何行业里，和他一样地出类拔萃。