第一篇：邁克爾彭博2014哈佛畢業演講

Michael Bloomberg Harvard Commencement Speech 2014 邁克爾·彭博2014年哈佛畢業典禮演講

Thank you Katie, and thank you to President Faust, the Fellows of Harvard College, the Board of Overseers, and all the faculty, alumni, and students who have welcomed me back to campus.感謝凱蒂，感謝福斯特校長、哈佛大學理事會成員、監事會成員，還有迎接我回校的所有教職員工、校友及同學們。

I‘m excited to be here, not only to address the distinguished graduates and alumni at Harvard University‘s 363rd commencement but to stand in the exact spot where Oprah stood last year.OMG.站在這里我非常激動，不僅是因為我能在哈佛大學第363屆畢業典禮上面對各位優秀的畢業生及校友講話，更是因為能站在去年奧普拉曾站過的地方。我的天啊。

Let me begin with the first order of business: Let‘s have a big round of applause for the Class of 2014.They‘ve earned it.下面讓我從最重要的環節開始：讓我們把最熱烈的掌聲送給2014屆畢業生們，這是他們贏得的。

As excited as the graduates are, they are probably even more exhausted after the past few weeks.And parents, I‘m not referring to their final exams.I‘m talking about the Senior Olympics, the Last Chance Dance, and the Booze Cruise – I mean, the moonlight cruise.畢業生們都一樣的興奮，但同時這幾周或許也讓他們有些精疲力竭吧。各位家長，我指的可不是期末考試哦，我說的是高年級運動會、最后一次交際舞會和游輪酒宴——我指的是午夜巡游會。

Anyway，this year has been exciting on campus：Harvard beat Yale for the seventh straight time in football.The men‘s basketball team went to the second round of the NCAA tournament for the second straight year.And the Men‘s Squash team won national championship.不管怎樣，今年的校園很令人振奮：哈佛橄欖球隊連續第七次擊敗耶魯，男子籃球隊連續兩年打入全國大學體育協會冠軍賽的第二輪，還有男子壁球隊則獲得了全國冠軍。Who‘d a thunk it: Harvard, an athletic powerhouse!Pretty soon they‘re going to be asking whether you have academics to go along with your athletic programs.誰會想到：哈佛，竟然有如此強大的運動天團！不久后，可能就會有人問，你們的學術水平是否能和體育水平相媲美？

My personal connection to Harvard began in 1964, when I graduated from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and matriculated here at the B-School.我個人與哈佛的關系緣起于1964年，當時我從巴爾地摩的約翰霍普金斯大學畢業并到這里的商學院就讀。

You‘re probably asking yourself or maybe whispering to the person next to you: How did he ever get into Harvard Business School, particularly since his stellar academic record, where he always made the top half of the class possible? I have no idea.The only people more surprised than me were my professors.你們或許在想，或者和身旁的人竊竊私語：他是如何進入哈佛商學院的呢？尤其是他的學術成績總能排在全班前列？我不知道，比我自己更驚訝的可能只有我的教授了。

Anyway, here I am again back in Cambridge.And I have noticed that a few things have changed since I was a student here.Elsie‘s – a sandwich spot I used to love near the Square – is now a burrito shop.The Wursthaus – which had great beer and sausage – is now an artisanal gastro-pub, whatever that is.And the old Holyoke Center is now named the Smith Campus Center.總之，今天我又回到了劍橋[注：劍橋為哈佛大學所在地]。我注意到，這里跟我學生時代有了一些變化。廣場附近我曾經很喜歡的三文治售賣點愛爾詩，現在成了卷餅店。曾經提供美味啤酒和香腸的烏斯特豪斯，現在成了工藝美食酒吧，不知道這是啥。還有原來的霍利約克中心 現在改名為史密斯校園中心。

Don‘t you just hate it when alumni put their names all over everything? I was thinking about that this morning as I walked into the Bloomberg Center on the Harvard Business School campus across the river.你們難道不討厭所有東西都用校友名字命名嗎？今早經過河邊的哈佛商學院彭博中心時，我就在想這個問題。

But the good news is, Harvard remains what it was when I first arrived on campus 50 years ago: America‘s most prestigious university.And, like other great universities, it lies at the heart of the American experiment in democracy.不過也有好消息，就是哈佛仍然秉承著50年前我剛入校時的優良傳統，依舊是美國最負盛名的大學。和其他頂尖的大學一樣，她處在美國民主實驗的核心位置。

Their purpose is not only to advance knowledge, but to advance the ideals of our nation.Great universities are places where people of all backgrounds, holding all beliefs, pursuing all questions, can come to study and debate their ideas freely and openly.這些頂尖大學的目的不僅是增長知識，還包括推進我們民族的理想。頂尖大學是讓各種背景、各種信仰、探尋各種問題的人，能到此自由開放地學習和探討想法的地方。

Today, I‘d like to talk with you about how important it is for that freedom to exist for everyone, no matter how strongly we may disagree with another‘s viewpoint.今天我想跟大家聊聊，這種自由的存在對于每個人來說是多么的重要，無論我們多么不認同別人的觀點。

Tolerance for other people‘s ideas, and the freedom to express your own, are inseparable values at great universities.Joined together, they form a sacred trust that holds the basis of our democratic society.包容他人觀點，以及表達自身言論的自由，是頂尖大學不可分割的價值。兩者結合在一起，構成了支撐民主社會根基的一種神圣的信賴。

But let me tell you that trust is perpetually vulnerable to the tyrannical tendencies of monarchs, mobs, and majorities.And lately, we have seen those tendencies manifest themselves too often, both on college campuses and in our society.不過我要告訴大家，這種信賴在君主、暴民、多數派的專制傾向下是很脆弱的。最近，大家頻繁地看到這些傾向真實發生的事例，不管是在大學校園或社會。

That‘s the bad news – and unfortunately, I think both Harvard, and my own city of New York, have been witnesses to this trend.這是個壞消息，而且很不幸的是，我認為哈佛以及我自己所在的城市紐約，也都目睹過這種傾向。

First, for New York City.Several years ago, as you may remember, some people tried to stop the development of a mosque a few blocks from the World Trade Center site.首先，來談談紐約市。你們可能記得，幾年前有些人試圖阻止在世貿中心舊址幾個街區遠的地方建一座清真寺的計劃。

It was an emotional issue, and polls showed that two-thirds of Americans were against a mosque being built there.Even the Anti-Defamation League – widely regarded as the country‘s most ardent defender of religious freedom – declared its opposition to the project.這是個情感的議題，民意調查顯示超過2/3的美國人反對在該地修建清真寺。即便是反誹謗聯盟——這個被公認為全國宗教自由最狂熱的捍衛者，也公然反對該項計劃。

The opponents held rallies and demonstrations.They denounced the developers，and they demanded that city government stop its construction.That was their right and we protected their right to protest.But they could not have been more wrong.And we refused to cave in to their demands.反對者發動集會和示威活動。他們譴責開發商，要求市政府終止這項工程。那是他們的權利，我們保障他們抗議的權利。但他們的觀點絕對是錯誤的，我們拒絕向他們的要求妥協。

The idea that government would single out a particular religion, and block its believers – and only its believers – from building a house of worship in a particular area is diametrically opposed to the moral principles that gave rise to our great nation and the constitutional protections that have sustained it.要求政府單獨選出一個特定的宗教、阻止并且只阻止其信徒在特定區域建立其宗教活動場所的想法，這完全悖離偉大民族的道德原則，是憲法保護所不允許的。

Our union of 50 states rests on the union of two values: freedom and tolerance.And it is that union of values that the terrorists who attacked us on September 11th, 2001 and on April 15th, 2013 found most threatening.我們這50州聯邦的建立取決兩大價值的結合：自由和包容。正是這兩大價值的結合，讓2001年9月11日和2013年4月15日襲擊我們的恐怖分子備感威脅。

To them, we were a God-less country.在他們看來，我們是一個無神的國度。

But in fact, there is no country that protects the core of every faith and philosophy known to human kind – free will – more than the United States of America.That protection, however, rests upon our constant vigilance.但事實上，沒有任何一個國家，比美國更能保護人類各種信仰和哲學認識的核心——自由意志。不過，這種保護需要依賴于我們時刻的警覺。

We like to think that the principle of separation of church and state is settled.It is not.And it never will be.It is up to us to guard it fiercely and to ensure that equality under the law means equality under the law for everyone.我們會這么認為：政教分離的原則已經確立。實際上并沒有，而且永遠不會。我們需要堅決地擁護它，以確保法律條文下規定的人人平等，對每個人都是平等的。

If you want the freedom to worship as you wish, to speak as you wish, and to marry whom you wish, you must tolerate my freedom to do so or not do so as well.如果你希望你的信仰、言論和選擇配偶的自由，如你所愿，你就必須包容我這樣做或不這樣做的自由。

What I do may offend you.You may find my actions immoral or unjust.But attempting to restrict my freedoms–in ways that you would not restrict your own – leads only to injustice.我做的事可能會冒犯你，你可能覺得我的行為不道德或不正義。但你不能用你不會約束自身的方式來試圖約束我，否則只會導致不公平。

We cannot deny others the rights and privileges that we demand for ourselves.And that is true in cities，and it is no less true at universities, where the forces of repression appear to be stronger now，I think than they have been since the 1950s.我們在要求權利和特權的同時，不能否認其他人也同樣擁有。這在城市中如此，對于大學亦然。我認為現今大學里對此原則的壓制，似乎是自1950年代以來最為嚴重的。

When I was growing up, U.S.Senator...yes, you can applaud。

在我成長的過程中，美國參議員...當然你們可以鼓掌。

When I was growing up, U.S.Senator Joe McCarthy was asking: ―Are you now or have you ever been?‖ He was attempting to repress and criminalize those who sympathized with an economic system that was, even then, failing.在我成長的過程中，美國參議員喬·麥卡錫曾問―你現在是，或者曾經是（G.C.D）?‖他試圖壓制和定罪那些贊同哪怕在當時都已經很失敗的經濟體制的人。

McCarthy‘s Red Scare destroyed thousands of lives, but what was he so afraid of? An idea in this case, communism that he and others deemed dangerous.麥卡錫的紅色恐怖讓數以千計的人失去了生命，他害怕的是什么呢？是一種思想，也就是共產主義，一種被他及其同僚們視為危險的思想。

But he was right about one thing: Ideas can be dangerous.They can change society.They can upend traditions.They can start revolutions.That‘s why throughout history, those in authority have tried to repress ideas that threaten their power, their religion, their ideology, or their reelection chances.不過他搞對了一件事——思想可以是危險的。思想能改變社會，思想能顛覆傳統，思想能掀起革命。這就是為什么歷史上，那些權貴企圖抑制思想，避免這些思想威脅到他們的權力、宗教信仰、意識形態及連任機會。That was true for Socrates and Galileo, it was true for Nelson Mandela and Václav Havel, and it has been true for Ai Wei Wei, Pussy Riot, and the kids who made the ?Happy‘ video in Iran.對蘇格拉底與伽利略如此，對納爾遜·曼德拉與瓦茨拉夫·哈維爾如此，對艾未未、造反貓咪樂隊以及在伊朗制作《快樂》視頻的孩子們也是如此。

Repressing free expression is a natural human weakness, and it is up to us to fight it at every turn.Intolerance of ideas– whether liberal or conservative–is antithetical to individual rights and free societies, and it is no less antithetical to great universities and first-rate scholarship.抑制言論自由是人類本性上的弱點，每次出現時我們都需要同它進行斗爭。對思想的不包容，無論是自由派的還是保守派的思想，都是與個人權利和自由社會背道而馳的，同樣與頂尖大學和一流學術相背離。

There is an idea floating around college campuses, including here at Harvard I think, that scholars should be funded only if their work conforms to a particular view of justice.There‘s a word for that idea: censorship.And it is just a modern-day form of McCarthyism.大學校園處處充斥著一種觀念，我想哈佛也不例外，即學者只有在研究符合特定正義觀念的前提下才應獲得資助。這種觀念可以用一個詞來概括：審查制度。這不過就是現代版的―麥卡錫主義‖。

Think about the irony: In the 1950s, the right wing was attempting to repress left wing ideas.Today, on many college campuses, it is liberals trying to repress conservative ideas, even as conservative faculty members are at risk of becoming an endangered species.And perhaps nowhere is that more true than here in the Ivy League.想想這有多么的諷刺，1950年代，右翼份子企圖打壓左翼思想。而如今，在許多大學校園，則是自由派正企圖打壓保守派思想，保守派教員正面臨著成為瀕危物種的風險。這種現象在常春藤盟校尤為突出，In the 2012 presidential race, according to Federal Election Commission data, 96 percent of all campaign contributions from Ivy League faculty and employees went to Barack Obama.2012年總統大選時，根據聯邦選舉委員會的數據，96%常春藤盟校教職員工的政治獻金都捐給了巴拉克·奧巴馬，Ninety-six percent.There was more disagreement among the old Soviet Politburo than there is among Ivy League donors.96%啊。與常春藤盟校的捐獻者相比，前蘇聯政治局中的意見分歧高多了。

That statistic should give us pause – and I say that as someone who endorsed President Obama for reelection – because let me tell you, neither party has a monopoly on truth or God on its side.這一統計數字發人深思，雖然我也支持奧巴馬總統的再次當選，但我認為任何派別都不能獨占真理或讓上帝總站在他一邊。

When 96 percent of Ivy League donors prefer one candidate to another, you have to wonder whether students are being exposed to the diversity of views that a great university should offer.96%常春藤盟校捐獻者偏向于某一特定政治立場的候選人，你不得不懷疑，這些大學中的學生是否接觸到了頂尖大學應當給予的多元化觀點。

Diversity of gender, ethnicity, and orientation is important.But a university cannot be great if its faculty is politically homogenous.In fact, the whole purpose of granting tenure to professors is to ensure that they feel free to conduct research on ideas that run afoul of university politics and societal norms.性別、種族及定位的多元化很重要，但一所大學還應當有政治的多元化，否則稱不上頂尖。實際上，為教授提供終身教職就是為了保證他們能夠自由地進行研究，而不怕研究主題和學校政治及社會規范不一致。

When tenure was created, it mostly protected liberals whose ideas ran up against conservative norms.終身教職創立初期，主要是為了保護與保守派準則相沖突的自由派思想。

Today, if tenure is going to continue, it must also protect conservatives whose ideas run up against liberal norms.Otherwise, university research – and the professors who conduct it – will lose credibility.而現在，終身教職如果要繼續存在，就必須保護與自由派準則相沖突的保守派思想，否則，大學研究和進行研究的教授將失去信譽。

Great universities must not become predictably partisan.And a liberal arts education must not be an education in the art of liberalism.頂尖的大學絕不能偏向于特定（政治立場）的黨派，而自由的人文教育不應當成為自由主義的人文教育。

The role of universities is not to promote an ideology.It is to provide scholars and students with a neutral forum for researching and debating issues – without tipping the scales in one direction, or repressing unpopular views.大學的角色不應當是推動某種意識形態，而應當是為學者與學生提供問題研究和辯論的中立論壇，不讓天平朝任何一個方向傾斜，不抑制不得人心的的觀點。

Requiring scholars – and commencement speakers, for that matter – to conform to certain political standards undermines the whole purpose of a university.規定學者以及畢業典禮演講者，遵循某些特定的政治標準，會破壞整個大學的宗旨。

This spring, it has been disturbing to see a number of college commencement speakers withdraw – or have their invitations rescinded – after protests from students and – to me, shockingly – from senior faculty and administrators who should know better.今年春，令人不安地看到，一些大學畢業典禮演講者被撤銷了，甚至連邀請函都被撤回了，僅僅因為學生以及資深教員和管理人員的反對，令我相當震驚。學生姑且不論，其他人顯然應當明白事理一些。It happened at Brandeis, Haverford, Rutgers, and Smith.Last year, it happened at Swarthmore and Johns Hopkins, I‘m sorry to say.這在布蘭迪斯、哈沃福特、羅格斯與史密斯等學校都曾發生過。我很遺憾地說，去年還發生在斯沃斯摩爾與約翰斯霍普金斯。

In each of these case, liberals silenced a voice – and denied an honorary degree – to individuals they deemed politically objectionable.This is an outrage and we must not let it continue.在這些例子中，自由派通過拒絕授予政治上與其相左的人榮譽學位，以此封殺不喜歡的聲音。這是一種暴行，我們不應當讓它繼續發生。

If a university thinks twice before inviting a commencement speaker because of his or her politics censorship and conformity – the mortal enemies of freedom – win out.如果一所大學，在邀請一位畢業典禮演講嘉賓時，還要對其政治立場是否符合，進行一再地審查，自由的死敵就贏了。

And sadly, it is not just commencement season when speakers are censored.可悲的是，并不只有畢業季的演講嘉賓會被審查。

Last fall, when I was still in City Hall, our Police Commissioner was invited to deliver a lecture at another Ivy League institution – but he was unable to do so because students shouted him down.去年秋，我還在市政府的時候，我們的警察局長應邀到另一所長春藤盟校進行演講，但他未能如愿，因為學生把他轟下臺。

Isn‘t the purpose of a university to stir discussion, not silence it? What were the students afraid of hearing? Why did administrators not step in to prevent the mob from silencing speech? And did anyone consider that it is morally and pedagogically wrong to deprive other students the chance to hear the speech? 難道大學的宗旨不是鼓勵討論，而是封殺不同的聲音嗎？學生到底害怕聽到什么？為什么當局不介入，制止這群暴民破壞演講？難道沒人考慮過，剝奪其他學生聽演講的機會，在道德上和學理上都是大錯特錯的？

I‘m sure all of today‘s graduates have read John Stuart Mill‘s On Liberty.But just let me read a short passage from it: ―The peculiar evil of silencing the expression of an opinion is, that it is robbing the human race;posterity as well as the existing generation;those who dissent from the opinion, still more than those who hold it.‖

我相信，今天的畢業生都讀過約翰·彌爾的《論自由》。請允許我朗讀其中的一小段：―限制別人不能表達意見的罪惡，是對人類的掠奪，是對子孫后代及當代人類的掠奪，是對那些持不同意見的人掠奪更多?！?/p>

He continued: ―If the opinion is right, they are deprived of the opportunity of exchanging error for truth: if wrong, they lose, what is almost as great a benefit, the clearer perception and livelier impression of truth, produced by its collision with error.‖

他繼續寫道：―假如那意見是對的，那么他們是被剝奪了以錯誤換真理的機會；假如那意見是錯的，那么他們失去了一個幾乎同樣巨大的好處，那就是從真理與錯誤碰撞中產生出來的對真理的更加清晰的認知和更加強烈的影響?！?/p>

Mill would have been horrified to learn of university students silencing the opinions of others.He would have been even more horrified that faculty members were often part of the commencement censorship campaigns.彌爾如果得知大學生壓制別人發表意見肯定會毛骨悚然，彌爾如果得知連教職員工都通常是畢業演講者審查活動的一部分，肯定會更毛骨悚然。

For tenured professors to silence speakers whose views they disagree with is the height of hypocrisy, especially when these protests happen in the northeast – a bastion of self-professed liberal tolerance.如果享有終身職位的教授，壓制那些持有他不贊同觀點的人發聲，那是高度的偽善，尤其是當那些抗議發生在自稱自由寬容堡壘的東北。

Now I‘m glad to say that Harvard has not caved in to these commencement censorship challenges.If it had, Colorado State Senator Michael Johnston would not have had the chance to address the Education School yesterday.我很高興的是，哈佛沒有屈服于這些畢業典禮審查的挑戰中，否則的話，科羅拉多州參議員邁克爾·約翰斯頓昨天就沒有機會在教育學院發表演講了。Some students called on the administration to rescind the invitation to Johnston because they opposed some of his education policies.But to their great credit, President Faust and Dean Ryan stood firm.有些學生要求校方撤回對約翰斯頓的邀請，因為他們反對他的一些教育政策。所幸他們未能得逞，福斯特校長和院長立場都非常堅定。

As Dean Ryan wrote to students: ―I have encountered many people of good faith who share my basic goals but disagree with my views when it comes to the question of how best to improve education.In my view, those differences should be explored, debated, challenged, and questioned.But they should also be respected and, indeed, celebrated.‖

正如瑞恩院長寫給這些學生的信所說：―我遇到過很多真誠的人，他們和我都有相同的目標，不過在如何改善教育的問題上，我們的觀點存在分歧。在我看來，這些分歧應當經過探究、辯論，挑戰和質疑。同時這些分歧也應獲得尊重，確實應該被稱頌?！?/p>

He could not have been more correct, and he could not have provided a more valuable final lesson to the class of 2014.他是完全正確的，他為2014屆畢業生上了寶貴的最后一課。

As a former chairman of Johns Hopkins, I strongly believe that a university‘s obligation is not to teach students what to think but to teach students how to think.And that requires listening to the other side, weighing arguments without prejudging them, and determining whether the other side might actually make some fair points.作為約翰霍普金斯大學前任主席，我堅信一所大學的職責并非是教學生思考什么，而是教學生如何思考，這就需要傾聽不同聲音，不帶偏見地衡量各種觀點，冷靜思考不同意見中是否也有公正的論點，If the faculty fails to do this, then it is the responsibility of the administration and governing body to step in and make it a priority.If they do not, if students graduate with ears and minds closed, the university has failed both the student and society.如果教員做不到這一點，行政官員和主管部門就有責任介入，并優先解決這一問題，否則的話，學生就帶著封閉的耳朵與思維畢業，大學也就辜負了學生和社會的期望。

And if you want to know where that leads, look no further than Washington, D.C.如果想知道這會導致什么后果，看今日的華府就知道。

Down in Washington, every major question facing our country – involving our security, our economy, our environment, and our health – is decided.我國面臨的各類重大問題都在華府被裁定——包括我們的安全、我們的經濟、我們的環境及我們的健康，Yet the two parties decide these questions not by engaging with one another, but by trying to shout each other down, and by trying to repress and undermine research that counters their ideology.The more our universities emulate that model, the worse off we will be as a society.然而兩黨在處理所有問題時都沒有考慮協作，而是看誰聲音更大，以此壓制對方，試圖抑制和破壞與其意識形態相抵觸的調研報告。我們的大學對這種模式仿效得越多，我們的社會就會變得越糟糕。

And let me give you a few example: For decades, Congress has barred the Centers for Disease Control from conducting studies of gun violence, and recently Congress also placed that prohibition on the National Institute of Health.You have to ask yourself: What are they afraid of? 我來舉一些例子，數十年來，國會都禁止疾病控制中心進行槍支暴力的研究，最近國會又對國立衛生研究院頒發禁令。你得問問自己，他們到底在害怕什么？ This year, the Senate has delayed a vote on President Obama‘s nominee for Surgeon General – Dr.Vivek Murthy, a Harvard physician – because he had the audacity to say that gun violence is a public health crisis that should be tackled.The gall of him!今年，參議院延遲對奧巴馬總統提名的衛生局局長——哈佛內科醫師席菲克·莫西博士進行表決。原因是，他大膽地說，槍支暴力是一大應當處理的公共衛生危機。他膽子太大了。

Let‘s get serious: When 86 Americans are killed with guns every single day, and shootings regularly occur at our schools and universities – including last week‘s tragedy at Santa Barbara – it would be almost medical malpractice to say anything else.來點嚴肅的：每天都有86位美國人死于槍殺，槍擊事件也經常發生在校園中，包括上周發生在加州大學圣巴巴拉分校的悲劇，除了說這是醫療失當，不知道該說什么了。

But in politics – as it is on too many college campuses – people don‘t listen to facts that run counter to their ideology.They fear them.And nothing is more frightening to them than scientific evidence.在政治上，就如在很多的大學校園中一樣，人們不愿意聽到與自己意識形態相抵觸的事實，他們害怕這類事實。而且沒有什么比科學證據更讓他們恐懼的了。

Earlier this year, the State of South Carolina adopted new science standards for its public schools – but the state legislature blocked any mention of natural selection.That‘s like teaching economics – without mentioning supply and demand.年初的時候，南卡羅來納州對其公立大學采用了新的科學教育標準，州議會盡然禁止在教學中提及自然選擇，這就像教經濟學卻不講供需。

Once again, you have to ask: What are they afraid of? 你得再問那個問題，他們害怕什么？ The answer, of course, is obvious: Just as members of Congress fear data that undermines their ideological beliefs, these state legislators fear scientific evidence that undermines their religious beliefs.答案顯而易見，和國會議員害怕數據會破壞他們意識形態一樣，這些州議會議員害怕科學證據破壞他們的宗教信念。

And if you want proof of that, consider this: An 8-year old girl in South Carolina wrote to members of the state legislature urging them to make the Woolly Mammoth the official state fossil.The legislators thought it was a great idea, because a Woolly Mammoth fossil was found in the state way back in 1725.But the state senate passed a bill defining the Woolly Mammoth as having been ―created on the 6th day with the beasts of the field.‖

若你想要證據，可以考慮這個：南卡羅來納州一位8歲的女孩給州議員們寫了一封信，請他們將猛犸象定位官方州化石，州議員認為這個主意很好，因為猛犸象化石早在1725年就在該州發現。然后參議院通過的法案中卻將猛犸象定義為―第六天與其他陸生動物一同被（上帝）創造出來的‖。

You can‘t make this stuff up.這事你不能胡編亂造。

Here in 21st century America, the wall between church and state remains under attack – and it‘s up to all of us to man the barricades.在21世紀的美國，教會和國家之間的壁壘仍在遭受攻擊，這就需要靠我們來將兩者分開。

Unfortunately, the same elected officials who put ideology and religion over data and science when it comes to guns and evolution are often the most unwilling to accept the scientific data on climate change.很不幸的是，在遇到槍支與進化論時將意識形態與宗教觀念置于數據與科學證據之上的當選官員，大多都是不愿意接受氣候變化科學證據的那些人。Now, don‘t get me wrong: scientific skepticism is healthy.But there is a world of difference between scientific skepticism that seeks out more evidence and ideological stubbornness that shuts it out.別誤解我的意思，科學懷疑主義是合理的，但是尋求更多證據的科學懷疑主義和意識形態上拒絕科學證據的頑固不化，有著巨大的差別。

Given the general attitude of many elected officials toward science it‘s no wonder that the federal government has abdicated its responsibility to invest in scientific research, much of which occurs at our universities.鑒于許多當選官員對科學都是這種態度，聯邦政府沒能盡到自己的職責，在大學投資科學研究也就不足為奇了。

Today, federal spending on research and development as a percentage of GNP is lower than it has been in more than 50 years which is allowing the rest of the world to catch up – and even surpass – the U.S.in scientific research.如今，聯邦政府用于研發的支出，在國民生產總值中的百分比是五十余年來最低的，這讓世界其他國家有機會趕上，甚至超過美國的科學研究。

The federal government is flunking science, just as many state governments are.聯邦政府在科學上是不及格的，跟很多州政府一樣。

We must not become a country that turns our back on science, or on each other.And you graduates must help lead the way.我們國家不應該背離科學，內部也不應該互相仇視。而各位畢業生你們有責任引領國家步入正軌，On every issue, we must follow the evidence where it leads and listen to people where they are.If we do that, there is no problem we cannot solve.No gridlock we cannot break.No compromise we cannot broker.在每個問題上，我們都應該遵循有理有據的原則，傾聽他人的不同意見，只要我們這樣做，就沒有不能解決的問題，沒有打不破的僵局，沒有達不成的妥協。The more we embrace a free exchange of ideas, and the more we accept that political diversity is healthy, the stronger our society will be.當我們能擁抱思想自由交流，接受政治的多元化，我們的社會就會更加健全，更加強盛。

Now, I know this has not been a traditional commencement speech, and in fact it may keep me from passing a dissertation defense in the humanities department, but there is no easy time to say hard things.我知道，我的演講有別有于傳統的畢業典禮演講。事實上，這甚至可能讓我無法通過人文系的論文答辯。但是，沒有一個輕松的時刻，是說重話的好時機。

Graduates: Throughout your lives, do not be afraid of saying what you believe is right, no matter how unpopular it may be, especially when it comes to defending the rights of others.畢業生們，在你們一生中，不要害怕說出自己認為正確的事，不管這事有多么不受歡迎，特別是在捍衛他人權利的時候。

Standing up for the rights of others is in some ways even more important than standing up for your own rights.Because when people seek to repress freedom for some, and you remain silent, you are complicit in that repression and you may well become its victim.站出來捍衛他人的權利，有時比捍衛自身權利更為重要，因為當人們試圖限制他人自由的時候，你可能會保持沉默，這樣你將會助長這種限制，哪天你可能也會成為受害者。

Do not be complicit, and do not follow the crowd.Speak up, and fight back.不要沆瀣一氣，不要人云亦云，大膽說出來，反擊。

You will take your lumps, I can assure you of that.You will lose some friends and make some enemies.I can assure you of that too.But the arc of history will be on your side, and our nation will be stronger for it.我敢肯定這樣做，你會受到批評。我敢肯定這樣做，你還會失去一些朋友，樹立一些敵人。我敢肯定你還會這樣做。歷史的弧線會偏向你這一邊，而我們的國家也會因此更加強盛。

Now, all of you graduates have earned today‘s celebration, you have a lot to be proud of，a lot to be grateful for.So tonight, as you leave this great university behind, have one last Scorpion Bowl at the Kong – on second thought, don‘t – and tomorrow, get to work making our country and our world freer than ever, for everyone.現在，各位畢業生經過努力贏得了今天的慶典，你們可以很自豪、很激動。今晚，在你們離開這所頂尖大學之前，去香港樓來最后一碗蝎子碗....仔細一想想，還是不要吧。明天，你們需要行動起來，讓我們的國家和世界對每個人都更自由，并永遠自由下去。[注：香港樓是一家中餐館，蝎子碗是一種加了果汁和冰塊的酒]

God bless and good luck.上帝保佑你們好運！

第二篇：2016哈佛畢業演講——斯皮爾伯格

2016哈佛畢業演講——斯皮爾伯格

非常感謝，Faust校長，Paul Choi校長，謝謝你們。

Thank you, thank you, President Faust, and Paul Choi, thank you so much.非常榮幸能被邀請成為哈佛2016年畢業典禮的演講嘉賓，在眾位優秀的畢業生、熱情的朋友和諸位家長前做此次演講。今天我們集聚一堂，祝賀2016屆哈佛畢業生順利畢業。

It’s an honor and a thrill to address this group of distinguished alumni and supportive friends and kvelling parents.We’ve all gathered to share in the joy of this day, so please join me in congratulating Harvard’s Class of 2016.我清楚記得自己的畢業典禮，因為它發生在14年前。你們有多少人花了37年畢業的？像你們大多數一樣，我也是十幾歲時開始上大學，但是我大二時獲得了好萊塢環球影城的理想工作機會，所以我輟學了。我告訴我父母，如果我的電影事業發展的不順利，我會重新入學。

I can remember my own college graduation, which is easy, since it was only 14 years ago.How many of you took 37 years to graduate? Because, like most of you, I began college in my teens, but sophomore year, I was offered my dream job at Universal Studios, so I dropped out.I told my parents if my movie career didn’t go well, I’d re-enroll.但我的電影事業一切進展順利。It went all right.最后，我因為很重要的原因重新回到學校。不同的人因為不同的理由回到大學里讀完學業，有人為了教育，有人為了父母，我是為了我的孩子。我是七個孩子的父親，一直強調上大學的重要性，但是我卻沒有上完大學。所以，在我50歲時，我重新回到加州州立大學長灘分校就讀，并且獲得學位。另外補充一點：因為我拍攝的三部《侏羅紀公園》，古生物學課給了我學分，非常感謝。

But eventually, I returned for one big reason.Most people go to college for an education, and some go for their parents, but I went for my kids.I’m the father of seven, and I kept insisting on the importance of going to college, but I hadn’t walked the walk.So, in my fifties, I re-enrolled at Cal State--Long Beach, and I earned my degree.I just have to add: It helped that they gave me course credit in paleontology for the work I did on Jurassic Park.That’s three units forJurassic Park, thank you.當然，我選擇輟學是因為我清楚地知道我想做什么。你們當中有些人或許清楚地知道自己想做什么，有些人卻并不知道。也許你曾經認為知道了自己想做什么，但現在卻在質疑自己的選擇；也許你們正坐在這里，試圖找到方法告訴自己的父母你想成為一名醫生而不是喜劇作家。

Well I left college because I knew exactly what I wanted to do, and some of you know, too--but some of you don’t.Or maybe you thought you knew but are now questioning that choice.Maybe you’re sitting there trying to figure out how to tell your parents that you want to be a doctor and not a comedy writer.你們接下來選擇做的事情，在電影里我們稱作為“角色定義時刻”（character defining moment)。有些時刻場景你們非常熟悉，比如《星球大戰：原力覺醒》里，Rey意識到身體里的原力，或者是《奪寶奇兵》里印第安那·瓊斯戰勝恐懼自愿送入“蛇口”。

Well, what you choose to do next is what we call in the movies the ‘character-defining moment.’ Now, these are moments you’re very familiar with, like in the last Star Wars: The Force Awakens, when Rey realizes the force is with her.Or Indiana Jones choosing mission over fear by jumping over a pile of snakes.一部兩個小時的電影里，你會看到很多角色定義時刻，但是現實生活中，你每天都會遇到。人生如戲，人生是一系列強有力的“角色定義時刻”。我很幸運18歲的時候就清楚自己想要做什么，但是我卻不清楚“我是誰”。怎么會呢？我們怎么會不知道自己是誰呢？因為我們25歲之前，我們一直都在聽取別人的聲音，家長、老師向我們灌輸智慧和信息，領導、導師以他們的角度告訴我們世界如何運轉。

Now in a two-hour movie, you get a handful of character-defining moments, but in real life, you face them every day.Life is one strong, long string of character-defining moments.And I was lucky that at 18 I knew what I exactly wanted to do.But I didn’t know who I was.How could I? And how could any of us? Because for the first 25 years of our lives, we are trained to listen to voices that are not our own.Parents and professors fill our heads with wisdom and information, and then employers and mentors take their place and explain how this world really works.通常這些“聲音”有權威性而且奏效，但有時懷疑會涌進我們的內心，尤其是當我們獨立思考、發現這與我們的世界觀并不一致時。一段時間內我們是可以允許自己壓抑自己的想法、與這些矛盾共存的，允許它們定義我們自己的性格，就像哈利·尼爾森唱的“每個人都在議論我，所以我聽不到自己內心”。

And usually these voices of authority make sense, but sometimes, doubt starts to creep into our heads and into our hearts.And even when we think, ‘that’s not quite how I see the world,’ it’s kind of easier to just to nod in agreement and go along, and for a while, I let that going along define my character.Because I was repressing my own point of view, because like in that Nilsson song, ‘Everybody was talkin’ at me, so I couldn’t hear the echoes of my mind.’

起初，我需要聽取的內心聲音幾乎不可聞，很難被注意到，就像我高中時期。但是一旦我開始留意內心所想，直覺就會降臨。

And at first, the internal voice I needed to listen to was hardly audible, and it was hardly noticeable--kind of like me in high school.But then I started paying more attention, and my intuition kicked in.我想大家需要明確一點：直覺并不同于意識。它們通常同時運作，但是有一點不同的是：你的意識會告訴你這是你應該做的，然而直覺會悄悄說這是你能做的，聽從那個告訴你能做什么的聲音，沒有什么比它更能定義你的角色。And I want to be clear that your intuition is different from your conscience.They work in tandem, but here’s the distinction: Your conscience shouts, ‘here’s what you should do,’ while your intuition whispers, ‘here’s what you could do.’ Listen to that voice that tells you what you could do.Nothing will define your character more than that.當我選擇項目時，我會聽從我的直覺，全力投入到一些項目中去，而放棄其他。

Because once I turned to my intuition, and I tuned into it, certain projects began to pull me into them, and others, I turned away from.直到19世紀80年代時，我的電影中的大多數，我猜你們可以稱之為“逃避現實”。我不會拒絕任何這些電影的邀約，不只是《1941》。不止那一部，很多早期電影反映了我當時內心的價值觀，如今我仍然在這樣做。但是我當時處于自己的電影泡沫中，因為我的輟學，我受限的世界觀部分來自于我的想象，而不是外界教會我的。

And up until the 1980s, my movies were mostly, I guess what you could call ‘escapist.’ And I don’t dismiss any of these movies--not even 1941.Not even that one.And many of these early films reflected the values that I cared deeply about, and I still do.But I was in a celluloid bubble, because I’d cut my education short, my worldview was limited to what I could dream up in my head, not what the world could teach me.但是當我執導電影《紫色》時，這部電影開拓了我的眼界，印象頗為深刻。這個故事充滿了深刻的痛苦和真理，就像當時Shug Avery說的，“一切都需要被愛”。我的本能直覺告訴我這些富有靈感的電影人物應當被更多人所知道。通過制作那個電影，我認識到了制作電影可以是一個使命。

But then I directed The Color Purple.And this one film opened my eyes to experiences that I never could have imagined, and yet were all too real.This story was filled with deep pain and deeper truths, like when Shug Avery says, ‘Everything wants to be loved.’ My gut, which was my intuition, told me that more people needed to meet these characters and experience these truths.And while making that film, I realized that a movie could also be a mission.我希望你們每個人都要有使命感。不要等待，不要害怕，直接面對使命感所帶來的一切風險和挑戰。

I hope all of you find that sense of mission.Don’t turn away from what’s painful.Examine it.Challenge it.我的任務是制作時長兩個小時卻能改變世界的電影。你們的任務是改變世界，你們是未來的希望，勇敢的創新者、開拓者、領導者和執行者。

My job is to create a world that lasts two hours.Your job is to create a world that lasts forever.You are the future innovators, motivators, leaders and caretakers.你們開啟光明未來的方法是學習歷史。《侏羅紀公園》的編劇Michael Crichton，畢業于哈佛醫學院，經常引用他最喜歡的一位教授說過的話“如果你不懂歷史，你就一無所知。”就如同你是一片樹葉卻不自知作為樹木一部分的角色。所以歷史專業的學生們，從歷史和文化的角度來講，你們做了很棒的選擇，雖然工作上并沒有明顯優勢。

And the way you create a better future is by studying the past.Jurassic Parkwriter Michael Crichton, who graduated from both this college and this medical school, liked to quote a favorite professor of his who said that if you didn’t know history, you didn’t know anything.You were a leaf that didn’t know it was part of a tree.So history majors: Good choice, you’re in great shape...Not in the job market, but culturally.我們剩下的人就需要多做出些努力。社會化媒介的使命是是詮釋現在和未來，但是我不斷在挑戰讓我的孩子們能夠多花一些時間了解背后的故事，去探究真正發生了什么。因為弄懂自己是誰就是探究父母是誰，了解他們祖父母是誰。美國是一個移民國家，過去和現在都是，所以透過祖父母就知道他們移民過來時這個國家是什么樣子。

The rest of us have to make a little effort.Social media that we’re inundated and swarmed with is about the here and now.But I’ve been fighting and fighting inside my own family to get all my kids to look behind them, to look at what already has happened.Because to understand who they are is to understand who were were, and who their grandparents were, and then, what this country was like when they emigrated here.We are a nation of immigrants--at least for now.對我來說，這意味著我們每個人都有自己的故事可講，都有很多故事可講。如果可以的話，和你的父母、祖父母聊聊天，聽聽他們的故事，我保證，就像我向我的孩子保證的一樣，一定收獲頗豐，絕對不會無聊。

So to me, this means we all have to tell our own stories.We have so many stories to tell.Talk to your parents and your grandparents, if you can, and ask them about their stories.And I promise you, like I have promised my kids, you will not be bored.這是我為什么總是基于現實生活制作電影。我閱讀歷史，并不是為了說教——這只是額外好處——而是因為歷史充斥著最偉大的故事。英雄與惡棍都不是文學中的構想，他們是所有歷史的核心。

And that’s why I so often make movies based on real-life events.I look to history not to be didactic, ‘cause that’s just a bonus, but I look because the past is filled with the greatest stories that have ever been told.Heroes and villains are not literary constructs, but they’re at the heart of all history.這也是為什么聽從內心如此重要的原因。這也是迫使林肯和辛德勒做出正確的道德選擇的原因。在你的定義時刻里，不要讓道德心因為利己左右搖擺。堅持自我需要勇氣，而勇敢需要背后很多人的支持。

And again, this is why it’s so important to listen to your internal whisper.It’s the same one that compelled Abraham Lincoln and Oskar Schindler to make the correct moral choices.In your defining moments, do not let your morals be swayed by convenience or expediency.Sticking to your character requires a lot of courage.And to be courageous, you’re going to need a lot of support.如果你足夠幸運，你會有父母的支持，像我一樣。我把母親看做我的幸運女神。12歲時，我父親給了我一個電影攝像機，也是因為有了這個，我可以更好的去感知這個世界，我很感謝我的父親?，F在我很感激父親也來到哈佛坐在這里。

And if you’re lucky, you have parents like mine.I consider my mom my lucky charm.And when I was 12 years old, my father handed me a movie camera, the tool that allowed me to make sense of this world.And I am so grateful to him for that.And I am grateful that he’s here at Harvard, sitting right down there.我父親今年99歲了，只比懷德納圖書館（哈佛最大的圖書館今年100年）年輕1歲，但是不像這個圖書館可以翻新，父親已容顏蒼老。另外，父親，在你身后有一位99歲的女士，這個之后我會介紹她，好嗎？

My dad is 99 years old, which means he’s only one year younger than Widener Library.But unlike Widener, he’s had zero cosmetic work.And dad, there’s a lady behind you, also 99, and I’ll introduce you after this is over, okay? 雖然你的家人并不能到場，但他們始終在背后支持你。《美好人生》結尾時，Clarence在書上寫下了這樣的話：只要你還擁有朋友，你的人生就不是失敗的。希望你們畢業之后能繼續保持在哈佛結下的友誼，并從中收獲能與之分享生活的人。我一直在強調直覺的重要性，而它也應當成為你生活中最重要的聲音，直到你遇見一生摯愛。當我遇見Kate和她結婚時，我體會到了這一點，這也成為我生命中最重要的“角色定義時刻”。

But look, if your family’s not always available, there’s backup.Near the end of It’s a Wonderful Life--you remember that movie, It’s a Wonderful Life? Clarence the Angel inscribes a book with this: “No man is a failure who has friends.” And I hope you hang on to the friendships you’ve made here at Harvard.And among your friends, I hope you find someone you want to share your life with.I imagine some of you in this yard may be a tad cynical, but I want to be unapologetically sentimental.I spoke about the importance of intuition and how there’s no greater voice to follow.That is, until you meet the love of your life.And this is what happened when I met and married Kate, and that became the greatest character-defining moment of my life.愛、支持、勇氣、直覺，所有這些東西都是成為英雄需要的，但是成為英雄還需要一樣東西：戰勝惡棍。你們都是幸運的，這個世界有很多“怪獸”，比如種族歧視、對同性戀的歧視、種族仇恨、階級仇恨、政治仇恨、宗教仇恨等。

Love, support, courage, intuition.All of these things are in your hero’s quiver, but still, a hero needs one more thing: A hero needs a villain to vanquish.And you’re all in luck.This world is full of monsters.And there’s racism, homophobia, ethnic hatred, class hatred, there’s political hatred, and there’s religious hatred.當我還是孩子時，因為猶太血統我曾經被欺凌。這很令人苦惱，但是比起我父母和祖父母面對的局面，這個輕多了。我們真的相信反猶太主義正在消逝，但是我們錯了。過去兩年間，將近20000猶太人離開歐洲尋找更好的生存之地。今年早期時候，奧巴馬總統講述這個可悲的事實時我身在以色列大使館。他說：“我們必須直面這個事實，反猶太主義再度高漲，我們不能否認這個事實”。

As a kid, I was bullied--for being Jewish.This was upsetting, but compared to what my parents and grandparents had faced, it felt tame.Because we truly believed that anti-Semitism was fading.And we were wrong.Over the last two years, nearly 20,000 Jews have left Europe to find higher ground.And earlier this year, I was at the Israeli embassy when President Obama stated the sad truth.He said: ‘We must confront the reality that around the world, anti-Semitism is on the rise.We cannot deny it.’

面對這個事實，我遵從內心，1994年創立了納粹屠猶研究基金會USC Shoah Foundation。自從那時候，我們和63個國家53000位大屠殺幸存者和經歷者交談，制作視頻證據材料?，F在我們在收集來自盧旺達、柬埔寨、亞美尼亞、南京種族滅絕中的證據材料。因為我們永遠不會忘記這場難以置信的屠殺行動，但它卻頻繁發生。這些暴行現在仍然在發生。我們不禁疑問“這樣的仇恨什么時候停止？”更會好奇“它到底是怎么發生的？”

My own desire to confront that reality compelled me to start, in 1994, the Shoah Foundation.And since then, we’ve spoken to over 53,000 Holocaust survivors and witnesses in 63 countries and taken all their video testimonies.And we’re now gathering testimonies from genocides in Rwanda, Cambodia, Armenia and Nanking.Because we must never forget that the inconceivable doesn’t happen--it happens frequently.Atrocities are happening right now.And so we wonder not just, ‘When will this hatred end?’ but, ‘How did it begin?’

現在，我不得不告訴Red Sox的粉絲，我們厭煩部落主義。除了為主隊加油外，部落主義也有其黑暗的一面。由于基因，我們把世界分為“我們”和“他們”。因此。目前亟待解決的問題是：我們如何團結起來尋找所謂的“我們”？我們如何做這件事？這仍需要我們做更多努力做更多工作，有時我感覺這項工作甚至從未開始。不僅是反猶太主義正在高漲，伊斯蘭恐懼也正在高漲。被歧視的任何人沒有區別，都是因為“仇恨”，無論是穆斯林、猶太人、邊境的少數民族還是同性戀群體。

Now, I don’t have to tell a crowd of Red Sox fans that we are wired for tribalism.But beyond rooting for the home team, tribalism has a much darker side.Instinctively and maybe even genetically, we divide the world into ‘us’ and ‘them.’ So the burning question must be: How do all of us together find the ‘we?’ How do we do that? There’s still so much work to be done, and sometimes I feel the work hasn’t even begun.And it’s not just anti-Semitism that’s surging--Islamophobia’s on the rise, too.Because there’s no difference between anyone who is discriminated against, whether it’s the Muslims, or the Jews, or minorities on the border states, or the LGBT community--it is all big one hate.于我而言，對你們而言，擺脫更多仇恨的唯一答案就是更多人性。我們必須用好奇心代替恐懼?！拔覀儭焙汀八麄儭薄覀円ㄟ^與每個人建立聯系，來找到“我們”。相信我們是同一部落的成員，與每一個靈魂感同身受，即便是隔壁耶魯大學的學生。（我的兒子畢業于耶魯大學，謝謝。）

And to me, and, I think, to all of you, the only answer to more hate is more humanity.We gotta repair--we have to replace fear with curiosity.‘Us’ and ‘them’--we’ll find the ‘we’ by connecting with each other.And by believing that we’re members of the same tribe.And by feeling empathy for every soul--even Yalies.My son graduated from Yale, thank you …

同情心不只是應該停留在感性層面，而應將其付諸實踐，比如選舉、和平的抗議，為那些不能暢所欲言或者有困難的人辯護與高呼。如果你熱衷幫助他人，請遵從你的內心，竭盡所能。

But make sure this empathy isn’t just something that you feel.Make it something you act upon.That means vote.Peaceably protest.Speak up for those who can’t and speak up for those who may be shouting but aren’t being hard.Let your conscience shout as loud as it wants if you’re using it in the service of others.如果說到幫助他人的行為，你不妨看看好萊塢那個有價值的紀念教堂。它的南墻以哈佛校友會命名，以二戰犧牲生命的學生、校職員工們，總共697條生命。他們曾經行走于你們現在站立的地方，卻已經離我們而去。1945年，這個教堂開始使用時，哈佛的James Conant校長賦予這些勇敢的人們以榮譽，呼吁大家學習他們這種事跡，學會反省。

And as an example of action in service of others, you need to look no further than this Hollywood-worthy backdrop of Memorial Church.Its south wall bears the names of Harvard alumni--like President Faust has already mentioned--students and faculty members, who gave their lives in World War II.All told, 697 souls, who once tread the ground where stand now, were lost.And at a service in this church in late 1945, Harvard President James Conant--which President Faust also mentioned--honored the brave and called upon the community to ‘reflect the radiance of their deeds.’

70年后，這些話仍然適用。因為他們的犧牲并不是一代人能償還的簡單債務。每一代人都必須學會感激。就像我們不能忘記那些暴行一樣，我們也不能忘記那些為自由抗爭的人士。因此當你離開校園進入社會時，請繼續保持反省的精神，向他們學習，就像《拯救大兵瑞恩》里說的，“不要辜負你的生命”。

Seventy years later, this message still holds true.Because their sacrifice is not a debt that can be repaid in a single generation.It must be repaid with every generation.Just as we must never forget the atrocities, we must never forget those who fought for freedom.So as you leave this college and head out into the world, continue please to ‘reflect the radiance of their deeds,’ or as Captain Miller in Saving Private Ryanwould say, “Earn this.”

請保持聯系，不要忽視眼神交流?？赡苓@并不是你希望從創造了媒體的人身上聽到的道理，但是現在我們花費大量時間在手機上，而不是看身邊的人。所以，從現在開始，在座的各位，請與你周邊的人身邊任何人對視幾秒鐘。他們也許站在你身后，也許隔著幾排人，眼神交流即可。你現在感受到的就是我們要分享的博愛精神，即便混合著一點點社會不安。

And please stay connected.Please never lose eye contact.This may not be a lesson you want to hear from a person who creates media, but we are spending more time looking down at our devices than we are looking in each other’s eyes.So, forgive me, but let’s start right now.Everyone here, please find someone’s eyes to look into.Students, and alumni and you too, President Faust, all of you, turn to someone you don’t know or don’t know very well.They may be standing behind you, or a couple of rows ahead.Just let your eyes meet.That’s it.That emotion you’re feeling is our shared humanity mixed in with a little social discomfort.即便你不記得今天的任何東西，我希望你能記住此刻的交流。你們所有人過去四年發生了很多故事，即將開啟新的人生，你們今天站立的地方，下一代人也會站立在這。我在我的電影里想象過很多種未來的可能性，但你們將決定真正的未來，我希望那將是正義和和平。But, if you remember nothing else from today, I hope you remember this moment of human connection.And I hope you all had a lot of that over the past four years.Because today you start down the path of becoming the generation on which the next generation stands.And I’ve imagined many possible futures in my films, but you will determine the actual future.And I hope that it’s filled with justice and peace.最后，我希望你們都能有一個“真正的，好萊塢式的歡樂大結局”。我希望你們能跑贏T.rex恐龍，能抓到罪犯，另外，考慮到你們的父母，時不時地象E.T.一樣，回家看看！謝謝大家！

And finally, I wish you all a true, Hollywood-style happy ending.I hope you outrun the T.rex, catch the criminal and for your parents’ sake, maybe every now and then, just like E.T.: Go home.Thank you.

第三篇：JKRowling哈佛畢業演講

J.K.Rowling, author of the best-selling Harry Potter book series, delivers her Commencement Address, “The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination,” at the Annual Meeting of the Harvard Alumni Association.Text as delivered follows.Copyright of JK Rowling, June 2008

President Faust, members of the Harvard Corporation and the Board of Overseers, members of the faculty, proud parents, and, above all, graduates.The first thing I would like to say is ?thank you.? Not only has Harvard given me an extraordinary honour, but the weeks of fear and nausea I have endured at the thought of giving this commencement address have made me lose weight.A win-win situation!Now all I have to do is take deep breaths, squint at the red banners and convince myself that I am at the world?s largest Gryffindor reunion.Delivering a commencement address is a great responsibility;or so I thought until I cast my mind back to my own graduation.The commencement speaker that day was the distinguished British philosopher Baroness Mary Warnock.Reflecting on her speech has helped me enormously in writing this one, because it turns out that I can?t remember a single word she said.This liberating discovery enables me to proceed without any fear that I might inadvertently influence you to abandon promising careers in business, the law or politics for the giddy delights of becoming a gay wizard.You see? If all you remember in years to come is the ?gay wizard? joke, I?ve come out ahead of Baroness Mary Warnock.Achievable goals: the first step to self improvement.Actually, I have wracked my mind and heart for what I ought to say to you today.I have asked myself what I wish I had known at my own graduation, and what important lessons I have learned in the 21 years that have expired between that day and this.I have come up with two answers.On this wonderful day when we are gathered together to celebrate your academic success, I have decided to talk to you about the benefits of failure.And as you stand on the threshold of what is sometimes called ?real life?, I want to extol the crucial importance of imagination.These may seem quixotic or paradoxical choices, but please bear with me.Looking back at the 21-year-old that I was at graduation, is a slightly uncomfortable experience for the 42-year-old that she has become.Half my lifetime ago, I was striking an uneasy balance between the ambition I had for myself, and what those closest to me expected of me.I was convinced that the only thing I wanted to do, ever, was to write novels.However, my parents, both of whom came from impoverished backgrounds and neither of whom had been to college, took the view that my overactive imagination was an amusing personal quirk that would never pay a mortgage, or secure a pension.I know that the irony strikes with the force of a cartoon anvil, now.So they hoped that I would take a vocational degree;I wanted to study English Literature.A compromise was reached that in retrospect satisfied nobody, and I went up to study Modern Languages.Hardly had my parents? car rounded the corner at the end of the road than I ditched German and scuttled off down the Classics corridor.I cannot remember telling my parents that I was studying Classics;they might well have found out for the first time on graduation day.Of all the subjects on this planet, I think they would have been hard put to name one less useful than Greek mythology when it came to securing the keys to an executive bathroom.I would like to make it clear, in parenthesis, that I do not blame my parents for their point of view.There is an expiry date on blaming your parents for steering you in the wrong direction;the moment you are old enough to take the wheel, responsibility lies with you.What is more, I cannot criticise my parents for hoping that I would never experience poverty.They had been poor themselves, and I have since been poor, and I quite agree with them that it is not an ennobling experience.Poverty entails fear, and stress, and sometimes depression;it means a thousand petty humiliations and hardships.Climbing out of poverty by your own efforts, that is indeed something on which to pride yourself, but poverty itself is romanticised only by fools.What I feared most for myself at your age was not poverty, but failure.At your age, in spite of a distinct lack of motivation at university, where I had spent far too long in the coffee bar writing stories, and far too little time at lectures, I had a knack for passing examinations, and that, for years, had been the measure of success in my life and that of my peers.I am not dull enough to suppose that because you are young, gifted and well-educated;you have never known hardship or heartbreak.Talent and intelligence never yet inoculated anyone against the caprice of the Fates, and I do not for a moment suppose that everyone here has enjoyed an existence of unruffled privilege and contentment.However, the fact that you are graduating from Harvard suggests that you are not very well-acquainted with failure.You might be driven by a fear of failure quite as much as a desire for success.Indeed, your conception of failure might not be too far from the average person?s idea of success, so high have you already flown.Ultimately, we all have to decide for ourselves what constitutes failure, but the world is quite eager to give you a set of criteria if you let it.So I think it fair to say that by any conventional measure, a mere seven years after my graduation day, I had failed on an epic scale.An exceptionally short-lived marriage had imploded, and I was jobless, a lone parent, and as poor as it is possible to be in modern Britain, without being homeless.The fears that my parents had had for me, and that I had had for myself, had both come to pass, and by every usual standard, I was the biggest failure I knew.Now, I am not going to stand here and tell you that failure is fun.That period of my life was a dark one, and I had no idea that there was going to be what the press has since represented as a kind of fairy tale resolution.I had no idea then how far the tunnel extended, and for a long time, any light at the end of it was a hope rather than a reality.So why do I talk about the benefits of failure? Simply because failure meant a stripping away of the inessential.I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was, and began to direct all my energy into finishing the only work that mattered to me.Had I really succeeded at anything else, I might never have found the determination to succeed in the one arena I believed I truly belonged.I was set free, because my greatest fear had been realised, and I was still alive, and I still had a daughter whom I adored, and I had an old typewriter and a big idea.And so rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.You might never fail on the scale I did, but some failure in life is inevitable.It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all – in which case, you fail by default.Failure gave me an inner security that I had never attained by passing examinations.Failure taught me things about myself that I could have learned no other way.I discovered that I had a strong will, and more discipline than I had suspected;I also found out that I had friends whose value was truly above the price of rubies.The knowledge that you have emerged wiser and stronger from setbacks means that you are, ever after, secure in your ability to survive.You will never truly know yourself, or the strength of your relationships, until both have been tested by adversity.Such knowledge is a true gift, for all that it is painfully won, and it has been worth more than any qualification I ever earned.So given a Time Turner, I would tell my 21-year-old self that personal happiness lies in knowing that life is not a check-list of acquisition or achievement.Your qualifications, your CV, are not your life, though you will meet many people of my age and older who confuse the two.Life is difficult, and complicated, and beyond anyone?s total control, and the humility to know that will enable you to survive its vicissitudes.Now you might think that I chose my second theme, the importance of imagination, because of the part it played in rebuilding my life, but that is not wholly so.Though I personally will defend the value of bedtime stories to my last gasp, I have learned to value imagination in a much broader sense.Imagination is not only the uniquely human capacity to envision that which is not, and therefore the fount of all invention and innovation.In its arguably most transformative and revelatory capacity, it is the power that enables us to empathise with humans whose experiences we have never shared.One of the greatest formative experiences of my life preceded Harry Potter, though it informed much of what I subsequently wrote in those books.This revelation came in the form of one of my earliest day jobs.Though I was sloping off to write stories during my lunch hours, I paid the rent in my early 20s by working at the African research department at Amnesty International?s headquarters in London.There in my little office I read hastily scribbled letters smuggled out of totalitarian regimes by men and women who were risking imprisonment to inform the outside world of what was happening to them.I saw photographs of those who had disappeared without trace, sent to Amnesty by their desperate families and friends.I read the testimony of torture victims and saw pictures of their injuries.I opened handwritten, eye-witness accounts of summary trials and executions, of kidnappings and rapes.Many of my co-workers were ex-political prisoners, people who had been displaced from their homes, or fled into exile, because they had the temerity to speak against their governments.Visitors to our offices included those who had come to give information, or to try and find out what had happened to those they had left behind.I shall never forget the African torture victim, a young man no older than I was at the time, who had become mentally ill after all he had endured in his homeland.He trembled uncontrollably as he spoke into a video camera about the brutality inflicted upon him.He was a foot taller than I was, and seemed as fragile as a child.I was given the job of escorting him back to the Underground Station afterwards, and this man whose life had been shattered by cruelty took my hand with exquisite courtesy, and wished me future happiness.And as long as I live I shall remember walking along an empty corridor and suddenly hearing, from behind a closed door, a scream of pain and horror such as I have never heard since.The door opened, and the researcher poked out her head and told me to run and make a hot drink for the young man sitting with her.She had just had to give him the news that in retaliation for his own outspokenness against his country?s regime, his mother had been seized and executed.Every day of my working week in my early 20s I was reminded how incredibly fortunate I was, to live in a country with a democratically elected government, where legal representation and a public trial were the rights of everyone.Every day, I saw more evidence about the evils humankind will inflict on their fellow humans, to gain or maintain power.I began to have nightmares, literal nightmares, about some of the things I saw, heard, and read.And yet I also learned more about human goodness at Amnesty International than I had ever known before.Amnesty mobilises thousands of people who have never been tortured or imprisoned for their beliefs to act on behalf of those who have.The power of human empathy, leading to collective action, saves lives, and frees prisoners.Ordinary people, whose personal well-being and security are assured, join together in huge numbers to save people they do not know, and will never meet.My small participation in that process was one of the most humbling and inspiring experiences of my life.Unlike any other creature on this planet, humans can learn and understand, without having experienced.They can think themselves into other people?s places.Of course, this is a power, like my brand of fictional magic, that is morally neutral.One might use such an ability to manipulate, or control, just as much as to understand or sympathise.And many prefer not to exercise their imaginations at all.They choose to remain comfortably within the bounds of their own experience, never troubling to wonder how it would feel to have been born other than they are.They can refuse to hear screams or to peer inside cages;they can close their minds and hearts to any suffering that does not touch them personally;they can refuse to know.I might be tempted to envy people who can live that way, except that I do not think they have any fewer nightmares than I do.Choosing to live in narrow spaces leads to a form of mental agoraphobia, and that brings its own terrors.I think the wilfully unimaginative see more monsters.They are often more afraid.What is more, those who choose not to empathise enable real monsters.For without ever committing an act of outright evil ourselves, we collude with it, through our own apathy.One of the many things I learned at the end of that Classics corridor down which I ventured at the age of 18, in search of something I could not then define, was this, written by the Greek author Plutarch: What we achieve inwardly will change outer reality.That is an astonishing statement and yet proven a thousand times every day of our lives.It expresses, in part, our inescapable connection with the outside world, the fact that we touch other people?s lives simply by existing.But how much more are you, Harvard graduates of 2008, likely to touch other people?s lives? Your intelligence, your capacity for hard work, the education you have earned and received, give you unique status, and unique responsibilities.Even your nationality sets you apart.The great majority of you belong to the world?s only remaining superpower.The way you vote, the way you live, the way you protest, the pressure you bring to bear on your government, has an impact way beyond your borders.That is your privilege, and your burden.If you choose to use your status and influence to raise your voice on behalf of those who have no voice;if you choose to identify not only with the powerful, but with the powerless;if you retain the ability to imagine yourself into the lives of those who do not have your advantages, then it will not only be your proud families who celebrate your existence, but thousands and millions of people whose reality you have helped change.We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better.I am nearly finished.I have one last hope for you, which is something that I already had at 21.The friends with whom I sat on graduation day have been my friends for life.They are my children?s godparents, the people to whom I?ve been able to turn in times of trouble, people who have been kind enough not to sue me when I took their names for Death Eaters.At our graduation we were bound by enormous affection, by our shared experience of a time that could never come again, and, of course, by the knowledge that we held certain photographic evidence that would be exceptionally valuable if any of us ran for Prime Minister.So today, I wish you nothing better than similar friendships.And tomorrow, I hope that even if you remember not a single word of mine, you remember those of Seneca, another of those old Romans I met when I fled down the Classics corridor, in retreat from career ladders, in search of ancient wisdom: As is a tale, so is life: not how long it is, but how good it is, is what matters.I wish you all very good lives.Thank you very much.

第四篇：哈佛校長2016畢業演講

哈佛校長2016畢業演講：誰來講述你的故事? 只有你自己

當你告訴別人你的故事，是為了發現真正的你，而不是那個別人認為你應該成為的那個你!聽別人的建議，但是做你自己的決定!——哈佛校長 Drew Gilpin Faust 去從事你真正關心的事業吧，無論是物理還是神經科學，無論是金融還是電影制片。如果你想好了目的地，就直接往那里去吧。這就是我的“停車位理論”：不要因為覺得肯定沒有停車位了，就把車停在距離目的地10個街區遠的地方。直接去你想去的地方，如果車位已滿，你總可以再繞回來。

哈佛校長2016畢業演講：誰來講述你的故事? 只有你自己 人們也許會說哈佛是天堂，充滿了各種難以想象的機遇和好運——確實，我們每個人都有幸在她漫長而成功的歷史中占有一席之地。但這也對我們提出了要求：我們有責任走出自己的舒適區，尋找屬于我們的挑戰，踐行哈佛奮斗不息的精神。

在我準備今天演講的時候，我想到了音樂劇《漢密爾頓》中最后那首歌里的問題： 誰來講述你的故事? 我想這個問題奠定了你們過去四年大學生活的基調，也將對你們未來作為哈佛畢業生和校友的生活產生深遠的影響，無論是作為公民或是領袖—— 誰，來講述你的故事? 是你，你要來講述你的故事!這就是今天我要對你們說的話：講你自己的故事，一個充滿了無限可能性和新秩序的嶄新故事，這是每一代人的任務，也是現在擺在你面前的任務。你在哈佛所接受的文理博雅教育，將會用以下三種重要方式，幫助你去完成這項任務。聽別人的建議，做你自己的決定

講述你的故事意味著發現你自己是誰——而不是成為別人認為你的誰。你要參考別人的意見，但要做出自己的決定。講述一個別人定義好的或別人希望聽到的故事，那太容易了。哈佛的傳奇人物之

一、可敬的彼得·戈麥斯教授曾說：“不要讓任何人替你把話說完?！备犒溗菇淌谧约航洺！白韵嗝堋保钊穗y以捉摸，但永遠忠于他自己：他是一位劍橋市的共和黨人(注：在哈佛所在的劍橋市，共和黨是少數派);他是一位浸禮會的牧師，但同時是個同性戀(注：基督教大多不支持同性戀);他是朝圣者協會的會長，同時又是一位黑人(注：朝圣者協會白人居多)。

他對自己的信仰堅定不移，他不為外人的期望牽掛束縛。他說：“我的不同尋常，讓開啟新的對話變為可能?！?/p>

開啟與他人的對話，傾聽他人的故事

開啟新的對話，這是我的下一個重點。講述我們自己的故事并不意味著只關注我們自己。講故事是與他人對話，借此探尋更遠大的目標、探索其他的世界、探究不同的思維方式——你所受的教育不是一個真空的大泡沫。

如果我們只講述單一的故事，那將是危險的，就像諾大的場地只有一個逃生口，令所有人變得異常脆弱。單一的故事不一定是假的，但它是不完整的。所有的故事都很重要，不能把單一角度的故事變成唯一的故事。

過去四年，你們感受到了傾聽他人故事的益處，也體驗到了忽略他人故事所帶來的危險。只有意識到，世界上充滿了各種各樣的故事，我們才能想象一個不一樣的未來。21世紀的醫療是什么樣?能源是什么樣?移民是什么樣?城市將如何設計?面對這些問題，你要問的不是“我會成為什么樣的人”，而是 我能解決什么問題? “在不安和不確定中，不斷修正你的故事” 這也引出了最后一個重點：不斷修正。每個故事其實都只是一個草稿，我們連最古老的傳說都會不斷拿來重提——不管是漢密爾頓將軍的故事、美國獨立戰爭的史詩、亦或是哈佛自己的歷史。

好的教育之所以好，是因為它讓你坐立不安，它強迫你不斷重新認識我們自己和我們周遭的世界，并不斷去改變。

斯蒂芬·斯皮爾伯格將在畢業典禮上為我們演講，他就曾經這樣解釋他創作的基石：“恐懼是我的動力。當我瀕臨走投無路的時候，那也是我遇見最好的想法的時候。”

大學，不正是這樣一個讓每一個人都接受挑戰、讓每一個人都產生不確定性的地方嗎? 就這樣，大學四年間，你都一直在學習重新講述你的故事：尋找你自己的聲音，將自己放入一個故事中——無論是對氣候變化采取反抗行動，發現你對統計學的熱衷，還是發起了一項有意義的運動，你親眼目睹故事不斷被重新講述。不要妥協，直奔你的目標

這些年，我一直在告訴大家：追隨你所愛!去從事你真正關心的事業吧，無論是物理還是神經科學，無論是金融還是電影制片。如果你想好了目的地，就直接往那里去吧。這就是我的“停車位理論”：不要因為覺得肯定沒有停車位了，就把車停在距離目的地10個街區遠的地方。直接去你想去的地方，如果車位已滿，你總可以再繞回來。

所以在這里，我想祝賀你們，2016屆的哈佛畢業生們。別忘了你們來自何處，不斷改變你的故事，不斷重寫你的故事。我相信這項任務除了你們自己，誰也無法替你們完成!

第五篇：比爾蓋茨哈佛畢業演講

Bill Gates鈥? Commencement address at Harvard University,2007(extract)

Members of the Harvard Family: Here in the Yard is one of the great

collections of intellectual talent in the world.What for?

There is no question that the faculty, the alumni, the students, and the

benefactors of Harvard have used their power to improve the lives of people here and around the world.But can we do more? Can Harvard dedicate its intellect to improving the lives of people who will never even hear its name?

Let me make a request of the deans and the professors鈥攖he

intellectual leaders here at Harvard: As you hire new faculty, award tenure, review curriculum, and determine degree requirements, please ask

yourselves:

Should our best minds be dedicated to solving our biggest problems?

Should Harvard encourage its faculty to take on the world鈥檚 worst

inequities? Should Harvard students learn about the depth of global poverty鈥he prevalence of world hunger鈥he scarcity of clean water鈥he girls kept out of school鈥he children who die from diseases we can cure?

Should the world鈥檚 most privileged people learn about the lives of the world鈥檚 least privileged?

These are not rhetorical questions鈥攜ou will answer with your policies.When you consider what those of us here in this Yard have been given鈥攊n talent, privilege, and opportunity鈥攖here is almost no limit to what the world has a right to expect from us.In line with the promise of this age, I want to exhort each of the graduates here to take on an issue鈥攁 complex problem, a deep inequity, and become a specialist on it.If you make it the focus of your career, that would be

phenomenal.But you don鈥檛 have to do that to make an impact.For a few hours every week, you can use the growing power of the Internet to get

informed, find others with the same interests, see the barriers, and find ways to cut through them.Don鈥檛 let complexity stop you.Be activists.Take on the big inequities.It will be one of the great experiences of your lives.You graduates are coming of age in an amazing time.As you leave

Harvard, you have technology that members of my class never had.You have awareness of global inequity, which we did not have.And with that awareness, you likely also have an informed conscience that will torment you if you

abandon these people whose lives you could change with very little effort.You have more than we had;you must start sooner, and carry on longer.Knowing what you know, how could you not?

And I hope you will come back here to Harvard 30 years from now and reflect on what you have done with your talent and your energy.I hope you will judge yourselves not on your professional accomplishments alone, but also on how well you have addressed the world鈥檚 deepest inequities鈥n how well you treated people a world away who have nothing in common with you but their humanity.Good luck.(words: 497)