it is well that young men should begin at the beginning and occupy the most subordinate positions. many of the leading businessmen of pittsburgh had a serious responsibility thrust upon them at the very threshold of their career. they were introduced to the broom, and spent the first hours of their business lives sweeping out the office. i notice we have janitors and janitresses now in offices, and our young men unfortunately miss that salutary branch of business education. but if by chance the professional sweeper is absent any morning, the boy who has the genius of the future partner in him will not hesitate to try his hand at the broom. the other day a fond fashionable mother in michigan asked a young man whether he had ever seen a lady sweep in a room so grandly as her priscilla. he said no, he never had ,and the mother was gratified beyond measure, but then said he ,after a pause, “what i should like to see her do is sweep out a room” it does not hurt the newest comer to sweep out the office if necessary. i was one of those sweepers myself.
assuming that you have all obtained employment and are fairly started, my advice to you is “aim high”. i would not give a fig for the young man who does not already see himself the partner or the head of an important firm. do not rest content for a moment in your thoughts as head clerk, or foreman, or general manager in any concern, no matter how extensive. say to yourself ，“my place is at the top.” be king in your dreams.
and here is the prime condition of success, the great secret: concentrate your energy, thought, and capital exclusively upon the business in which you are engaged. having begun in one line, resolve to fight it out on that line, to lead in it, adopt every improvement, have the best machinery, and know the most about it.
the concerns which fail are those which have scattered their capital, which means that they have scattered their brains also. they have investments in this, or that, or the other, here there, and everywhere. “don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” is all wrong. i tell you to “put all your eggs in one basket, and then watch that basket.” look round you and take notice, men who do that not often fail. it is easy to watch and carry the one basket. it is trying to carry too many baskets，which break most eggs in this country. he who carries three baskets must put one on his head, which is apt to tumble and trip him up. one fault of the american businessman is lack of concentration.
to summarize what i have said: aim for the highest; never enter a bar room; do not touch liquor, or if at all only at meals; never speculate; never indorse beyond your surplus cash fund; make the firm’s interest yours; break orders always to save owners; concentrate; put all your eggs in one basket, and watch that basket; expenditure always within revenue; lastly, be not impatient, for as emerson says, “no one can cheat you out of ultimate success but yourselves.”
年輕人應該從頭學起，擔當最基層的職務，這是件好事。匹茲堡有許多大企業家在創業之初都肩負過重任。他們與掃帚結伴，以清掃辦公室度過了企業生涯的最初時光。我注意到現在的辦公室都配備了工友，這使我們的年輕人不幸丟掉了這個有益的企業教育的一個內容。不過，如果哪一天早晨清掃工碰巧沒來，某位具有未來合伙人氣質的青年就會毫不猶豫試著拿起掃帚。有一天，以為溺愛孩子的，時髦的密西根母親問一位男青年，是否見過像她的女兒普里希拉那樣的年輕女郎如此瀟灑地在房間裡進行打掃。男青年說從未見過，那位母親高興的樂不可支。但男青年頓了頓又說: “我想看到的是她能在室外進行打掃”。如果有必要，新來者在辦公室外進行打掃並沒有什麼損失。我本人就曾經是打掃人之一。