在田纳西州孟菲斯市长大的史密斯说道，“我自己不清楚到底要不要从商，但我知道我想当上领导。这点极其吸引力。”

　　At 15, he was operating a crop-duster over the flat fields of the Mississippi Delta.As a student at Yale University, he helped resurrect the Yale flying club; its alumni had populated naval aviation history, including the famous "millionaires' unit" in World War I. Smith took care of the club's business and ran a small air-charter operation in New Haven.

　　15岁时，他曾在密西西比三角洲的平原上驾驶过农用飞机。作为耶鲁大学的学生，他帮忙重建了耶鲁大学飞行俱乐部；其中不少成员的大名都书写在海军航空史上，包括第一次世界大战中著名的“百万富翁支队”。飞史密斯不仅掌管着俱乐部，还在纽黑文经营了一家小型飞机租赁公司。

　　With little time to study, his scholastic performance suffered, but Smith never stopped looking for the "big idea."

　　他没什么时间学习，学业成绩开始下滑，但是史密斯从来没有放弃追求自己的“远大抱负”。

　　He thought he had found it when he wrote a term paper for an economics class. He outlined an idea for a transportation company that would guarantee overnight delivery of small, time-sensitive goods一 replacement parts and medical supplies-to major U.S. cities. The professor was not impressed.

　　在写经济学的学期论文时，他觉得自己找到了“远大抱负”。他大致描述了一下自己的想法，他想建立一家运输公司，隔夜运送一些小的、保质期短的物品——备用零件和医疗供给到美国的主要城市。然而教授对此并不感兴趣。

　　Smith was certain he was onto something, but it would be a while before he could turn his idea into reality.

　　史密斯确定他将有所行动，但要把想法变成现实还需要一段时间。