To make sure that the stepping stones are actually taking you in the direction you need, and not just moving in circles, calls for adherence to some pretty firm principles.

为了确保这些踏石确实在把你引向要去的方向，而不是原地打转，这就需要坚持相当严格的原则。

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Failures are the stepping stones to success. Without failure, we'll never learn how to succeed. So try to fail, instead of trying to avoid failure through fear.

失败是成功的垫脚石。没有失败，我们也不会学会怎样成功。所以与其害怕、逃避失败，不如尝试失败？

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The stepping stones lead only to more stepping stones.

垫脚石通常会产生更多的垫脚石.

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All of the ground floor rooms and villas feature an outdoor lava rock shower located just around the corner from the indoor bathroom. (Second-floor rooms have bigger lanais and better views of the secluded Kona-Kohala coast, since they are higher up.) Move from the bathroom to the slate stepping-stones on your private lanai for a blissful outdoor rain shower.

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It could be that Mr Sarkozy now plans to use the half-reforms that he is implementing as stepping-stones to something bolder.

ECONOMIST: French reforms: Attali the Hun | The

He anticipates that his university will offer about 15 to 20 self-contained modules, which could be the "stepping stones" for students to enter other courses.

BBC: UK universities in online launch to challenge US