Principles are concepts that can be applied over and over again in similar circumstances as distinct from narrow answers to specific questions. Every game has principles that successful players master to achieve winning results. So does life. Principles are ways of successfully dealing with the laws of nature or the laws of life. Those who understand more of them and understand them well know how to interact with the world more effectively than those who know fewer of them or know them less well. Different principles apply to different aspects of life -e.g., there are "skiing principles" for skiing, "parenting principles" for parenting, "management principles" for managing, “investment principles” for investing, etc -and there are over -arching "life principles" that influence our approaches to all things. And, of course, different people subscribe to different principles that they believe work best.
原則是能夠在相似場景下反復運用的一套概念，有別于具體問題的狹義回答。每個游戲的獲勝者都有自己遵循的原則，生活也是如此。原則是應對自然或生活規律的種種方式。對原則理解越透徹，越能在生活中游刃有余。生活的不同方面也有各自的原則，例如滑雪有“滑雪原則”，做父母的有“父母原則”，管理有“管理原則，投資有“投資原則”等等，也存在支配一切，包羅萬象的“生活原則”。當然每個人都有自己認為最有效的原則。
I am confident that whatever success Bridgewater and I have had has resulted from our operating by certain principles. Creating a great culture, finding the right people, managing them to do great things and solving problems creatively and systematically are challenges faced by all organizations. What differentiates them is how they approach these challenges. The principles laid out in the pages that follow convey our unique ways of doing these things, which are the reasons for our unique results. Bridgewater’s success has resulted from talented people operating by the principles set out here, and it will continue if these or other talented people continue to operate by them. Like getting fit, virtually anyone can do it if they are willing to do what it takes.
我堅信我和橋水聯合基金所獲得的成功，都是得益于我們遵循了某些原則。創造了良好的企業文化，用對合適的員工，指導他們成就大業，各部門都能以有創意的方式系統解決問題，應對挑戰。他們的差異來自應對挑戰的方法不同。本書要詳述的原則體現了我們獨特的做事方法，這也是我們脫穎而出的原因。橋水聯合基金的成功得益于一群遵循原則處事的人才們，如果后輩人才繼續遵循這些原則，定能續寫成功。就像健身一樣，只有大家都愿意有所付出，才能有所收獲。
What is written here is just my understanding of what it takes: my most fundamental life principles, my approach to getting what I want, and my “management principles,” which are based on those foundations. Taken together, these principles are meant to paint a picture of a process for the systematic pursuit of truth and excellence and for the rewards that accompany this pursuit. I put them in writing for people to consider in order to help Bridgewater and the people I care about most.
我來說說遵循原則帶來的收獲吧：我最根本的一套原則，實現理想的一套方法，以及基于根本原則下延伸的管理原則。綜上所述，這些原則幫助我系統地描繪出追求真理和卓越的藍圖，收獲隨之而來的回報。我寫下這些原則供人們參考，原本是想為了幫助橋水聯合基金和我最關心的人們。
Until recently, I didn’t write out these principles because I felt that it was presumptuous for me to tell others what would work best for them. But over time, I saw the people who I cared about most struggling with problems and wanted to help them; I also found that their problems were almost always the result of violating one or more of these principles, and that their problems could be solved by applying these principles. So I began writing down the types of problems and the broken principles that caused them. When I began, I didn’t know how many principles I would end up with but, through this process, I discovered that about 200 principles pretty much cover all the problems.I’m sure that I will come up with more as I learn more.
一直以來，我都沒有寫下這些原則，因為我覺得告訴別人怎樣最好的工作是有點自以為是的。但我老是發現我最關心的那群人日夜與一些棘手的問題做斗爭，我想幫助他們。我也發現，他們的問題幾乎都是因為或多或少地違背了我想寫的這些原則。只要遵循這些原則，問題就能迎刃而解。于是我開始記錄他們遇到的問題，寫下這些問題背后違背的原則。當初開始寫的時候，并不知道我會寫多少條，但在這個過程中我發現大概200條原則就足以解決所有的問題了。當然，以后我學的越多，也會發現更多新的原則涌現。
