From quotes by Barack Obama to Sigmund Freud, these words of wisdom span the centuries to remind us that this has always been one of the toughest jobs around. (Apart from being a mum that is!) 

　　从贝拉克•奥巴马的感悟到西格蒙德•弗洛伊德的思考，这些妙语名言跨越百年，无不时刻告诉我们，“父亲”是世上最难的工作。(当然还有母亲！)

　　“When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years。” - Mark Twain 

　　“我14岁时，觉得父亲很笨，几乎没法与他共处一室。可到我21岁时，他的变化让我震惊，这七年间他究竟学了多少啊。” 

　　——马克•吐温

　　I believe that what we become depends on what our fathers teach us at odd moments, when they aren't trying to teach us. - Umberto Eco 

　　我觉得，我们日后成为什么样的人主要取决于父亲在一些不经意的时刻教给我们什么，在他们不说教的时候表达的东西。 

　　——安伯托•艾柯

　　I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father's protection. - Sigmund Freud 

　　我认为在一个人的孩童时期，没有什么需要比需要父亲的保护来得更强烈。 

　　——西格蒙德•弗洛伊德

　　I always wanted to be a father and thought it would be great, but it just took the right woman to make it happen. - Matthew McConaughey

　　我一直想做一名父亲，并认为那一定非常美好。不过，实现这个梦想需要有一个合适的女人。 

　　——马修•麦康纳

　　The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother. - Theodore Hesburgh 

　　一个父亲能为他孩子做的最好事情，就是好好爱他的妈妈。 

　　——西奥多•赫斯伯格

　　Whoever does not have a good father should procure one. - Friedrich Nietzsche 

　　人无论如何都需要一个好父亲。若没有，请寻找。 

　　——尼采

　　Above all, children need our unconditional love, whether they succeed or make mistakes; when life is easy and when life is tough. - President Obama 

　　最重要的是，无论我们的孩子是对是错，是一帆风顺或是生活坎坷，他们都需要我们无条件的爱。 

　　——美国总统奥巴马

　　Do I want to be a hero to my son? No. I would like to be a very real human being. That's hard enough. - Robert Downey Jr 

　　想当孩子眼中的英雄吗？不，我希望做一个有血有肉的人。能做到这样已经很难了。 

　　——小罗伯特•唐尼

　　A new father quickly learns that his child invariably comes to the bathroom at precisely the times when he's in there, as if he needed company. - Bill Cosby 

　　初为人父，你会很快发现，每次你在洗手间，你的小孩一定会跑来找你；就好像需要陪伴的是你，而不是他。 

　　——比尔•考斯比

　　This is my most important role. If I fail at this, I fail at everything. - Mark Wahlberg 

　　做父亲是我最重要的角色。如果不能做一个好父亲，我会一无所成。 

　　——马克•沃尔伯格

　　It is much easier to become a father than to be one. - Kent Nerburn, Letters to My Son: Reflections on Becoming a Man 

　　当爹一瞬间，做爹一辈子。 

　　——肯特•纳尔本，《长大成男人：成功父亲告诉儿子的31件事 》

　　By the time a man realizes that maybe his father was right, he usually has a son who thinks he's wrong. - Charles Wadsworth 

　　当一个男人意识到他的父亲或许是对的时候，他通常已经有了一个对他表示质疑的儿子。 

　　——查尔斯•华兹华斯

　　It was times like these when I thought my father, who hated guns and had never been to any wars, was the bravest man who ever lived. - Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird 

　　我的父亲讨厌枪，也从未上过战场。可有些时候，我认为他是世上最勇敢的人。 

　　——哈波•李，《杀死一只知更鸟》

　　(英文来源：赫芬顿邮报 译者：刘昶 编辑：马文英)