[General] The future you will thank today's hardworking you.

[Silverobama]

I'm trying to translate a Chinese sentence into English. The meaning of the Chinese sentence is "One day, you'll be successful and achieve your dreams but this mainly depends on your hard-working today" and it literally goes like "The you in the future (future you) will thank today's hardworking you".

I think both of the sentences are not natural. Would you please help me with a natural one?

 

[emsr2d2]

There's a shorter version, which is "Future you will thank you" but that doesn't include the bit about working hard. That would have to be expressed in advance.

Work hard. Future you will thank you.

 

[jutfrank]

We tend to refer to ourselves as we imagine our existence in the future as 'our future selves'.

my future self
your future self
her future self

[cross-posted]

 

[emsr2d2]

That would work in my example too:

Work hard. Your future self will thank you.

 

[Silverobama]

That would work in my example too:

Work hard. Your future self will thank you.

Hmm, if I want to emphasize the future self will thank the "current" self. Is it also natural to say:

Work hard. Your future self will thank your current self.

 

[GoesStation]

Hmm, if I want to emphasize the future self will thank the "current" self. Is it also natural to say:

Work hard. Your future self will thank your current self.

That works for me.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Hmm, if I want to emphasize the future self will thank the "current" self. Is it also natural to say:

Work hard. Your future self will thank your current self.

It's not very elegant or memorable. I'd try: Work hard. Your future you will thank you.

 

[tedmc]

Which is better - the future you or your future you?

 

[GoesStation]

Which is better - the future you or your future you?

The second doesn't make sense, so the first is better.

 

[Tdol]

How about:

Work hard. Your future self will thank the you of today for it.