第一篇：羅素(優美,勵志英文短文)

What I Have Lived For

——The Prologue to Bertrand Russell's Autobiography

Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind.These passions, like great winds, have blown me hither and thither, in a wayward course, over a great ocean of anguish, reaching to the very verge of despair.I have sought love, first, because it brings ecstasy-ecstasy so great that I would often have sacrificed all the rest of life for a few hours of this joy.I have sought it, next, because it relieves loneliness--that terrible loneliness in which one shivering consciousness looks over the rim of the world into the cold unfathomable lifeless abyss.I have sought it finally, because in the union of love I have seen, in a mystic miniature, the prefiguring vision of the heaven that saints and poets have imagined.This is what I sought, and though it might seem too good for human life, this is what--at last--I have found.With equal passion I have sought knowledge.I have wished to understand the hearts of men.I have wished to know why the stars shine.And I have tried to apprehend the Pythagorean power by which number holds sway above the flux.A little of this, but not much, I have achieved.Love and knowledge, so far as they were possible, led upward toward the heavens.But always pity brought me back to earth.Echoes of cries of pain reverberate in my heart.Children in famine, victims tortured by oppressors, helpless old people a burden to their sons, and the whole world of loneliness, poverty, and pain make a mockery of what human life should be.I long to alleviate this evil, but I cannot, and I too suffer.This has been my life.I have found it worth living, and would gladly live it again if the chance were offered me.我的人生追求 對愛情的渴望，對知識的追求，對人類苦難不可遏制的同情，是支配我一生的單純而強烈的三種感情。這些感情如陣陣颶風，吹拂在我動蕩不定的生涯中，有時甚至吹過深沉痛苦的海

洋，直抵絕望的邊緣。

我所以追求愛情有三方面的原因。首先，愛情有時給我帶來狂喜，這種狂喜竟如此有力，以致使我常常會為了體驗幾小時的愛的喜悅，而寧愿犧牲生命中其他的一切。其次，愛情可以擺脫孤寂——身歷那種可怕孤寂的人的戰栗意識有時會由世界的邊緣，觀察到冷酷無生命的無底深淵。最后，在愛的結合中，我看到了古今圣賢以及詩人們所夢想的天堂的縮影，這正是我所追尋的人生境界。雖然它對一般的人類生活也許太美好，但這正是我透過愛情所得到的最終發現。

我曾以同樣的感情追求知識，我渴望去了解人類的心靈，也渴望知道星星為什么會發光，同時我還想理解數字賴以支配千變萬化的畢達哥拉斯力量。在這方面我有所收獲，然所獲不多。愛情與知識的可及領域，總是引領我到天堂的境界，可對人類苦難的同情卻經常把我帶回現實世界。那些痛苦的呼喚經常在我內心深處激起回響，饑餓中的孩子，被壓迫被折磨著，給子女造成重擔的孤苦無依的老人，以及全球無情的孤獨、貧窮和痛苦的存在，是對人類生活理想的無視和諷刺。我常常希望能盡自己的微薄之力去減輕這不必要的痛苦，但我發現我完

全失敗了，因此我自己也感到很痛苦。

這就是我的一生，我發現它是值得活的。如果有誰再給我一次生活的機會，我將欣然接受這

難得的賜予。

第二篇：優美英文短文

優美英文短文

nsiderable value Everybody should read it.It supplies us with a variety of news every day.of reading the newspaper, we shall(will)get enough knowledge to cope with our circu它每天提供我們各種類類的消息。它告訴我們世界政治局勢。如果我們養成看報的習慣，我們就能得到足夠的知識一兩個小時來看報。哪些，他們不但能增加知識而且也能趕上時代。總而言之，看報對學生很有益處。

---------monotonous, I try hard to adapt myself to it.Why? Because I intend to be a good stude.After I wash my face and brush my teeth, I begin to review my lessons.I go to schooe.We usually have supper at seven o’clock.want to finish it before I go to bed.去適應它。為什么？因為我打算做一個好學生，希望將來為國家服務。

課，七點鐘我就去上學。

餐，之后我就開始做家庭作業，希望在睡覺前把它做完。

---------dent? Of course not.So far as I know, everybody intends to be(become)a model studen no means an easy thing.First, he must do his best to obtain knowledge.A man without sufve his health.Only a strong man can do great tasks.Thirdly, he should receive moral edus with him.每個人都打算做模范學生。

力獲得知識（求知）。一個沒有足夠知識的人是不會成功的。第二，他必須記住促進健康。只有強壯的人才能做大

---------何獲得快樂

is the most precious thing in the world.Without it, life will be empty and meanttention to the following two points.appiness(the key to happiness).Only a strong man can enjoy the pleasure of lifcontentment.A man who is dissatisfied with his present condition is always in d人生將是空虛的而且毫無意義的。如果你希望知道如何獲得快樂，你須注意下面兩點。

受人生的樂趣。

痛苦之中。

---------o learn life, truth, science and many other useful things.They increase our knowledgey are our good teachers and wise friends.This is the reason why our parents always ent pay great attention to the choice of books.It is true that we can derive benefits f學以及其它許多有用的東西。它們增加我們的知識，擴大我們的心胸并加強我們的品格。換句話說，它們是我們的。不錯，我們能從好書中獲得益處。然而，壞書卻對我們有害無益。

(made)me take my little young brother to the a trip to the country.She bade me take d, the sun was shining brightly and the breeze was blowing gently.We saw the beautifulir sweet songs on the trees.The scenery was indeed very pretty(beautiful).me.We saw Mother(our mother)wait(waiting)for us at the door.歷。她吩咐我要好好照料他。

著，微風輕輕地吹著。我們看見美麗的花兒對我們微笑著，并聽見鳥兒在樹上唱著悅耳的歌曲，風景實十分美麗。們看見母樣正在門口等候我們。

---------------make the country rich and powerful(To make the country rich and strong is...).In order consider this an unchangeable truth.(be patriotic)? I find my answer very simple and clear.He must study hard and store upudent can do according to what I said, the country will certainly be rich and powerful目的，必須愛國。我認為這是一條不易的定理。

明了。他必須用功讀書并積儲知識以便將來服務國家。如果每個學生能按照我所說的去做，國家一定會富強。

---------y.I consider it(this)wrong.Why? Because we all know that we can earn money be work bay(can)say that time is more valuable than money.of time.It(this)is indeed a great pity.We must bear(keep)in mind that wasting ti不對的。為什么？因為我們大家都知道我們能夠用工作賺錢，但無論如何卻無法把時間爭取回來。基于此種理由，必須記住浪費時間等于浪費生命。

---------么我們要學英文

y English, my answer will be simple and clear.Now let me enumerate the reasons one bycome an international language.If you know English, you van make a trip round the wor books, newspapers and magazines are written in English.If you wish(hope)to get kno復很簡單明了。現在讓我來把我的理由一一列舉在下面：

可以環游世界不會被人誤解。

寫的。如果你希望獲得知識，你必須學習英文。

---------classmates sent me presents.Mother prepared a tea party for me.I invited all of thex.There were cold drinks and refreshments.We ate, talked and laughed.We felt that we

g, the clock on the wall struck nine.We could not but say “Good-bye” to one another禮。母親給我準備一個茶會。我邀請他們都前來參加。

吃又談又笑。我們覺得是世界上最快樂的人。

我們不得不互道再見。

第三篇：簡單的英文勵志短文

在閱讀英語文章的時候，會看到一些勵志的小短文，能夠給我們帶來滿滿的正能量。有哪些簡單的英文勵志短文？以下是小編為你精選的簡單的英文勵志短文，希望能幫到你。

簡單的英文勵志短文篇一

A long time ago, there was a huge apple tree.A little boy loved to come and play around it every day.He climbed to the tree top, ate the apples, took a nap under the shadow… He loved the tree and the tree loved to play with him.Time went by…The little boy had grown up and he no longer played around the tree.One day, the boy came back to the tree and looked sad.“Come and play with me,” the tree asked the boy.“I am no longer a kid, I don’t play around trees anymore.” The boy replied, “I want toys.I need money to buy them.” “Sorry, but I don’t have money…but you can pick all my apples and sell them.So, you will have money.” The boy was so excited.He picked all the apples on the tree and left happily.The boy didn’t come back after he picked the apples.The tree was sad.One day, the boy returned and the tree was so excited.“Come and play with me.” The tree said.“I don’t have time to play.I have to work for my family.We need a house for shelter.Can you help me?” “Sorry, but I don’t have a house.But you can cut off my branches to build your house.” So the boy cut all the branches of the tree and left happily.The tree was glad to see him happy but the boy didn’t appear since then.The tree was again lonely and sad.One hot summer day, the boy returned and the tree was delighted.“Come and play with me!” the tree said.“I am sad and getting old.I want to go sailing to relax myself.Can you give me a boat?” “Use my trunk to build the boat.You can sail and be happy.” So the boy cut the tree trunk to make a boat.He went sailing and did not show up for a long time.Finally, the boy returned after he left for so many years.“Sorry, my boy.But I don’t have anything for you anymore.No more apples for you.” the tree said.“ I don’t have teeth to bite.” The boy replied.“ No more trunk for you to climb on.” “I am too old for that now.” the boy said.“I really want to give you something…the only thing left is my dying roots.” The tree said with tears.“I don’t need much now, just a place to rest.I am tired after all these years.” The boy replied.“Good!Old tree roots are the best place to lean on and rest.Come here, please sit down with me and have a rest.” The boy sat down and the tree was glad and smiled with tears…

This is a story of everyone.The tree is our parent.When we were young, we loved to play with Mom and Dad… When we grow up, we leave them, and only come to them when we need something or when we are in trouble.No matter what, parents will always be there and give everything they could to make you happy.You may think that the boy is cruel to the tree but that's how all of us are treating our parents.很久以前有一棵蘋果樹。一個小男孩每天都喜歡來到樹旁玩耍。他爬到樹頂，吃蘋果，在樹蔭里打盹……他愛這棵樹，樹也愛和他一起玩。

隨著時間的流逝，小男孩長大了。他不再到樹旁玩耍了。

一天，男孩回到樹旁，看起來很悲傷。“來和我玩吧!”樹說。

“我不再是小孩了，我不會再到樹下玩耍了。”男孩答到，“我想要玩具，我需要錢來買。”

“很遺憾，我沒有錢……但是你可以采摘我的所有蘋果拿去賣。這樣你就有錢了。”男孩很興奮。他摘掉樹上所有的蘋果，然后高興地離開了。自從那以后男孩沒有回來。樹很傷心。

一天，男孩回來了，樹非常興奮。“來和我玩吧。”樹說。“我沒有時間玩。我得為我的家庭工作。我們需要一個房子來遮風擋雨，你能幫我嗎?”很遺憾，我沒有房子。但是，你可以砍下我的樹枝來建房。“因此，男孩砍下所有的樹枝，高高興興地離開了。

看到他高興，樹也很高興。但是，自從那時起男孩沒再出現，樹有孤獨，傷心起來。

突然，在一個夏日，男孩回到樹旁，樹很高興。“來和我玩吧!”樹說。

“我很傷心，我開始老了。我想去航海放松自己。你能不能給我一條船?” “用我的樹干去造一條船，你就能航海了，你會高興的。”于是，男孩砍倒樹干去造船。他航海去了，很長一段時間未露面。

許多年后男孩終于回來了。“很遺憾，我的孩子，我再也沒有任何東西可以給你了。沒有蘋果給你……”樹說。“我沒有牙齒啃。” 男孩答到。“沒有樹干供你爬。”“現在我老了，爬不上去了。” 男孩說。“我真的想把一切都給你……我唯一剩下的東西是快要死去的樹墩。” 樹含著眼淚說。“現在，我不需要什么東西，只需要一個地方來休息。經過了這些年我太累了。”男孩答到。“太好了!老樹墩就是倚著休息的最好地方。過來，和我一起坐下休息吧。” 男孩坐下了，樹很高興，含淚而笑……

這是一個發生在每一個人身上的故事。那棵樹就像我們的父母。我們小的時候，喜歡和爸爸媽媽玩……長大后，便離開他們，只有在我們需要父母親，或是遇到了困難的時候，才會回去找他們。盡管如此，父母卻總是有求必應，為了我們的幸福，無私地奉獻自己的一切。你也許覺得那個男孩很殘忍，但我們何嘗不是這樣呢?

簡單的英文勵志短文篇二

The Panda in China

A panda looks like a little bear.It has black and white fur.It lives only in China, so it is called the national treasure of China and protected by the law.We all see panda on TV or in the zoo.They look stupid and walk slowly, but they are lovely and everyone likes them.A panda is lucky animal.We Chinese like it, and people of the world like it, too.Now there are China’s pandas in many other countries, such as Japan and the USA…

A panda isn’t a common animal, it is bridge of friendship.中國熊貓

熊貓看起來好像一只小熊。它的皮毛是黑白相間。它只居住在中國，因此，它是中國的國寶，受到國家法律的保護。

我們在電視上或在動物園里能看到熊貓。他們看起來顯得很笨的樣子，走起來很緩慢，但很可愛，大家都很喜歡它們。

熊貓是個吉祥的動物。中國人民喜歡它，世界人民也喜歡它。現在許多國家都有中國的熊貓，如，日本、美國……

熊貓不是一種普通的動物，而是一座友誼的橋梁。

簡單的英文勵志短文三

How a Colt Crossed the River

One day, a colt took a bag of wheat to the mill.As he was running with the bag on his back, he came to a small river.The colt could not decide whether he could cross it.Looking around, he saw a cow grazing nearby.He asked, “Aunt Cow, could you tell me if I can cross the river?” The cow told him that he could and that the river was not very deep, just knee high.The colt was crossing the river when a squirrel jumped down fron a tree and stopped him.The squirrel shouted, “Colt, stop!You’ll drown!One of my friends drowned just yesterday in the river.” Not knowing what to do, the colt went home to consult his mum.He told his mum his experience on the way.His mother said, “My child, don’t always listen to others.You’d better go and try yourself.Then you’ll know what to do.” Later, at the river,the squirrel stopped the colt again.“Little horse, it’s too dangerous!” “No, I want to try myself,” answered the colt.Then he crossed the river carefully.You see, real knowledge comes from practice.小馬過河

一天，一匹小馬馱著麥子去磨坊。當它馱著口袋向前跑去時，突然發現一條小河擋住了去路。小馬為難了，這可怎么辦呢?它向四周望了望，看見一頭奶牛在河邊吃草。小馬問道：“牛阿姨，請您告訴我，這條河我能趟過去嗎?”奶牛回答說：“水很淺，剛到膝蓋。”

小馬正準備過河，突然從樹上跳下一只松鼠，攔住它大叫道：“小馬，別過河!你會被淹死的。昨天，我的一個伙伴就在這條河里淹死啦!”小馬不知如何是好，于是決定回家問問媽媽。

小馬把路上的經歷告訴了媽媽。媽媽說：“孩子，光聽別人說是不行的，你自己親自去試一試，就知道答案了。”小馬回到河邊，剛要下水，松鼠又大叫起來：“小馬，你不要命啦?”小馬說：“讓我自己試試吧。”他一面回答一面下了河，小心地趟了過去。

這下明白了吧，實踐才能出真知。

第四篇：英文勵志短文閱讀

不夠灑脫，但這就是人生。不夠豁達，但這就是人生。不夠勵志也不夠美好，但這就是人生啊。小編整理了著名英文勵志短文，歡迎閱讀!

英文勵志短文篇一

Life is not about just getting by.Life is about reaching ever higher, building one achievement on top of another, and creating real, meaningful value in each moment.生活并不是過得去就行,而是需要我們每時每刻都有所超越,不斷取得成就,并且創造真正的、有意義的價值。

A common stone on the ground does a great job of just getting by.You, on the other hand, are destined1 for much more spectacular things.Yes, indeed, you will certainly meet a number of challenges when you make the effort to raise your world even a little bit higher.The good thing is, you are superbly equipped to thrive on those challenges.地上的一塊普通的石子只是躺在那里就做得很好了。然而,你注定是要做大事的。是的,當你努力提升自己時,你的確會遇到許多困難,哪怕只是提升一點點。幸運的是,你有能力戰勝那些挑戰。

If life seems unsuccessful, it’s not because of the challenges or limitations that stand in your way.It’s because you refuse to see the exceptional opportunities that those challenges represent.如果生活看起來并不是一帆風順的,那并不是因為你前方的道路上有挑戰或阻礙,而是因為你沒有看到那些挑戰中蘊藏的良機。

This is your precious and unique life, and it is absolutely worth all the trouble and effort you must go through to make it great.Within you at this moment are beautiful dreams, and you can begin to live in the direction of those dreams whenever you choose.這是你所珍愛的、獨一無二的生活。為了讓它變得更美好,經歷困難、付出努力都是值得的。此刻,你的內心充滿著美好的夢想,只要你選擇,你就可以朝著夢想的方向生活。

Let go of the false security of just getting by, and get yourself into focus on a purpose that will bring your life gloriously to life.Your very own pathway to success is just one quick step away.摒棄生活只要過得去就行這樣的錯誤觀點,全心投入一個目標——讓你的生活更加精彩。成功之路離你僅一步之遙。

英文勵志短文篇二

Don’t allow your troubles to get the best of you.Instead, allow those troubles to make the best of you.不要被煩惱擊敗,相反,要讓這些煩惱磨練出更優秀的你

Don’t tire yourself out fighting against the challenges.Instead, find new energy by embracing1 those challenges and working through them to create real value.不要因與挑戰作斗爭而身心疲憊,相反,要在接受挑戰、戰勝挑戰的過程中找到活力去創造真正的價值。

Always remind yourself that discour-agement is nothing more than a response you’ve chosen.When you find that you’ve chosen to let it be, you can just as surely choose to let it go.時常提醒自己,氣餒只不過是你自己的選擇。當你發現是你選擇了氣餒,你當然也可以選擇不這樣。

Replace discouragement with determin-ation.It is your life’s energy, and you can point it in whatever direction you choose.Your most powerful response is not based only on what has already happened.Your most powerful response also takes into account what you wish to make happen next.用決心消除氣餒,這就是你生命的活力,是放之四海而皆準的。你最有力的反應不僅僅受所發生的事情的影響,而且與你期待發生的事情有一定關聯。

Look forward, and envision in great detail the future you desire.Then gather all your energy, and step forward to make it be.向前看,詳盡地展望你所期盼的未來。然后集中你所有的精力,努力前進,讓夢想成真

英文勵志短文篇三

You are where you are.Accept it and feel the power your acceptance gives you to move forward.你就處在這樣一個位置。接受這個事實，感受隨之而來的力量，這份力量會驅使你前進。

This moment is as it is.Accept its uniqueness and experience the freedom of not having to fight against it.此刻就是這樣。接受這一刻的獨特性，體驗無需與之對抗的自由。

There are difficult challenges in your life.Accept them and feel the energy that will enable you to rise above them.你的生活中充滿了艱巨的挑戰。接受這些挑戰，鼓足勇氣去戰勝它們。

Accept that this is your starting point.Instead of placing judgements on it, see the real, positive value that’s already yours.You cannot change where your past priorities* and choices have brought you.Yet you can make use of the wisdom you’ve earned to create a future that fulfils your most treasured dreams.相信此刻就是你的起點。無需再判斷，看到你所具備的真正意義上的價值。你過去認為重要的事和以前做過的選擇給你帶來了什么都是無法改變的。然而你可以充分利用你的智慧去創造未來，實現你最珍愛的夢想。

Lovingly and gratefully accept who you’ve been, what you’ve done, what you have and where you are.For you can now transform it all into what you most wish to be.滿懷愛心和感激之情，接受現實的自己，接受你所做過的、你所擁有的以及你所處的位置。現在你可以按你的愿望去改變它們。

第五篇：英文名人演講勵志短文

在美國，你的命運由你自己書寫，你的未來由你自己掌握。如下小編就為大家收集了英文名人演講勵志短文，歡迎閱讀！

英文名人演講勵志短文

At the dawn of the 21st century a free people must now choose to shape the forces of the Information Age and the global society, to unleash the limitless potential of all our people, and, yes, to form a more perfect union.在二十一世紀的曙光來臨之際，一個自由的民族現在必須做出選擇，去打造信息時代和全球一體化的力量，去釋放全民無盡的潛能，并且，去成就一個更完美的聯邦國家。

When last we gathered, our march to this new future seemed less certain than it does today.We vowed then to set a clear course to renew our nation.上次我們在此相聚時，我們向這個新未來的進軍似乎沒有今天這么明確，我們那時曾宣誓確立新的道路，復興我們的國家。

In these four years, we have been touched by tragedy, exhilarated by challenge, strengthened by achievement.America stands alone as the world s in dispensable nation.Once again, our economy is the strongest on Earth.Once again, we are building stronger families, thriving communities, better educational opportunities, a cleaner environment.Problems that once seemed destined to deepen now bend to our efforts: our streets are safer and record numbers of our fellow citizens have moved from welfare to work.在這四年中，悲劇使我們動容，挑戰使我們興奮，成就使我們強大。美國作為世界不可缺少的國家巍然挺立。再一次，我們的經濟是世界上最強大的；再一次，我們建設著更牢固的家庭，繁榮的社區，更好的教育機會，更清潔的環境。曾經似乎注定要惡化的問題現在也屈服于我們的努力：我們的街道更安全，參加工作不再領取社會福利的公民人數比任何時候都多。

And once again, we have resolved for our time a great debate over the role of government.Today we can declare: Government is not the problem, and government is not the solution.再一次，我們解決了當前關于政府角色問題的巨大爭論。今天我們可以宣告：政府不是問題的產生者，政府也不是問題的解決者。

附:英文名人勵志演講

Hello, everybody!Thank you.Thank you.Thank you, everybody.All right, everybody go ahead and have a seat.How is everybody doing today?(Applause.)How about Tim Spicer?(Applause.)I am here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia.And we've got students tuning in from all across America, from kindergarten through 12th grade.And I am just so glad that all could join us today.And I want to thank Wakefield for being such an outstanding host.Give yourselves a big round of applause.(Applause.)

I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school.And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, it's your first day in a new school, so it's understandable if you're a little nervous.I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now--(applause)--with just one more year to go.And no matter what grade you're in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer and you could've stayed in bed just a little bit longer this morning.I know that feeling.When I was young, my family lived overseas.I lived in Indonesia for a few years.And my mother, she didn't have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school, but she thought it was important for me to keep up with an American education.So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday.But because she had to go to work, the only time she could do it was at 4:30 in the morning.Now, as you might imagine, I wasn't too happy about getting up that early.And a lot of times, I'd fall asleep right there at the kitchen table.But whenever I'd complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and she'd say, “This is no picnic for me either, buster.”(Laughter.)

So I know that some of you are still adjusting to being back at school.But I'm here today because I have something important to discuss with you.I'm here because I want to talk with you about your education and what's expected of all of you in this new school year.Now, I've given a lot of speeches about education.And I've talked about responsibility a lot.I've talked about teachers' responsibility for inspiring students and pushing you to learn.I've talked about your parents' responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and you get your homework done, and don't spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with the Xbox.I've talked a lot about your government's responsibility for setting high standards, and supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren't working, where students aren't getting the opportunities that they deserve.But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, the best schools in the world--and none of it will make a difference, none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities, unless you show up to those schools, unless you pay attention to those teachers, unless you listen to your parents and grandparents and other adults and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.That's what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education.I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself.Every single one of you has something that you're good at.Every single one of you has something to offer.And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is.That's the opportunity an education can provide.Maybe you could be a great writer--maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper--but you might not know it until you write that English paper--that English class paper that's assigned to you.Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor--maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or the new medicine or vaccine--but you might not know it until you do your project for your science class.Maybe you could be a mayor or a senator or a Supreme Court justice--but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team.And no matter what you want to do with your life, I guarantee that you'll need an education to do it.You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You're going to need a good education for every single one of those careers.You cannot drop out of school and just drop into a good job.You've got to train for it and work for it and learn for it.And this isn't just important for your own life and your own future.What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country.The future of America depends on you.What you're learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future.You'll need the knowledge and problem-solving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases like cancer and AIDS, and to develop new energy technologies and protect our environment.You'll need the insights and critical-thinking skills you gain in history and social studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination, and make our nation more fair and more free.You'll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy.We need every single one of you to develop your talents and your skills and your intellect so you can help us old folks solve our most difficult problems.If you don't do that--if you quit on school--you're not just quitting on yourself, you're quitting on your country.Now, I know it's not always easy to do well in school.I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork.I get it.I know what it's like.My father left my family when I was two years old, and I was raised by a single mom who had to work and who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn't always able to give us the things that other kids had.There were times when I missed having a father in my life.There were times when I was lonely and I felt like I didn't fit in.So I wasn't always as focused as I should have been on school, and I did some things I'm not proud of, and I got in more trouble than I should have.And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse.But I was--I was lucky.I got a lot of second chances, and I had the opportunity to go to college and law school and follow my dreams.My wife, our First Lady Michelle Obama, she has a similar story.Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn't have a lot of money.But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country.Some of you might not have those advantages.Maybe you don't have adults in your life who give you the support that you need.Maybe someone in your family has lost their job and there's not enough money to go around.Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don't feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know aren't right.But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life--what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you've got going on at home--none of that is an excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude in school.That's no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school.There is no excuse for not trying.Where you are right now doesn't have to determine where you'll end up.No one's written your destiny for you, because here in America, you write your own destiny.You make your own future.That's what young people like you are doing every day, all across America.Young people like Jazmin Perez, from Roma, Texas.Jazmin didn't speak English when she first started school.Neither of her parents had gone to college.But she worked hard, earned good grades, and got a scholarship to Brown University--is now in graduate school, studying public health, on her way to becoming Dr.Jazmin Perez.I'm thinking about Andoni Schultz, from Los Altos, California, who's fought brain cancer since he was three.He's had to endure all sorts of treatments and surgeries, one of which affected his memory, so it took him much longer--hundreds of extra hours--to do his schoolwork.But he never fell behind.He's headed to college this fall.And then there's Shantell Steve, from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois.Even when bouncing from foster home to foster home in the toughest neighborhoods in the city, she managed to get a job at a local health care center, start a program to keep young people out of gangs, and she's on track to graduate high school with honors and go on to college.And Jazmin, Andoni, and Shantell aren't any different from any of you.They face challenges in their lives just like you do.In some cases they've got it a lot worse off than many of you.But they refused to give up.They chose to take responsibility for their lives, for their education, and set goals for themselves.And I expect all of you to do the same.That's why today I'm calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education--and do everything you can to meet them.Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending some time each day reading a book.Maybe you'll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in your community.Maybe you'll decide to stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied because of who they are or how they look, because you believe, like I do, that all young people deserve a safe environment to study and learn.Maybe you'll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to learn.And along those lines, by the way, I hope all of you are washing your hands a lot, and that you stay home from school when you don't feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter.But whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it.I want you to really work at it.I know that sometimes you get that sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work--that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star.Chances are you're not going to be any of those things.The truth is, being successful is hard.You won't love every subject that you study.You won't click with every teacher that you have.Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right at this minute.And you won't necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try.That's okay.Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who've had the most failures.J.K.Rowling's--who wrote Harry Potter--her first Harry Potter book was rejected 12 times before it was finally published.Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team.He lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career.But he once said, “I have failed over and over and over again in my life.And that's why I succeed.”

These people succeeded because they understood that you can't let your failures define you--you have to let your failures teach you.You have to let them show you what to do differently the next time.So if you get into trouble, that doesn't mean you're a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to act right.If you get a bad grade, that doesn't mean you're stupid, it just means you need to spend more time studying.No one's born being good at all things.You become good at things through hard work.You're not a varsity athlete the first time you play a new sport.You don't hit every note the first time you sing a song.You've got to practice.The same principle applies to your schoolwork.You might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right.You might have to read something a few times before you understand it.You definitely have to do a few drafts of a paper before it's good enough to hand in.Don't be afraid to ask questions.Don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it.I do that every day.Asking for help isn't a sign of weakness, it's a sign of strength because it shows you have the courage to admit when you don't know something, and that then allows you to learn something new.So find an adult that you trust--a parent, a grandparent or teacher, a coach or a counselor--and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals.And even when you're struggling, even when you're discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you, don't ever give up on yourself, because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.The story of America isn't about people who quit when things got tough.It's about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best.It's the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and they founded this nation.Young people.Students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcame a Depression and won a world war;who fought for civil rights and put a man on the moon.Students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google and Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other.So today, I want to ask all of you, what's your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a President who comes here in 20 or 50 or 100 years say about what all of you did for this country?

Now, your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions.I'm working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books and the equipment and the computers you need to learn.But you've got to do your part, too.So I expect all of you to get serious this year.I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do.I expect great things from each of you.So don't let us down.Don't let your family down or your country down.Most of all, don't let yourself down.Make us all proud.Thank you very much, everybody.God bless you.God bless America.Thank you.