How many winners were losers, successes failures, rich men poor men?
Сколько победителей потерпело поражение! Сколько счастливых финалов оказалось на самом деле несчастливыми!
How many wise guys were stupid? How many happy endings were unhappy endings?
Сколько уважаемых людей продало свои души подлецам за мелкую монету, а у скольких души-то и вовсе не оказалось!
How many honest men were liars, brave men cowards, loyal men traitors, how many sainted men were corrupt, how many people in positions of trust had sold their souls to blackguards for petty cash, how many had never had souls? How many straight-and-narrow paths were crooked paths? How many best families were worst families and how many good people were bad people?
Сколько прямых дорог оказалось кривыми, скользкими дорожками!
When you added them all up and then subtracted, you might be left with only the children, and perhaps with Albert Einstein and an old violinist or sculptor somewhere.
И если все это сложить и вычесть, то в остатке окажутся только дети и еще, быть может, Альберт Эйнштейн да какой-нибудь скульптор или скрипач".