Not all exceptional periods create their Bonapartes, and this is probably a good thing, for exceptional leaders may give the illusion that all problems have solutions, which is far from true. The natural course of history in the most optimistic sense is progress “at the margin,” but the rapid pace of technological change is pushing us to expect equally rapid progress in human affairs.
并非所有的非常时势都会造就拿破仑式的英雄。这也许不失为一件好事，因为非常领袖们可能会造成一种所有问题都有解决之道的幻象，而现实决非如此。从最乐观的角度看，历史的自然进程也只是“点滴”进步，但技术变革的日新月异让我们期望人事也能快速进展。我们许多人深信这种不可能的赌注只能由引发一切希望和危险的天赐伟人来实现。