the hard way 極其艱鉅地，代價高昂地
The following list is the top ten things that I had to learn the hard way.
以下的列表是其中最首要的十件事——我必須艱難地學會它們。

When we launched the new product, we cut the ground from under our competitors’ feet.
使某人的言行或觀點立不住腳

羅伯特.李的父親的生活一直為投資不當所困擾，他兩次因欠債不還而入獄，最終被迫逃離美國。李的母親對李的個性影響最大。面對丈夫那讓人痛心的失敗，她決心絕不讓這個悲劇在孩子身上重演。她將美德灌輸給李，如自制力、責任心以及不屈不撓的精神。1825 年，懷著挽回家族榮譽的強烈願望，李開始了在西點軍校的學習。這是他生活中的一個新篇章。四年裡，他門門功課名列前茅。

Robert Lee’s father’s life had been plagued by poor financial investments. He was jailed twice for unpaid debts and in the end was forced to flee the country. Lee’s mother was the dominant force in shaping Lee’s personality. Against the poignant failure of her husband, she was determined that the tragedy should not be repeated inthe life of her children. Self- control, a sense of obligation and an indomitable spiritwere the virtues she taught Lee. In 1825, with an aspiration to win back the family honor, Lee began studying at West Point Military Academy This began a new chapter of his life. Over the four years, he consistently finished near the top of every course.