It is an honor to be here and to say to the Yale College Class of 2008： you did it; you came through; from all of us to you: congratulations.

我深感榮幸能夠站在這里為耶魯大學(xué)2008屆畢業(yè)生發(fā)表演講。你們成功了，你 們走過(guò)來(lái)了；我們所有人都向你們表示祝賀。

The issue you must wrestle with the threat of climate change, food scarcity, and population growth, worldwide terror based on religion，the interdependence of the world economy—my student generation would barely recognize. But the difference today is they are all essentially global in nature.

亟待你們解決的問(wèn)題包括來(lái)自氣候變化的威脅、食品短缺、人口激增、由宗教 引發(fā)的世界范圍內(nèi)的恐怖主義，以及世界經(jīng)濟(jì)的日益相互依賴(lài)。這些在我的學(xué)生時(shí) 代幾乎都沒(méi)有被意識(shí)到。但不同以往的是，今天這些問(wèn)題在本質(zhì)上都是全球性的。

You understand this. Yale has become a melting pot of culture, language and civilization. You are the global generation. So be global citizens.

你們都明白：耶魯已經(jīng)成為了文化、語(yǔ)言和文明的大熔爐。你們是全球性的一 代。因此你們要成為世界公民。

Each new generation finds the world they enter. But they fashion the world they leave. So: what do you inherit and what do you pass on?

每一代人降生在這個(gè)世界，但是他們?cè)陔x開(kāi)時(shí)卻改變了世界。因此問(wèn)題就是：你們繼承什么，又將傳遞給下一代什么？

The history of humankind is marked by great events but written by great people. People like you. Given Yale’s record of achievement, perhaps by you.

人類(lèi)歷史以大事件為標(biāo)志，而大事件則由偉人來(lái)譜寫(xiě)。就是你們來(lái)譜寫(xiě)。鑒于 耶魯?shù)妮x煌歷史，人類(lèi)歷史很可能就是由在座的你們來(lái)書(shū)寫(xiě)。

So to you as individuals, what wisdom, if any, have I learnt? First, in fact, keep learning. Always be alive to the possibilities of the next experience, of thinking, doing and being.

因此，我要對(duì)你們每個(gè)人說(shuō)，如果我真的獲得了些智慧，那么這些智慧又是什 么呢？舉個(gè)例子，首先我懂得了學(xué)無(wú)止境。對(duì)可能出現(xiàn)的新經(jīng)歷、思考、行動(dòng)和成 長(zhǎng)保持清醒。

When Buddha was asked, near the end of his life, to describe his secret, he answered bluntly： “I'm awake”. So be awake.

當(dāng)佛祖圓寂之前，有人問(wèn)他成佛的秘訣，他坦誠(chéng)相告：“我是清醒的。”所以 要時(shí)刻保持清醒。

Understand conventional wisdom, but be prepared to change it.

了解約定俗成的學(xué)識(shí)，但也要作好準(zhǔn)備改變它。

Feel as well as analyze; use your instinct alongside your reason. Calculate too much and you will miscalculate.

感知與分析要雙管齊下。同時(shí)騰直覺(jué)與理性并用。過(guò)于斤斤計(jì)較只會(huì)打錯(cuò)算盤(pán)。

Be prepared to fail as well as to succeed, and realize it is failure not success that defines character.

既要做好準(zhǔn)備迎接成功也要做好準(zhǔn)備迎接失敗。要知道，是失敗而不是成功塑 造人的性格。

I spent years trying to be a politician failing at every attempt and nearly gave up. I know you are thinking： I should have.

多年來(lái)我努力成為一個(gè)政治家，卻總是失敗，幾近放棄。我知道你們?cè)趺聪?的：我本就應(yīng)該放棄。

Above all, however, have a purpose in life. Life is not about living but about striving. When you get up, get up motivated. Live with a perpetual sense of urgency. And make at least part of that purpose about something bigger than you.

但是，最重要的是生活要有目標(biāo)。生活不僅僅是活著而已，而是要奮力拼搏。 當(dāng)你開(kāi)始行動(dòng)時(shí)，必須具有目的性。生活中時(shí)刻要有緊迫感。要把目標(biāo)定得髙出當(dāng) 前水平。

There are great careers. There are also great causes.

世界上有偉大的職業(yè)，同樣也有偉大的目標(biāo)。

At least let some of them into your lives. Giving lifts the heart in a way that getting never can. Maybe it really was Oscar Wilder who said:"No one ever died, saying if only I had one more day at the office.”

至少讓其中一部分融人你的生活。給予可以在某種程度上提升人的心靈，這是 索取永遠(yuǎn)也不能做到的。也許正如奧斯卡王爾德所說(shuō)的那樣：“渴望再多工作一 天的人，不會(huì)死去。”

One small but shocking sentence: each year three million children die in Africa from preventable disease or conflict.

有一句話(huà)，短小但震撼人心：每年，在非洲有300萬(wàn)的兒童死于可預(yù)防的疾病或 是沖突。

The key word? Preventable.

關(guān)鍵詞是什么？ “可預(yù)防的”。

When all is said and done, there is usually more said than done.

我們?cè)撜f(shuō)的說(shuō)了，該做的做了，但通常說(shuō)的比做得多。

Be a doer not a commentator. Seek responsibility rather than shirk it. “People often ask me about leadership” I say: leadership is about wanting the responsibility to be on your shoulders, not ignoring its weight but knowing someone has to carry it and, reaching out for that person to be you. leaders are heat-seekers not heat-deflectors.

要做一個(gè)行動(dòng)者而非評(píng)論者。要承擔(dān)責(zé)任而非逃避責(zé)任。人們經(jīng)常問(wèn)我關(guān)于領(lǐng) 導(dǎo)力的問(wèn)題，我的回答是；領(lǐng)導(dǎo)能力是指希望能肩負(fù)責(zé)任，而不是忽略責(zé)任之重， 是知道必須有人站出來(lái)承擔(dān)責(zé)任，然后努力成為那個(gè)承擔(dān)責(zé)任的人。領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人是來(lái)承 擔(dān)責(zé)任而非逃避責(zé)任的。

And luck? You have all the luck you need. You are here, at Yale, and what apart from the hats could be better? You have something else: your parents. When you are your age, you can never imagine being our age. But believe me, when you are our age we remember clearly being your age. That is why I am so careful about young men and my daughter, “don’t tell me what you are thinking. I know what you are thinking.”

那么運(yùn)氣呢？你們擁有所需要的所有運(yùn)氣。你們現(xiàn)在這兒，在耶魯學(xué)習(xí)，除了戴上耶魯大學(xué)的桂冠，你們還有擁有什么樣的好運(yùn)？你們還擁有其他東西：你們的 父母。在你們現(xiàn)在這個(gè)年紀(jì)，你們無(wú)法想象到了我們這個(gè)年紀(jì)會(huì)是什么樣子。但是 相信我，當(dāng)你們步入我們這個(gè)年紀(jì)，你們能夠清楚地記得你們現(xiàn)在的事情。這就是 為什么我如此關(guān)心年輕人以及我的女兒。“不要告訴我你們?cè)谙胧裁础Ｎ抑滥銈?在想什么。”

But as a parent let me tell you something about parents. Despite all rational impulses, despite all evidence to the contrary, despite what we think you do to us and what you think we do to you—and yes, it is often hell on both sides the plain, unvarnished truth is we love you. Simply, profoundly, utterly.

作為一個(gè)父親，讓我告訴你們一些關(guān)于父母的事。盡管我們會(huì)有一些理性的沖 動(dòng)，盡管也存在相反的例子，盡管我們對(duì)彼此的所作所為不滿(mǎn)意，是的，這對(duì)我們 都很糟糕，但是顯而易見(jiàn)的事實(shí)是我們愛(ài)你們，一種簡(jiǎn)單、深沉而絕對(duì)的愛(ài)。

I remember, back in the mists of time, my Dad greeting me off the train at Durham railway station. I was a student at Oxford. Oxford and Cambridge are for Britain kind of like Yale and Harvard, only more so. It was a big deal. I had been away for my first year and was coming home.

回顧往事，我想起我的父親在達(dá)勒姆火車(chē)站接我時(shí)的情景。我當(dāng)時(shí)是牛津大學(xué) 的學(xué)生。英國(guó)的牛津和劍橋就相當(dāng)于美國(guó)的耶魯和哈佛，或者比它們更好。那可是 件大事。我當(dāng)時(shí)離家第一年在校學(xué)習(xí)歸來(lái)。

I stepped off the train. My hair was roughly the length of Rumpelstiltskin’s and unwashed. I had no shoes and no shirt. My jeans were torn——and this was in the days before this became a fashion item. Worst of all, we had just moved house. Mum had thrown out the sitting room drapes. I had retrieved them and made a sleeveless long coat with them.

從火車(chē)上下來(lái)，我拖著一頭長(zhǎng)度猶如侏儒怪的臟兮兮的頭發(fā)。光著腳，也沒(méi)穿 襯衣，牛仔褲破舊不堪——不久前這變成一種時(shí)尚了。最糟糕的是，我們剛剛搬了 家。母親丟掉了的客廳的窗簾，被我撿了回來(lái)做了一件無(wú)袖長(zhǎng)外套。

My Dad greeted me. There were all his friends at the station. Beside me，their kids look paragons of respectability. He saw the drapes，and visibly winced. They did kind of stand out I took pity on him. “Dad”，I said. “There is good news. I don’t do drugs.

父親上來(lái)迎接我。車(chē)站里都是父親的朋友。除了我，他們的孩子看起來(lái)都很體 面。父親看著我披個(gè)窗簾布顯然愣住了。這衣服確實(shí)很引人注目。我開(kāi)始覺(jué)得對(duì)不 起我的父親了。“爸爸”，我說(shuō)到：“我有個(gè)好消息告訴你，我不吸毒。”

He looked me in the eye and said: “Son，the bad news is if you are looking like this and you are not doing drugs we’ve got a real problem.”

他看著我的眼睛說(shuō)：“兒子，糟糕的是，如果你不吸毒就穿成這樣，那我們就真的 有大問(wèn)題了。”

Your parents look at you today with love. They know how hard it is to make the grade and they respect you for making it. And tomorrow as I know, as a parent of one of this class, as you receive your graduation, their hearts will beat with the natural rhythm of pride. Pride in what you have achieved. Pride in who you are. They will be nervous for you, as you stand on the threshold of a new adventure for they know the many obstacles that lie ahead. But they will be confident that you can surmount them, for they know also the strength of character and of spirit that has taken you thus far.

今天，你們的父母滿(mǎn)懷愛(ài)意地望著你們。他們知道你們的成績(jī)得來(lái)不易，你 們做到了，他們?yōu)槟銈凃湴痢Ｗ鳛檫@屆畢業(yè)生的一名家長(zhǎng)，我知道，當(dāng)你們接過(guò)畢 業(yè)證書(shū)，你們的父母將很自然地自心底涌起一股自豪之情，他們?yōu)槟銈內(nèi)〉玫某删?而驕傲，他們?yōu)槟銈兌湴痢．?dāng)你們踏上一段新的征途時(shí)，你們的父母會(huì)為你們擔(dān) 憂(yōu)，因?yàn)樗麄冎狼胺接性S多艱難險(xiǎn)阻。但是他們相信你們能夠征服這些困難，因 為他們知道，你們所具有的性格和精神的力量已經(jīng)幫助你們獲得了今天的成就。

To my fellow parents: I say, let us rejoice and be glad together.

我想對(duì)家長(zhǎng)們說(shuō):我們?cè)谄渲幸吲d歡喜。

To the Yale College Class of 2008, I say: well done; and may blessings and good fortune be yours in the years to come.
 

我想對(duì)耶魯大學(xué)2008屆畢業(yè)生說(shuō)：你們做得很出色，希望在未來(lái)的日子里幸福 和好運(yùn)常伴你們左右。
 

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