English Original
There was a little boy with a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back fence.
The first day, the boy drove 37 nails into the fence. Over time, the number dwindled. He discovered it was easier to control his temper than to hammer the nails. Finally, a day came when the boy did not lose his temper at all.
He told his father, who then suggested the boy pull out one nail for each day he kept his temper under control. Days passed, and eventually, the boy reported that all nails were gone.
The father took his son to the fence and said, "You have done well, my son. But look at the holes. The fence will never be the same. When you speak in anger, your words leave a scar just like these holes. You can stab a man with a knife and pull it out, but no matter how many times you say 'I'm sorry,' the wound remains. A verbal wound is as harmful as a physical one."
中文翻译
从前有个小男孩，脾气很坏。他的父亲给了他一袋钉子，告诉他每次发脾气时，就必须在后院的篱笆上钉一颗钉子。
第一天，男孩在篱笆上钉了37颗钉子。随着时间的推移，这个数字逐渐减少。他发现控制自己的脾气比钉钉子要容易。终于有一天，男孩完全没有发脾气。
他告诉了父亲。父亲于是建议他，每成功控制住脾气一天，就拔掉一颗钉子。日子一天天过去，男孩最终告诉父亲，所有的钉子都拔完了。
父亲拉着儿子的手来到篱笆前，说：“你做得很好，我的儿子。但是看看这些洞。篱笆再也回不到从前了。当你愤怒地说话时，你的言语就像这些洞一样会留下伤疤。你可以用刀刺伤一个人再拔出来，但无论你说多少次‘对不起’，伤口依然存在。言语的伤害和身体的伤害一样严重。”