Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.
话要说得软，说得甜，以防自己会食言。（预留余地。）

If you lend someone $20, and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.
借人二十元，再不见人影，这钱借得值。（二十元戳穿一个骗子，值不值？）

Never buy a car you can't push.
推不动的车千万别买。（引擎熄火，机动尚可变手动。）

Never put both feet in your mouth2 at the same time, because then you don't have a leg to stand.
千万别把两只脚同时塞进嘴里，要不怎么站得住呀。（慎言无悔。）

Nobody cares if you don't dance well. Just get up and dance.
没人在意你的舞跳得好不好。站起来，舞起来！（跳得不好的时候大家可以不在意，跳好了大家最好在意。）

The early worm gets eaten by the bird. So sleep late.
早起的虫子被鸟吃。还是多睡会儿吧。（人家说，早起的鸟儿才能捉到虫，the early bird catches the worm. 咱不是鸟，咱做虫子，还不行吗？）

When everything's coming your way3, you're in the wrong lane.
大车小车迎面来，肯定是你逆向行。（事事顺手，问题必有。）

Ever notice that the people who are late are often much jollier than the people who have to wait for them?
注意到没有：迟到的人总比等他的人快乐得多？（可也别把自己的快乐建立在别人的痛苦之上呀。）

You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.
你可能只是茫茫人世上的一个人而已，但也可能是某个人的全部世界。（生命轻，生命重，换个角度大不同。）

We could learn a lot from crayons: some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, some have weird names and all are different colours4; but they all have to learn to live in the same box.
从蜡笔身上我们能学到不少东西：有的尖，有的钝，有的好看，有的名字怪，颜色各有不同，但都能学会在一个盒子里共处。（世界因差异而丰富。但也有人觉得不同就意味着威胁。）

Happiness comes through the door you didn't even know you left open.
你无意中留开一扇门，幸福就从那扇门里进来。（有意栽花花不发，无心插柳柳成荫。）

 

1. words to live by：处世（live）要遵循（by）的话
2． put one＇s foot in the mouth 说错话；胡言乱语。此处双关，且夸张
3． come one＇s way 此处双关：顺手，得手；朝你这个方向来。 lane  车道。in the wrong lane 车道错了，此句中指逆向开车
4． crayon  n． 蜡笔
   weird  adj． 奇怪的  此句以笔喻人，很多双关之处：sharp 削尖的；精明的。dull 钝的；（人）迟钝，笨的。colour 颜色；（人）本质