希拉里的退选演说全文(中英文对照)

第一篇：希拉里的退选演说全文(中英文对照)

希拉里的退选演说

伟大的民主精神---希拉里退选演说原稿及翻译

6月7日，美国民主党总统竞选人希拉里在华盛顿正式宣布停止竞选，转而支持竞争对手奥巴马成为总统。希拉里的推选演说内容可圈可点，赢得阵阵掌声，虽然选举失败，但离开得仍然如同一个胜者。这篇演讲稿是难得的翻译素材。

希拉里演讲稿原文 Transcript（抄本，誊本，副本）of Hillary Clinton Endorsement Speech

Thank you very, very much.Well, this isn't exactly the party I'd planned, but I sure like the company（客人，朋友；一群人）.(APPLAUSE)

非常非常感谢大家！这的确不是我曾经计划的派对，但我确实喜欢与你们同在。

And I want to start today by saying how grateful I am to all of you, to everyone who poured your hearts and your hopes into this campaign, who drove for miles and lined the streets waving homemade signs, who scrimped（（较平时）节省着过日子，一点一滴地省钱；吝啬；克扣；节省，节缩，过度减少）and saved to raise money, who knocked on doors and made calls, who talked, sometimes argued with your friends and neighbors...(APPLAUSE)...who e-mailed and contributed（捐献，捐助，贡献出）online, who invested so much in our common enterprise, to the moms and dads who came to our events, who lifted their little girls and little boys on their shoulders and whispered in their ears, “See, you can be anything you want to be.”(APPLAUSE)今天，首先我要表达我衷心地谢意，感谢所有为（我的）竞选倾注热情与希望的人们，你们驱车百里，排满街道，挥舞着自制标语，你们省吃省用、踊跃筹款，你们或登门拜访或拨打电话（邀集选民），有时你们甚至与你们的朋友邻居争论，你们通过电邮在线捐款，你们为了我们共同的事业奉献了太多太多；感谢那些带着孩子们加入我们盛举的父母们，他们将孩子们高举在肩头，并对他们轻声叮咛“看，（孩子），一切梦想，皆可成真” To the young people...(APPLAUSE)...like 13-year-old Anne Riddell(ph)from Mayfield, Ohio, who had been saving for two years to go to Disney World and decided to use her savings instead to travel to Pennsylvania with her mom and volunteer there, as well.To the veterans（经验丰富的人，老兵；退伍军人）, to the childhood friends, to New Yorkers and Arkansans...(APPLAUSE)...who traveled across the country, telling anyone who would listen why you supported me.And to all of those women in their 80s and their 90s...(APPLAUSE)...born before women could vote, who cast（投，掷，加。。于）their votes for our campaign.I've told you before about Florence Stein(ph)of South Dakota（达科他州）who was 88 years old and insisted that her daughter bring an absentee（缺席者，旷课者，外住者）ballot（投票表决，选举，选票）to her hospice（（宗教团体开办的）旅客招待所，（晚期病人的）安养院）bedside.Her daughter and a friend put an American flag behind her bed and helped her fill out the ballot.She passed away soon after and, under state law, her ballot didn't count, but her daughter later told a reporter, “My dad's an ornery（脾气坏的）, old cowboy, and he didn't like it when he heard Mom's vote wouldn't be counted.I don't think he had voted in 20 years, but he voted in place of my mom.”(APPLAUSE)我也要感谢像安这样的年轻人们，她今年刚13岁，来自俄亥俄州的梅菲尔得市，她决定把过去两年中本为去迪士尼攒下的钱用来和妈妈一起去宾夕法尼亚充当志愿者；还要感谢那些退伍老兵，孩提时的朋友，以及纽约和阿肯色地区的人们，你们走遍全国，向所有愿意倾听的人们解释支持我的理由；我更要感谢那些八九十岁的女选民，她们 在女性尚没有选举权之前出生，这次她们为我们的竞选投票。我给大家讲过南达科塔州的弗罗伦斯斯汀的故事，她已88岁高龄，她坚持让自己女儿把一张缺席选举人票拿到了病床前，女儿和一个朋友把一面美国国旗放到她的床后，并帮她填写了选票。稍后，她即离世，而根据州的法律，她这一票不能计数，但是女儿后来对记者说到：“爸爸是个老牛仔，性格倔强，当他听说妈妈的投票没被采用，他非常难过。我想他已经二十年都没投过一次票了，但这次他替妈妈投了一票。”

So to all those who voted for me and to whom I pledged（保证，许诺，发誓）my utmost, my commitment（承诺，许诺，保证，承担的义务，信奉，献身）to you and to the progress we seek is unyielding（坚硬的，不屈的，不能弯曲的）.谢谢你们，我所有的选民们和那些我曾竭力做出许诺的人们。我对你们的承诺和我们所追求的进步事业将永不停滞，一往无前！You have inspired（鼓舞，激励，赋予某人灵感，启迪）and touched me with the stories of the joys and sorrows that make up the fabric（构造，组织，织物，布）of our lives.And you have humbled（使谦卑，使卑下）me with your commitment to our country.Eighteen million of you, from all walks of life...(APPLAUSE)...women and men, young and old, Latino and Asian, African-American and Caucasian（高加索人，白种人）...(APPLAUSE)...rich, poor, and middle-class, gay（快乐的，轻率的，不加思索的，放荡的）and straight, you have stood with me.(APPLAUSE)你们的喜悦悲伤的经历织成我们生活的脉络，激励我，启发我。你们对祖国的巨大奉献使我自感卑微。你们，来自各行各业的1800万人们，女人、男人、青年、老人、拉丁裔、亚裔、非洲裔、白种人、富人、穷人、中产者、同性恋和异性恋，你们与我同在。

And I will continue to stand strong with you every time, every place, in every way that I can.The dreams we share are worth fighting for.我将继续坚定的与你们携手同行，随时随地，尽我全力。我们共同拥有的梦想值得我们并肩奋斗！

Remember, we fought for the single mom with the young daughter, juggling(耍弄，歪曲，颠倒)work and school, who told me, “I'm doing it all to better myself for her.” 请记住，我们曾为带着小女儿在工作和学校中疲于奔命的单亲妈妈奋斗，她对我说“我做的一切是为了对她更称职”。

We fought for the woman who grabbed my hand and asked me, “What are you going to do to make sure I have health care?” and began to cry, because even though she works three jobs, she can't afford insurance.我们曾为那个抓紧我的手的妇女奋斗，她问我“你将会做什么保证我得到医疗保险？”然后，她开始哭泣，因为她打三份工，也不能负担保险的费用。

We fought for the young man in the Marine Corps t-shirt who waited months for medical care and said, “Take care of my buddies（同伴，伙伴，老兄）over there, and then will you please take care of me?”(APPLAUSE)我们曾为海军陆战队的年轻战士奋斗，他几个月得不到治疗，而他说“请先帮助我的伙伴，然后请关心我！”

We fought for all those who've lost jobs and health care, who can't afford gas or groceries or college, who have felt invisible（看不见的，隐藏的）to their president these last seven years.我们曾为那些失去工作和医疗保障的人们奋斗，为那些加不起汽油，生活拮据，负担不起学费的人们奋斗，为那些在过去七年里被他们的总统视而不见的人们奋斗！

I entered this race because I have an old-fashioned conviction（坚定的信仰）that public service is about helping people solve their problems and live their dreams.I've had every opportunity and blessing in my own life, and I want the same for all Americans.我加入本次竞选是因为我坚持那种老派的信念，担任公职可以帮助人们解决问题，实现梦想。我这一生，已经获得了许多机会和恩赐，而我希望，每个美国人都能如是。

And until that day comes, you'll always find me on the front lines of democracy, fighting for the future.(APPLAUSE)在那一天真正到来之前，你们会发现，我将一直站在民主政治的前沿，为将来而战。

The way to continue our fight now, to accomplish the goals for which we stand is to take our energy, our passion, our strength, and do all we can to help elect Barack Obama, the next president of the United States.(APPLAUSE)而现在继续我们战斗，实现我们目标的方法就是奉献我们的能量、激情和活力，尽我们所能帮助贝拉克奥巴马成为美国的下任总统！Today, as I suspend（终止，暂停）my campaign, I congratulate him on the victory he has won and the extraordinary race he has run.I endorse（赞同，支持，认可；背书）him and throw my full support behind him.(APPLAUSE)今天，当我宣布中止我的竞选，我祝贺他所赢得的胜利和他已经历的非凡历程。我支持他，全心全意地拥护他！And I ask all of you to join me in working as hard for Barack Obama as you have for me.(APPLAUSE)同时，我呼吁你们，象支持我一样，全力支持贝拉克奥巴马。I have served in the Senate（参议院，上院）with him for four years.I have been in this campaign with him for 16 months.I have stood on the stage and gone toe-to-toe with him in 22 debates.I've had a front-row seat to his candidacy（候选人资格）, and I have seen his strength and determination, his grace（风度，魅力，优雅）and his grit（勇气和毅力）.我与他在参议院共事四年。本次竞选中，与他相持对垒了16个月，同场进行了22场辩论。我近距离的了解了他，感受到了他的力量，决心，友善和勇气。

In his own life, Barack Obama has lived the American dream, as a community organizer, in the State Senate, as a United States senator.He has dedicated himself to ensuring the dream is realized.And in this campaign, he has inspired so many to become involved in the democratic process and invested in our common future.作为社区组织者，州议员和联邦参议员，奥巴马身体力行，自己实践了美国梦。他全力奉献，确保梦想实现。在这次竞选中，他已经鼓舞了那么多人参与民主进程，为我们共同的未来奋斗。Now, when I started this race, I intended to win back the White House and make sure we have a president who puts our country back on the path to peace, prosperity and progress.And that's exactly what we're going to do, by ensuring that Barack Obama walks through the doors of the Oval Office on January 20, 2009.(APPLAUSE)当我刚展开竞选时，我期望夺回白宫，确保有一个总统，能给我们的国家带来和平，繁荣和进步。而那也正是我们即将要做的，在2009年1月20日将奥巴马送进椭圆形办公室！

Now, I understand--I understand that we all know this has been a tough fight, but the Democratic Party is a family.And now it's time to restore the ties that bind us together and to come together around the ideals we share, the values we cherish, and the country we love.我明白--我当然明白，这将是一场艰苦的战斗。但是民主党亲如一家。现在是时候万众一心，团结一致，为我们共同的理想、价值观和我们所钟爱的这个国家奋斗了！

We may have started on separate journeys, but today our paths have merged.And we're all heading toward the same destination, united and more ready than ever to win in November and to turn our country around, because so much is at stake（危如累卵，危险；濒于险境，处于成败关头）.也许，我们曾经各自征战，但今天殊途同归。我们奔向同一个目标，紧密团结，空前准备，赢得11月的胜利，扭转祖国前行的方向，因为形势紧迫，必须悬崖勒马。

We all want an economy that sustains the American dream, the opportunity to work hard and have that work rewarded, to save for college, a home and retirement, to afford that gas and those groceries, and still have a little left over at the end of the month, an economy that lifts all of our people and ensures that our prosperity is broadly distributed and shared.(APPLAUSE)我们都需要这样的经济状况，可以维持美国梦，亦即既能得到辛勤工作的机会，也能劳有所获，可以读大学，维持一个家庭和保证退休生活，可以负担汽油费和生活起居的费用，并且月有结余。我们需要这样的经济，能够养育我们所有的人民，并且使繁荣和昌盛得以共享。We all want a health care system that is universal（全体的，广泛的，普遍的，在世界各地的，世界性的）, high-quality and affordable......so that parents don't have to choose between care for themselves or their children or be stuck（开始起劲地做某事）in dead-end（尽头的，棘手的，顽固的，无出路的）jobs simply to keep their insurance.我们都渴望一个普遍的，高质量的和可以负担得起的医疗保健系统，以使父母们不必为照顾自己还是孩子艰难选择，也不需要仅仅为了他们的保险艰苦谋生。

This isn't just an issue for me.It is a passion and a cause, and it is a fight I will continue until every single American is insured, no exceptions and no excuses.(APPLAUSE)于我而言，这不仅是一个议题。这是热情，是事业，是一场我将永远坚持的战斗，直到每一个美国人得以毫无例外毫无争议的享受这一权力。

We all want an America defined by deep and meaningful equality, from civil rights to labor rights, from women's rights to gay(同性恋的)rights...(APPLAUSE)...from ending discrimination（歧视，辨别，辨别力，识别力）to promoting unionization（工会）, to providing help for the most important job there is: caring for our families.我们都渴望每一个美国人拥有真正意义的平等，从公民权到劳动权，从妇女权力到同性恋的权力，从结束种族歧视到促进民族融合，再到重中之重，为我们的家庭提供可能的帮助。

And we all want to restore America's standing in the world, to end the war in Iraq, and once again lead by the power of our values...(APPLAUSE)...and to join with our allies（联盟国，同盟者，协约国）to confront our shared challenges, from poverty and genocide（种族灭绝）to terrorism and global warming.我们也都渴望重树美国的国际地位，结束伊拉克战争，再次在我们的价值观的强大力量的领导下，与我们的盟友一起，勇敢地面对贫困，种族灭绝，恐怖主义和全球变暖的挑战。

You know, I've been involved in politics and public life in one way or another for four decades.And during those...(APPLAUSE)During those 40 years, our country has voted 10 times for president.Democrats won only three of those times, and the man who won two of those elections is with us today.(APPLAUSE)你们知道，我以这样或那样的方式参与政治和社会生活已经40年了。在这40年中，我们国家共有10次总统选举。民主党人只赢得了其中的三次，而那位赢得了这其中两次的人今天就在我们当中。We made tremendous progress during the '90s under a Democratic president, with a flourishing economy and our leadership for peace and security respected around the world.90年代，在民主党领导的领导下，我们取得了巨大的成就，经济繁荣，我们在世界和平和安全方面的卓越领导也赢得了世界的尊重。Just think how much more progress we could have made over the past 40 years if we'd had a Democratic president.Think about the lost opportunities of these past seven years on the environment and the economy, on health care and civil rights, on education, foreign policy and the Supreme Court.只要想想，在过去40年里，如果我们都拥有一个民主党总统，我们将获得多么伟大的成功阿！想想在过去七年我们在环境、国民经济、医疗保障、公民权利、教育、外交政策和最高法院等方面所丧失的机会。

Imagine how far...(APPLAUSE)...we could have come, how much we could have achieved if we had just had a Democrat in the White House.(APPLAUSE)想想我们本来可以走得更远，得到更多，只要我们在白宫有一位民主党总统。

We cannot let this moment slip away.We have come too far and accomplished too much.我们不能再让这次机会溜走。这次我们已经走得很远，收获了很多。Now, the journey ahead will not be easy.Some fwill say we can't do it, that it's too hard, we're just not up to the task.But for as long as America has existed, it has been the American way to reject can't-do claims and to choose instead to stretch the boundaries of the possible through hard work, determination, and a pioneering spirit.然而，前方的征程并不平坦。有些人会说，我们做不到，太难了。我们不能胜任这个工作。但自美国诞生起，就有了一条永不言不的美国之路，通过辛苦工作，决心和开拓精神争取更多的可能。

It is this belief, this optimism that Senator Obama and I share and that has inspired so many millions of our supporters to make their voices heard.So today I am standing with Senator Obama to say: Yes, we can!(APPLAUSE)正是这种奥巴马参议员和我一起分享的信念和乐观主义精神，激励了数以百万计的支持者们发出了他们的声音。所以今天我与奥巴马参议员一起欢呼：是的，我们可以！

And that together we will work--we'll have to work hard to achieve universal health care.But on the day we live in an America where no child, no man, and no woman is without health insurance, we will live in a stronger America.That's why we need to help elect Barack Obama our president.(APPLAUSE)让我们一起努力--我们必须努力争取普及医疗保障。当有一天，我们生活的美国，没有一个儿童，一个男人或一个女人没有医疗保障时，我们将生活在更加一个强大的美国。这正是我们推选奥巴马为美国总统的原因。

We'll have to work hard to get back to fiscal（政府财政的）responsibility and a strong middle class.But on the day we live in an America whose middle class is thriving（兴旺的，旺盛的，繁荣的，欣欣向荣的）and growing again, where all Americans, no matter where they live or where their ancestors came from, can earn a decent（正派的，得体的，体面的，令人满意的，相当好的）living, we will live in a stronger America.And that is why we must help elect Barack Obama our president.(APPLAUSE)我们必须努力拼搏以挽救经济，创造强大的中产阶级。当有一天，我们生活的美国，拥有兴旺和茁壮成长的中产阶层，那时的美国人，无论身处何处或者他们的祖先来自何方，都可以过得富足体面，我们将生活在一个更加强大的美国，这正是我们推选奥巴马为美国总统的原因。

We'll have to work hard to foster（培养，促进）the innovation that will make us energy independent and lift the threat of global warming from our children's future.But on the day we live in an America fueled by renewable energy, we will live in a stronger America.And that is why we have to help elect Barack Obama our president.(APPLAUSE)我们必须努力拼搏，促进技术创新，以使能源生产不再依附他人，并使我们的孩子在未来避免全面变暖的威胁。当有一天，我们生活的美国使用的是可再生能源，我们将生活在一个更加强大的美国，这正是我们推选奥巴马为美国总统的原因。

We'll have to work hard to bring our troops home from Iraq and get them the support they've earned by their service.But on the day we live in an America that's as loyal to our troops as they have been to us, we will live in a stronger America.And that is why we must help elect Barack Obama our president.(APPLAUSE)我们必须努力让我们的军人从伊拉克重返家园，并得到他们的支持。当有一天，军民同心，报效祖国时，我们将生活在一个更加强大的美国，这正是我们推选奥巴马为美国总统的原因。

This election is a turning-point election.And it is critical that we all understand what our choice really is.Will we go forward together, or will we stal（拖延，搪塞）l and slip backwards? Now, think how much progress we've already made.When we first started, people everywhere asked the same questions.Could a woman really serve as commander-in-chief（总司令）? Well, I think we answered that one.(APPLAUSE)这次的竞选是一个转折。它是如此关键，因此我们都懂得应如何抉择。我们是共同向前，还是原地踏步甚或倒退？现在，想想我们已经取得了多少进步吧！当我们刚刚行动时，所有人都问同样一个问题, 一个女人可以成为三军总司令吗？我想我们已经漂亮地回答了这个问题。

Could an African-American really be our president? And Senator Obama has answered that one.(APPLAUSE)一个非洲裔美国人可以成为我们总统吗？奥巴马参议员也已经给出了答案。

Together, Senator Obama and I achieved milestones（重要事件，里程碑，重要阶段，转折点）essential（必不可少的，绝对必要的，非常重要的）to our progress as a nation, part of our perpetual（永久的，终生的，）duty to form a more perfect union.奥巴马参议员已经和我一起为这个国家成为一个更加完美的联邦取得了里程碑式的进步。

Now, on a personal note（暗示，含义）, when I was asked what it means to be a woman running for president, I always gave the same answer, that I was proud to be running as a woman, but I was running because I thought I'd be the best president.But...(APPLAUSE)现在，请让我谈谈个人的体会。当我被问及，竞选总统对一个女人意味着什么，我总是同样的回答，即我为以一个女人竞选总统感到自豪，虽然，我参加竞选是因为我认为我会成为最好的总统，但是。。But I am a woman and, like millions of women, I know there are still barriers and biases（偏见，偏心，偏袒）out there, often unconscious（未察觉的，失去知觉的，无意识的）, and I want to build an America that respects and embraces（包含，包括，接受，信奉，皈依）the potential of every last one of us.(APPLAUSE)象数百万女性同胞一样，我仍然是一个女人。我知道（在女性成功的道路上）仍然存在着许多障碍和偏见，很多往往是潜意识的。我希望可以创造一个美国，她尊敬和包容我们当中的每一个人发挥他的潜力。

I ran as a daughter who benefited from opportunities my mother never dreamed of.I ran as a mother who worries about my daughter's future and a mother who wants to leave all children brighter tomorrows.我作为一个女儿参选，我获得了我母亲从未梦想能得到的机会。我也作为一个母亲参选，我同样担心女儿未来的生活，同样期望给她更加美好的未来。

To build that future I see, we must make sure that women and men alike understand the struggles of their grandmothers and their mothers, and that women enjoy equal opportunities, equal pay, and equal respect.(APPLAUSE)为创造那个未来，我们必须保证女人和男人能同样知晓他们的祖母，母亲曾经的奋斗历程，女人必须得到公平的机会，报酬和尊重。Let us...(APPLAUSE)Let us resolve（决定，决心；解决）and work toward achieving very simple propositions（论点，主张；建议，提案；命题）: There are no acceptable limits, and there are no acceptable prejudices in the 21st century in our country.(APPLAUSE)让我们下定决心，一起向前，达成最简单的目标：21世纪的美国，再没有什么可以接受的对妇女的限制，再没有对妇女的任何歧视。You can be so proud that, from now on, it will be unremarkable（寻常的，不值得注意的）for a woman to win primary state victories...(APPLAUSE)...unremarkable to have a woman in a close race to be our nominee（被提名者，北任命者）, unremarkable to think that a woman can be the president of the United States.And that is truly remarkable, my friends.(APPLAUSE)To those who are disappointed that we couldn't go all of the way, especially the young people who put so much into this campaign, it would break my heart if, in falling short of my goal, I in any way discouraged any of you from pursuing yours.你们可以为此骄傲，从此刻起，一个女性赢得初选，没什么大不了，得到最终提名，没什么大不了，成为美国总统，也不值得大惊小怪。而我的朋友们，你们才真的了不起。许多人非常失望，因我们未能走完全程，特别是那些年轻人，为竞选竭尽心力。如果因为我的功败垂成，让你们在以后追求自己的目标时丧失勇气，我会万分难过。Always aim high, work hard, and care deeply about what you believe in.And, when you stumble（绊脚，出错）, keep faith.And, when you're knocked down, get right back up and never listen to anyone who says you can't or shouldn't go on.(APPLAUSE)始终志存高远，勤奋工作，执着信念。跌倒了，仍然坚守信仰；被击倒，马上站起来，决不要听任何人说你不能或不该继续前行。As we gather here today in this historic, magnificent building, the 50th woman to leave this Earth is orbiting（在。。轨道上运行，环绕轨道运行）overhead.If we can blast 50 women into space, we will someday launch a woman into the White House.(APPLAUSE)当我们今天相聚在这具有历史意义的宏伟建筑中时，第五十位离开地球的女性正在我们头顶绕地球飞行。既然我们已经将50个女人送上太空，那终有一天，我们可以将1个女人送入白宫。

Although we weren't able to shatter（砸碎，粉碎）that highest, hardest glass ceiling this time, thanks to you, it's got about 18 million cracks（裂缝；意外的一下重击）in it...(APPLAUSE)...and the light is shining through like never before, filling us all with the hope and the sure knowledge that the path will be a little easier next time.虽然这次我们未能将那块最高最硬的玻璃天花板击碎，但是因为你们，这天花板已经添了1800万条裂缝，而阳光从未如今天一样倾洒而下，使我们每个人充满希望，而且确信下一次的征途要平坦很多。That has always been the history of progress in America.Think of the suffragists who gathered at Seneca Falls in 1848 and those who kept fighting until women could cast their votes.美国的历史发展向来如此。想想那些1848年聚集在塞尼卡福尔斯的妇女参政主义者和为妇女投票权坚持战斗的人们；

Think of the abolitionists（废除主义者，废奴主义者）who struggled and died to see the end of slavery.Think of the civil rights heroes and foot soldiers who marched, protested, and risked their lives to bring about the end of segregation（分开，隔离）and Jim Crow.(APPLAUSE)想想那些为结束奴隶制而奋斗牺牲的废奴主义者们，想想为结束种族隔离和种族歧视制度游行，示威，甘冒生命危险的民权英雄和斗士们。Because of them, I grew up taking for granted that women could vote and, because of them, my daughter grew up taking for granted that children of all colors could go to school together.因为他们，我从小就认为妇女参政天经地义；因为他们，我的女儿从小就认为不同肤色的孩子一起上学是理所当然。

Because of them, Barack Obama and I could wage a hard-fought campaign for the Democratic nomination.Because of them and because of you, children today will grow up taking for granted that an African-American or a woman can, yes, become the president of the United States.And so...(APPLAUSE)因为他们，贝拉克奥巴马和我才能为赢得民主党提名权激烈竞争。因为他们，还有你们，今天的孩子从小就认为非洲裔美国人或者一个女人应该可以成为美国的总统。

...when that day arrives, and a woman takes the oath（誓言，誓约）of office as our president, we will all stand taller, proud of the values of our nation, proud that every little girl can dream big and that her dreams can come true in America.因此，当那一天真的来临，一个女人宣誓就职，我们将站得更高，骄傲于我们国家的价值理念，骄傲于每一个小女孩可以梦想远大，并且，在美国，她可以梦想成真。

And all of you will know that, because of your passion and hard work, you helped pave the way for that day.So I want to say to my supporters: When you hear people saying or think to yourself, “If only, or, ”What if," I say, please, don't go there.Every moment wasted looking back keeps us from moving forward.(APPLAUSE)你们每个人都知道，因着你们的热情和辛勤工作，你们已经帮助铺设了通往那一天的道路。所以我要对我的支持者们说，当你听到人们说或你们自己琢磨，真希望如何如何，或者如果怎样就会怎样，请你们放弃那些想法。回首过去浪费的每个时刻都将妨碍我们迈步向前。Life is too short, time is too precious, and the stakes（（赛马，竞赛的）奖金）are too high to dwell（居住）on what might have been.We have to work together for what still can be.And that is why I will work my heart out to make sure that Senator Obama is our next president.(APPLAUSE)人生短暂，时间宝贵，沉湎过去，代价高昂。我们要面对现实，共同奋斗。正因如此，我将殚精竭虑，确保奥巴马参议员成为我们的下届总统。And I hope and pray that all of you will join me in that effort.(APPLAUSE)同时，我希望和祈求你们与我一起努力。

To my supporters and colleagues in Congress, to the governors and mayors, elected officials who stood with me in good times and bad, thank you for your strength and leadership.我谨感谢无论顺境逆境都支持我的国会同事们，州长们，市长们，官员们，谢谢你们赐予我的力量和领导力；

To my friends in our labor unions who stood strong every step of the way, I thank you and pledge（发誓，保证，承诺）my support to you.我谨感谢我在工会的朋友们，你们一直坚定地支持我，谢谢你们，我永远与你们一起；

To my friends from every stage of my life, your love and ongoing commitment sustained me every single day.我谨感谢在我人生各个阶段的朋友们，你们的爱和不变的承诺使我每一天始终如一；

To my family, especially Bill and Chelsea and my mother, you mean the world to me, and I thank you for all you have done.(APPLAUSE)我谨感谢我的家庭，特别是比尔和切尔西，还有我的妈妈。对我来说，你们意味着整个世界。感谢你们为我所做的一切。And to my extraordinary staff, volunteers and supporters...(APPLAUSE)同时感谢我非凡的员工们，志愿者们和其他所有支持者们。。...thank you for working those long, hard hours.Thank you for dropping everything, leaving work or school, traveling to places that you've never been, sometimes for months on end（连续的）.And thanks to your families, as well, because your sacrifice was theirs, too.All of you were there for me every step of the way.谢谢你们漫长艰苦的工作。谢谢你们抛弃一切，离开工作岗位或者学校，来到陌生的地方，有时甚至长达数月。也要谢谢你们的家庭，因为同样也是他们在为我牺牲。我的每一步征程都有你们相伴。Now, being human, we are imperfect.That's why we need each other, to catch each other when we falter（颤抖，犹豫，畏缩，蹒跚，踉跄）, to encourage each other when we lose heart.Some may lead, some may follow, but none of us can go it alone.人无完人，所以我们互相需要。当我们步履蹒跚，我们相互扶持；当我们人生失意，我们相互鼓励；有人会领头，有人会跟随，但我们当中无人独行。

The changes we're working for are changes that we can only accomplish together.Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are rights that belong to us as individuals.But our lives, our freedom, our happiness are best enjoyed, best protected, and best advanced when we do work together.我们所要实现的变革需要大家共同努力。生命，自由和对幸福的追求是属于每个个体的权利。但是只有当我们一起奋斗，我们的生命，自由和对幸福的追求才能得到最充分的享有，最安全的保护和最完善的发展。

That is what we will do now, as we join forces with Senator Obama and his campaign.We will make history together, as we write the next chapter in America's story.We will stand united for the values we hold dear（珍贵的，珍视的）, for the vision of progress we share, and for the country we love.这正是我们现在所要做的，我们加入参议员奥巴马的阵营，为他助选。我们将一起创造历史，续写美国传奇的新的篇章。为了我们紧守的价值观，为了我们进步的远景，为了我们所爱的这个国家，让我们紧密团结！

There is nothing more American than that.非美国人，不能如此！

And looking out at you today, I have never felt so blessed.The challenges that I have faced in this campaign...(APPLAUSE)...are nothing compared to those that millions of Americans face every day in their own lives.此刻，放眼望去，我从未如此欣慰。和无数美国人每天要面对的挑战相比，我在竞选中面临的挑战微不足道。

So today I'm going to count my blessings and keep on going.I'm going to keep doing what I was doing long before the cameras ever showed up and what I'll be doing long after they're gone: working to give every American the same opportunities I had and working to ensure that every child has the chance to grow up and achieve his or her God-given（天赐的，神授的，难得的）potential.所以今天我要珍惜这份赐福，继续昂首前行。我将继续我的使命，这个使命在镁光灯闪动的很久之前已经开始，当灯光散尽很久之后也不会停止。那就是：致力于给每个美国人同样的机会，保证每个孩子成长的机会和让他的天赋之才得以实践。

I will do it with a heart filled with gratitude, with a deep and abiding（持久的，永久的）love for our country, and with nothing but optimism and confidence for the days ahead.我将以一颗满怀感恩，热爱祖国，乐观向上，积极自信的心去践诺我的誓言。

This is now our time to do all that we can to make sure that, in this election, we add another Democratic president to that very small list of the last 40 years and that we take back our country and once again move with progress and commitment to the future.现在，我们要做的是尽己所能，为过去40年来那张短短的民主党总统名单添上一位。我们夺回我们的国家，让她再次带着进步和责任走向未来。

Thank you all.And God bless you, and God bless America.谢谢大家。上帝赐福你们，天佑美国！

第二篇：希拉里退选演讲稿

希拉里退选演讲稿（中文）

非常谢谢大家，谢谢你们。

今天的聚会我可没事先准备的啊，不过很高兴有你们在！

今天一开始我想对大家说声衷心的感谢，感谢那些为（我的）竞选尽心尽力的人们，感谢那些开车过来，站在街道两旁举着自制的标语的人们，感谢大家能省吃省喝踊跃筹款，还有登门拜访的，打电话来的，（为支持我）和朋友邻居发生争执的，还有那些写email的和上网捐款的的人们，是你们给了我们活动太多太多支持，我在此一并向大家表示感谢。看到爸爸妈妈带着孩子也加入进来，父母小声对肩膀上的孩子们说：“看见没，有梦想就能实现。”

我也应该感谢像安这样的年轻人们，她今年刚13岁，来自俄亥俄州的梅菲尔得市，她决定把过去两年中本为去迪士尼攒下的钱用来去宾夕法尼亚和妈妈一起充当志愿者。还有那些退伍老兵，孩提时的朋友，以及纽约和阿肯色地区的人们，你们不远万里来到这里，并转告其他任何人，相信他们同你们一样支持我。

要对那些80后和90后的女选民们说声谢谢，她们还不到投票年龄，但是很多人还是给我们投了票。另外我曾给大家提起过一个人，她叫弗朗斯?斯汀，南达卡达州人，当时88岁的她坚持让自己女儿把一张缺席选举人票拿到了病床前，女儿和一个朋友把一面美国旗放到妈妈躺的床后面，并帮她填写了选票。然后没过多久就去世了，根据国家法律，这一票不能计入最后结果。但是女孩后来对记者说到：“我爸性子很倔，听说妈妈的投票没被采用，当时就不高兴了，他二十年都没投过一次票，这次算是替妈妈投了一票。”

我亲爱的选民们，我曾经承诺过的人们，我感谢你们，虽然结果不尽如人意，可很感谢你们能陪我坚持现在，你们的快乐与悲伤激励了我，也感动了我，完整了我们的生命，在你们对国家的承诺上，我的承诺相比逊色不少。

1800万的你们来自社会的角角落落：男男女女，老老少少，拉丁人亚洲人，美国黑人高加索人，有富人有穷人，有中产阶级有同性恋者，也有非同性恋者。你们都和我并肩作战，我将继续和你们大家共同战斗，无论何时何地，尽我一切所能。我们拥有同样的梦想，我们一起为之奋斗，为之拼搏。

记住—让我们奋斗起来，为了带着女儿，又是公司又是学校的单身妈妈，她曾告诉我，我做的一切都是让我这个母亲更称职；让我们奋斗起来，为了抓住我的手的妇女，她问我，怎么样才能保证我能载上健康保险啊，听到这我哭了，因为即使她做三份工，也是无济于事的；让我们奋斗起来，为了等候接受医疗保障的海军陆战队队员，他说，照顾好我的兄弟，还能照顾下我吗。让我们站起来，为那些失去工作和保险的人们，为那些不能支付得起加油费，日常支出和大学的费用的人们而奋斗，而他们的总统在过去七年中对其却视若不见。

我进入这次竞选是因为我既传统又坚定地认为，公共事业本是为帮助人民解决问题，实现梦想的。我的一生得到过无数次机会和祝福的垂青，同样也希望所有的机遇与祝福会垂青所有美国人。等到了那一天，你总能看到我站在民主的最前线—为未来而战。如今我们继续我们的战斗，继续我们待完成的目标，怎么做呢，就让我收拾好精力与热情，凝聚我们的力量尽我们一切所能推举巴拉克?奥巴马成为 1

下界美国总统。

今天，在我停止竞选之际，我庆祝他获得的胜利，也为其献上的绝妙竞选而叫好。我支持他，倾全力支持他的胜利，同时我要求诸位和我一道为巴拉克?奥巴马努力争取，就像支持我一样支持他。

我们一起在参议院工作四年，竞选中和他打了16个月口水仗，然后接二连三地和他进行过22次辩论，我很了解他的竞选状态，同样也在他身上看到了力量与决心，优雅与胆识。巴拉克一生都在实现美国梦，从一个社区组织人做起，到国会参议院，再到美国参议员，每走下的一步都确保着梦的实现。这次竞选中，他鼓励很多人参与到民主进程中来，并激励他们为我们共同的将来出力献策。

说起来，我在一开始竞选的时候，目的只有一个，那就是赢回白宫，保证我们中走出一名总统，把我们的国家带回到和平，繁荣和发展的轨道上来。这就是我们为什么要力挺奥巴马2009年1月20日入主椭形办公室的原因。

我懂得，我们大家都知道这场战斗是多么艰难，民主党人亲如一家，现在是时候重修情意了，让我们联起手来，相聚在共同的理想和价值之下，相聚在深爱的祖国之下。

过去我们一度产生过分歧，但是今天，我们融合成了一个集体，朝向相同的方向前行，以一种以往所未曾见的团结一致来获得九月的胜利，改造我们的国家，毕竟我们经历的危险太多了。人民需要的是能实现美国梦的经济：努力工作的机会以及劳有所得，攒钱上大学，维持家庭，应对退休；负担得起汽油费和其他生活用品开支，并在月底有所结余。广泛接受的经济是能满足人民需求，保证人民生活富裕的经济。

人民需要一种普世的健康保障体系，高效不超出支付能力以外。这样，父母们就不必为自己和孩子的保险而犹豫不决了，也省去了为交保险费去做短工的麻烦。对我来说，这不单单是件事情，是热情，是理由，是斗争，斗争到每个美国人都享有保险，无一例外，没有借口。

人民需要一个充满真正意义上公平的美国，从人权到劳动权，从妇女权到同性恋权，从结束歧视到促进工会制，再到为我们的重中之重伸以援手，那就是爱护家庭。

我们都期望恢复美国在世界上的地位，结束伊拉克战争，再次以价值的力量领导全球，与我们的盟友一起面对来自贫穷，种族灭绝，恐怖主义和全球变暖的挑战。我直接或间接地参政议政已有已有四十年了。四十年里，国家选举产生过十位总统，其中民主党人只赢得了三次，今天那赢得两次胜利的人（译注：指丈夫克林顿）就在场。在这位民主党总统的领导下，90年代我们突飞猛进，经济空前繁荣，成功主导了世界的安全与和平，得到全世界的尊重。不难想象，我们在他的领导下，或许能做出更大的成绩。倒过来想，过去的七年中我们又丧失了多少机会，环境的，经济的，医疗健康的，公民权力的，还有教育和外交政策的，和立法的。或许我们能走的更远，能取得的更多，只要白宫里住上民主党人。

现在不能再与之失之交臂了，我们走的太远了，付出的也太多了。

不过面前的路并非坦途，有人会说，太难了做不到，还不够格。我要说的是，只要美国在地球还存在，说这种话的人就不配做美国人，真正的美国人将历经辛苦工作，坚韧的信心和开拓精神，不遗余力地跨域任何可能的疆域。

这种信念，这份乐观，激励了我和奥巴马；这种信念，这份乐观，激励了百万的你们，让支持的声音响彻太空。

所以今天，我和参议院奥巴马并肩站立，高喊：“我们能”

这次的竞选是一次转折，关键是我们需要知道真正的选择是什么，我们是要一往无前，还是却步不前，我们到底走了多远，竞选伊始，到处有人在问同样的问题：

一个女人能当司令吗？这个，我想大家给出了完美的答案。

那么一个美国黑人可以当上总统吗？参议员奥巴马给出了另一个完美的答案。

如今回想起来我过去，有人问我一个女人竞选总统会是什么样子，对此我的回答总是，竞选总统我感到很自豪，竞选总统是因为我会是最好的总统。不过最为女人，和千千万万的女人一样，我深知还存在好多障碍和偏见，很多都不被人察觉。

从今以后，可以骄傲地宣称，女人赢得初选胜利不可思议，女人最靠近党内候选人不可思议，女人能成为美国总统不可思议，事实上一切都可思议。今天我们相聚在这历史的庄严的大楼里，可知道现在已是第五十名女性在太空行走。如果能把50个女人送上太空，将来把一名女性送进白宫又有何难。

尽管这次我们没能把这个厚厚的，重重的紧箍咒打碎（译注：指限制女性职场发展的瓶颈(世界经理人博客http://blog.icxo.com)，这里做了归化处理），但是感谢大家，我已经看到了1800万个裂缝怎样的分裂着它，从未有这样一缕光照进来，照的我们充满希望，充满确信，相信这道光会越照越亮。美国的历史总是这样发展着的。

生命苦短，时间乃贵。付出却换来风险无数。让我们为着希望而努力，这就是为什么我全心全意确保奥巴马成为国家总统的原因，在此也希望你们能和我一起为他加油，为他争取。

看着你们，我从未如此感到幸福。竞选中遇到的挫折与万万千千的美国人民遇到的挫折相比算不得什么，所以今天我要细数我的祝福，并继续下去。离开镁光灯，做那个以前的我；离开公众的视野，做那个将来的我，努力给每个美国人带来我拥有过的机会，保证每个孩子都能茁壮成长，发挥自身潜力。

我将怀揣一颗感恩的心前行，怀揣一种对国家深深的爱而努力，怀揣一份自信乐观的态度迎接明日。现在我们是时候尽一切所能确保这次竞选另一位民主党人的名字可以出现在那四十年不遇的总统候选人名单中。同样，我们将再次收回我们的国家，带着对未来的期盼与承诺向前进！

谢谢大家，上帝保佑你们，保佑美国。

第三篇：希拉里退选演讲稿

Thank you so much.Thank you all.Well, this isn’t exactly the party I’d planned, but I sure like the company.I want to start today by saying how grateful I am to all of you to everyone who poured your hearts and your hopes into this campaign, who drove for miles and lined the streets waving homemade signs, who scrimped and saved to raise money, who knocked on doors and made calls, who talked and sometimes argued with your friends and neighbors, who emailed and contributed online, who invested so much in our common enterprise, to the moms and dads who came to our events, who lifted their little girls and little boys on their shoulders and whispered in their ears, See, you can be anything you want to be.To the young people like 13 year-old Ann Riddle from Mayfield, Ohio who had been saving for two years to go to Disney World, and decided to use her savings instead to travel to Pennsylvania with her Mom and volunteer there as well.To the veterans and the childhood friends, to New Yorkers and Arkansans who traveled across the country and telling anyone who would listen why you supported me.To all those women in their 80s and their 90s born before women could vote who cast their votes for our campaign.I’ve told you before about Florence Steen of South Dakota, who was 88 years old, and insisted that her daughter bring an absentee ballot to her hospice bedside.Her daughter and a friend put an American flag behind her bed and helped her fill out the ballot.She passed away soon after, and under state law, her ballot didn’t count.But her daughter later told a reporter.My dad ¡’s an ornery old cowboy, and he didn’t like it when he heard mom’s vote wouldn’t be counted.I don’t think he had voted in 20 years.But he voted in place of my mom.To all those who voted for me, and to whom I pledged my utmost, my commitment to you and to the progress we seek is unyielding.You have inspired and touched me with the stories of the joys and sorrows that make up the fabric of our lives and you have humbled me with your commitment to our country.million of you from all walks of life¨Cwomen and men,young

and

old，Latino

and

Asian, African-American and Caucasian, rich, poor and middle class,gay and straight¨Cyou have stood strong with me.And I will continue to stand strong with you,every time, every place,and every way that I can.The dreams we share are worth fighting for.Remember-we fought for the single mom with a young daughter, juggling work and school,who told me,¡°I¡¯m doing it all to better myself for her.¡±We fought for the woman who grabbed my hand, and asked me,¡°What are you going to do to make sure I have health care?¡±and began to cry because even though she works three jobs,she can¡¯t afford insurance.We fought for the young man in the Marine Corps t-shirt who waited months for medical care and said, ¡°Take care of my buddies over there and then, will you please help take care of me?¡± We fought for all those who¡¯ve lost jobs and health care,who can¡¯t afford gas or groceries or college, who have felt invisible to their president these last seven years.I entered this race because I have an old-fashioned conviction: that public service is about helping people solve their problems and live their dreams.I¡¯ve had every opportunity and blessing in my own life¨Cand I want the same for all Americans.Until that day comes,you will always find me on the front lines of democracy-fighting for the future.The way to continue our fight now¨Cto accomplish the goals for which we stand¨Cis to take our energy, our passion, our strength and do all we can to help elect Barack Obama the next President of the United States.Today,as I suspend my campaign,I congratulate him on the victory he has won and the extraordinary race he has run.I endorse him, and throw my full support behind him.And I ask all of you to join me in working as hard for Barack Obama as you have for me.I have served in the Senate with him for four years.I have been in this campaign with him for 16 months.I have stood on the stage and gone toe-to-toe with him in 22 debates.I have had a front row seat to his candidacy, and I have seen his strength and determination, his grace and his grit.In his own life, Barack Obama has lived the American Dream.As a community organizer,in the state senate,as a United States Senator-he has dedicated himself to ensuring the dream is realized.And in this campaign,he has inspired so many to become involved in the democratic process and invested in our common future.Now when I started this race,I intended to win back the White House,and make sure we have a president who puts our country back on the path to peace, prosperity, and progress.And that's exactly what we're going to do by ensuring that Barack Obama walks through the doors of the Oval Office on January 20,2009.I understand that we all know this has been a tough fight.The Democratic Party is a family, and it¡¯s now time to restore the ties that bind us together and to come together around the ideals we share, the values we cherish, and the country we love.We may have started on separate journeys¨Cbut today, our paths have merged.And we are all heading toward the same destination, united and more ready than ever to win in November and to turn our country around because so much is at stake.We all want an economy that sustains the American Dream, the opportunity to work hard and have that work rewarded, to save for college, a home and retirement, to afford that gas and those groceries and still have a little left over at the end of the month.An economy that lifts all of our people and ensures that our prosperity is broadly distributed and shared.We all want a health care system that is universal, high quality, and affordable so that parents no longer have to choose between care for themselves or their children or be stuck in dead end jobs simply to keep their insurance.This isn¡¯t just an issue for me¨Cit is a passion and a cause¨Cand it is a fight I will continue until every single American is insured¨Cno exceptions, no excuses.We all want an America defined by deep and meaningful equality¨C from civil rights to labor rights,from women¡¯s rights to gay rights, from ending discrimination to promoting unionization to providing help for the most important job there is: caring for our families.We all want to restore America¡¯s standing in the world,to end the war in Iraq and once again lead by the power of our values, and to join with our allies to confront our shared challenges from poverty and genocide to terrorism and global warming.You know,I¡¯ve been involved in politics and public life in one way or another for four decades.During those forty years, our country has voted ten times for President.Democrats won only three of those times.And the man who won two of those elections is with us today.We made tremendous progress during the 90s under a Democratic President, with a flourishing economy, and our leadership for peace and security respected around the world.Just think how much more progress we could have made over the past 40 years if we had a Democratic

president.Think

about

the

lost opportunities of these past seven years¨Con the environment and the economy, on health care and civil rights,on education, foreign policy and the Supreme Court.Imagine how far we could¡¯ve come, how much we could¡¯ve achieved if we had just had a Democrat in the White House.We cannot let this moment slip away.We have come too far and accomplished too much.Now the journey ahead will not be easy.Some will say we can¡¯t do it.That it¡¯s too hard.That we¡¯re just not up to the task.But for as long as America has existed, it has been the

American

way

to

reject¡°can¡¯t do¡±claims,and to choose instead to stretch the boundaries of the possible through hard work, determination, and a pioneering spirit.It is this belief,this optimism, that Senator Obama and I share, and that has inspired so many millions of our supporters to make their voices heard.So today,I am standing with Senator Obama to say: Yes we can.Together we will work.We¡¯ll have to work hard to get universal health care.But on the day we live in an America where no child, no man,and no woman is without health insurance, we will live in a stronger America.That¡¯s why we need to help elect Barack Obama our President.We¡¯ll have to work hard to get back to fiscal responsibility and a strong middle class.But on the day we live in an America whose middle class is thriving and growing again,where all Americans,no matter where they live or where their ancestors came from,can earn a decent living,we will live in a stronger America and that is why we must elect Barack Obama our President.We¡¯ll have to work hard to foster the innovation that makes us energy independent and lift the threat of global warming from our children¡¯s future.But on the day we live in an America fueled by renewable energy,we will live in a stronger America.That¡¯s why we have to help elect Barack Obama our President.We¡¯ll have to work hard to bring our troops home from Iraq,and get them the support they¡¯ve earned by their service.But on the day we live in an America that¡¯s as loyal to our troops as they have been to us, we will live in a stronger America and that is why we must help elect Barack Obama our President.This election is a turning point election and it is critical that we all understand what our choice really is.Will we go forward together or will we stall and slip backwards.Think how much progress we have already made.When we first started,people everywhere asked the same questions:Could a woman really serve as Commander-in-Chief? Well, I think we answered that one.And could an African American really be our President? Senator Obama has answered that one.Together Senator Obama and I achieved milestones essential to our progress as a nation,part of our perpetual duty to form a more perfect union.Now, on a personal note¨Cwhen I was asked what it means to be a woman running for President,I always gave the same answer:that I was proud to be running as a woman but I was running because I thought I¡¯d be the best President.But I am a woman,and like millions of women,I know there are still barriers and biases out there, often unconscious.I want to build an America that respects and embraces the potential of every last one of us.I ran as a daughter who benefited from opportunities my mother never dreamed of.I ran as a mother who worries about my daughter¡¯s future and a mother who wants to lead all children to brighter tomorrows.To build that future I see, we must make sure that women and men alike understand the struggles of their grandmothers and mothers,and that women enjoy equal opportunities,equal pay,and equal respect.Let us resolve and work toward achieving some very simple propositions:There are no acceptable limits and there are no acceptable prejudices in the twenty-first century.You can be so proud that,from now on,it will be unremarkable for a woman to win primary state victories,unremarkable to have a woman in a close race to be our nominee,unremarkable to think that a woman can be the President of the United States.And that is truly remarkable.To those who are disappointed that we couldn¡¯t go all the way¨C especially the young people who put so much into this campaign-it would break my heart if, in falling short of my goal,I in any way discouraged any of you from pursuing yours.Always aim high, work hard,and care deeply about what you believe in.When you stumble,keep faith.When you¡¯re knocked down,get right back up.And never listen to anyone who says you can¡¯t or shouldn¡¯t go on.As we gather here today in this historic magnificent building, the 50th woman to leave this Earth is orbiting overhead.If we can blast 50 women into space, we will someday launch a woman into the White House.Although we

weren¡¯t

able

to

shatter

that highest,hardest glass ceiling this time,thanks to you,it¡¯s got about 18 million cracks in it.And the light is shining through like never before, filling us all with the hope and the sure knowledge that the path will be a little easier next time.That has always been the history of progress in America.Think of the suffragists who gathered at Seneca Falls in 1848 and those who kept fighting until women could

cast

their

votes.Think

of

the abolitionists who struggled and died to see the end of slavery.Think

of the

civil

rights heroes

and foot-soldiers who marched protested and risked their lives to bring about the end to segregation and Jim Crow.Because of them, I grew up taking for granted that women could vote.Because of them, my daughter grew up taking for granted that children of all colors could go to school together.Because of them, Barack Obama and I could wage a hard fought campaign for the Democratic nomination.Because of them, and because of you, children today will grow up taking for granted that an African American or a woman can yes, become President of the United States.When that day arrives and a woman takes the oath of office as our President, we will all stand taller, proud of the values of our nation, proud that every little girl can dream and that her dreams can come true in America.And all of you will know that because of your passion and hard work you helped pave the way for that day.So I want to say to my supporters, when you hear people saying ¨C or think to yourself ¨C ¡°if only¡± or ¡°what if,¡± I say,¡°please don¡¯t go there.¡±

Every moment wasted looking back keeps us from moving forward.Life is too short, time is too precious, and the stakes are too high to dwell on what might have been.We have to work together for what still can be.And that is why I will work my heart out to make sure that Senator Obama is our next President.And I hope and pray that all of you will join me in that effort.To my supporters and colleagues in Congress, to the governors and mayors, elected officials who stood with me, in good times and in bad,thank you for your strength and leadership.To my friends in our labor unions who stood strong every step of the way ¨C I thank you and pledge my support to you.To my friends, from every stage of my life ¨C your love and ongoing commitments sustain me every single day.To my family ¨C especially Bill and Chelsea and my mother, you mean the world to me and I thank you for all you have done.And to my extraordinary staff, volunteers and supporters, thank you for working those long, hard hours.Thank you for dropping everything¨Cleaving work or school¨Ctraveling to places you¡¯d never been, sometimes for months on end.And thanks to your families as well because your sacrifice was theirs too.All of you were there for me every step of the way.Being human, we are imperfect.That¡¯s why we need each other.To catch each other when we falter.To encourage each other when we lose heart.Some may lead;others may follow;but none of us can go it alone.The changes we¡¯re working for are changes that we can only accomplish together.Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are rights that belong to each of us as individuals.But our lives,our freedom, our happiness,are best enjoyed,best protected, and best advanced when we do work together.That is what we will do now as we join forces with Senator Obama and his campaign.We will make history together as we write the next chapter in America¡¯s story.We will stand united for the values we hold dear, for the vision of progress we share, and for the country we love.There is nothing more American than that.And looking out at you today, I have never felt so blessed.The challenges that I have faced in this campaign are nothing compared to those that millions of Americans face every day in their own lives.So today, I¡¯m going to count my blessings and keep on going.I¡¯m going to keep doing what I was doing long before the cameras ever showed up and what I¡¯ll be doing long after they¡¯re gone: Working to give every American the same opportunities I had, and working to ensure that every child has the chance to grow up and achieve his or her God-given potential.I will do it with a heart filled with gratitude, with a deep and abiding love for our country¨C and with nothing but optimism and confidence for the days ahead.This is now our time to do all that we can to make sure that in this election we add another Democratic president to that very small list of the last 40 years and that we take back our country and once again move with progress and commitment to the future.Thank you all and God bless you and God bless America.

第四篇：希拉里的退选演说Hillary Clinton Endorsement Speech

希拉里的退选演说Hillary Clinton Endorsement Speech 6月7日，美国民主党总统竞选人希拉里在华盛顿正式宣布停止竞选，转而支持竞争对手奥巴马成为总统。希拉里的推选演说内容可圈可点，赢得阵阵掌声，虽然选举失败，但离开得仍然如同一个胜者。这篇演讲稿是难得的翻译素材。

Thank you very, very much.Well, this isn't exactly the party I'd planned, but I sure like the company.And I want to start today by saying how grateful I am to all of you, to everyone who poured your hearts and your hopes into this campaign, who drove for miles and lined the streets waving homemade signs, who scrimped and saved to raise money, who knocked on doors and made calls, who talked, sometimes argued with your friends and neighbors......who e-mailed and contributed online, who invested so much in our common enterprise, to the moms and dads who came to our events, who lifted their little girls and little boys on their shoulders and whispered in their ears, “See, you can be anything you want to be.” To the young people......like 13-year-old Anne Riddell(ph)from Mayfield, Ohio, who had been saving for two years to go to Disney World and decided to use her savings instead to travel to Pennsylvania with her mom and volunteer there, as well.To the veterans, to the childhood friends, to New Yorkers and Arkansans......who traveled across the country, telling anyone who would listen why you supported me.And to all of those women in their 80s and their 90s......born before women could vote, who cast their votes for our campaign.I've told you before about Florence Stein(ph)of South Dakota who was 88 years old and insisted that her daughter bring an absentee ballot to her hospice bedside.Her daughter and a friend put an American flag behind her bed and helped her fill out the ballot.She passed away soon after and, under state law, her ballot didn't count, but her daughter later told a reporter, “My dad's an ornery, old cowboy, and he didn't like it when he heard Mom's vote wouldn't be counted.I don't think he had voted in 20 years, but he voted in place of my mom.” So to all those who voted for me and to whom I pledged my utmost, my commitment to you and to the progress we seek is unyielding.You have inspired and touched me with the stories of the joys and sorrows that make up the fabric of our lives.And you have humbled me with your commitment to our country.Eighteen million of you, from all walks of life......women and men, young and old, Latino and Asian, African-American and Caucasian......rich, poor, and middle-class, gay and straight, you have stood with me.And I will continue to stand strong with you every time, every place, in every way that I can.The dreams we share are worth fighting for.Remember, we fought for the single mom with the young daughter, juggling work and school, who told me, “I'm doing it all to better myself for her.”

We fought for the woman who grabbed my hand and asked me, “What are you going to do to make sure I have health care?” and began to cry, because even though she works three jobs, she can't afford insurance.We fought for the young man in the Marine Corps t-shirt who waited months for medical care and said, “Take care of my buddies over there, and then will you please take care of me?”

We fought for all those who've lost jobs and health care, who can't afford gas or groceries or college, who have felt invisible to their president these last seven years.I entered this race because I have an old-fashioned conviction that public service is about helping people solve their problems and live their dreams.I've had every opportunity and blessing in my own life, and I want the same for all Americans.And until that day comes, you'll always find me on the front lines of democracy, fighting for the future.The way to continue our fight now, to accomplish the goals for which we stand is to take our energy, our passion, our strength, and do all we can to help elect Barack Obama, the next president of the United States.Today, as I suspend my campaign, I congratulate him on the victory he has won and the extraordinary race he has run.I endorse him and throw my full support behind him.And I ask all of you to join me in working as hard for Barack Obama as you have for me.I have served in the Senate with him for four years.I have been in this campaign with him for 16 months.I have stood on the stage and gone toe-to-toe with him in 22 debates.I've had a front-row seat to his candidacy, and I have seen his strength and determination, his grace and his grit.In his own life, Barack Obama has lived the American dream, as a community organizer, in the State Senate, as a United States senator.He has dedicated himself to ensuring the dream is realized.And in this campaign, he has inspired so many to become involved in the democratic process and invested in our common future.Now, when I started this race, I intended to win back the White House and make sure we have a president who puts our country back on the path to peace, prosperity and progress.And that's exactly what we're going to do, by ensuring that Barack Obama walks through the doors of the Oval Office on January 20, 2009.Now, I understand--I understand that we all know this has been a tough fight, but the Democratic Party is a family.And now it's time to restore the ties that bind us together and to come together around the ideals we share, the values we cherish, and the country we love.We may have started on separate journeys, but today our paths have merged.And we're all heading toward the same destination, united and more ready than ever to win in November and to turn our country around, because so much is at stake.We all want an economy that sustains the American dream, the opportunity to work hard and have that work rewarded, to save for college, a home and retirement, to afford that gas and those groceries, and still have a little left over at the end of the month, an economy that lifts all of our people and ensures that our prosperity is broadly distributed and shared.We all want a health care system that is universal, high-quality and affordable......so that parents don't have to choose between care for themselves or their children or be stuck in dead-end jobs simply to keep their insurance.This isn't just an issue for me.It is a passion and a cause, and it is a fight I will continue until every single American is insured, no exceptions and no excuses.We all want an America defined by deep and meaningful equality, from civil rights to labor rights, from women's rights to gay rights......from ending discrimination to promoting unionization, to providing help for the most important job there is: caring for our families.And we all want to restore America's standing in the world, to end the war in Iraq, and once again lead by the power of our values......and to join with our allies to confront our shared challenges, from poverty and genocide to terrorism and global warming.You know, I've been involved in politics and public life in one way or another for four decades.And during those...(APPLAUSE)

During those 40 years, our country has voted 10 times for president.Democrats won only three of those times, and the man who won two of those elections is with us today.(APPLAUSE)

We made tremendous progress during the '90s under a Democratic president, with a flourishing economy and our leadership for peace and security respected around the world.Just think how much more progress we could have made over the past 40 years if we'd had a Democratic president.Think about the lost opportunities of these past seven years on the environment and the economy, on health care and civil rights, on education, foreign policy and the Supreme Court.Imagine how far...(APPLAUSE)

...we could have come, how much we could have achieved if we had just had a Democrat in the White House.(APPLAUSE)

We cannot let this moment slip away.We have come too far and accomplished too much.Now, the journey ahead will not be easy.Some fwill say we can't do it, that it's too hard, we're just not up to the task.But for as long as America has existed, it has been the American way to reject can't-do claims and to choose instead to stretch the boundaries of the possible through hard work, determination, and a pioneering spirit.It is this belief, this optimism that Senator Obama and I share and that has inspired so many millions of our supporters to make their voices heard.So today I am standing with Senator Obama to say: Yes, we can!(APPLAUSE)

And that together we will work--we'll have to work hard to achieve universal health care.But on the day we live in an America where no child, no man, and no woman is without health insurance, we will live in a stronger America.That's why we need to help elect Barack Obama our president.(APPLAUSE)

We'll have to work hard to get back to fiscal responsibility and a strong middle class.But on the day we live in an America whose middle class is thriving and growing again, where all Americans, no matter where they live or where their ancestors came from, can earn a decent living, we will live in a stronger America.And that is why we must help elect Barack Obama our president.(APPLAUSE)

We'll have to work hard to foster the innovation that will make us energy independent and lift the threat of global warming from our children's future.But on the day we live in an America fueled by renewable energy, we will live in a stronger America.And that is why we have to help elect Barack Obama our president.(APPLAUSE)

We'll have to work hard to bring our troops home from Iraq and get them the support they've earned by their service.But on the day we live in an America that's as loyal to our troops as they have been to us, we will live in a stronger America.And that is why we must help elect Barack Obama our president.(APPLAUSE)

This election is a turning-point election.And it is critical that we all understand what our choice really is.Will we go forward together, or will we stall and slip backwards?

Now, think how much progress we've already made.When we first started, people everywhere asked the same questions.Could a woman really serve as commander-in-chief? Well, I think we answered that one.(APPLAUSE)

Could an African-American really be our president? And Senator Obama has answered that one.(APPLAUSE)

Together, Senator Obama and I achieved milestones essential to our progress as a nation, part of our perpetual duty to form a more perfect union.Now, on a personal note, when I was asked what it means to be a woman running for president, I always gave the same answer, that I was proud to be running as a woman, but I was running because I thought I'd be the best president.But...(APPLAUSE)

But I am a woman and, like millions of women, I know there are still barriers and biases out there, often unconscious, and I want to build an America that respects and embraces the potential of every last one of us.(APPLAUSE)

I ran as a daughter who benefited from opportunities my mother never dreamed of.I ran as a mother who worries about my daughter's future and a mother who wants to leave all children brighter tomorrows.To build that future I see, we must make sure that women and men alike understand the struggles of their grandmothers and their mothers, and that women enjoy equal opportunities, equal pay, and equal respect.(APPLAUSE)Let us...(APPLAUSE)

Let us resolve and work toward achieving very simple propositions: There are no acceptable limits, and there are no acceptable prejudices in the 21st century in our country.(APPLAUSE)

You can be so proud that, from now on, it will be unremarkable for a woman to win primary state victories...(APPLAUSE)

...unremarkable to have a woman in a close race to be our nominee, unremarkable to think that a woman can be the president of the United States.And that is truly remarkable, my friends.(APPLAUSE)

To those who are disappointed that we couldn't go all of the way, especially the young people who put so much into this campaign, it would break my heart if, in falling short of my goal, I in any way discouraged any of you from pursuing yours.Always aim high, work hard, and care deeply about what you believe in.And, when you stumble, keep faith.And, when you're knocked down, get right back up and never listen to anyone who says you can't or shouldn't go on.(APPLAUSE)

As we gather here today in this historic, magnificent building, the 50th woman to leave this Earth is orbiting overhead.If we can blast 50 women into space, we will someday launch a woman into the White House.(APPLAUSE)

Although we weren't able to shatter that highest, hardest glass ceiling this time, thanks to you, it's got about 18 million cracks in it...(APPLAUSE)

...and the light is shining through like never before, filling us all with the hope and the sure knowledge that the path will be a little easier next time.That has always been the history of progress in America.Think of the suffragists who gathered at Seneca Falls in 1848 and those who kept fighting until women could cast their votes.Think of the abolitionists who struggled and died to see the end of slavery.Think of the civil rights heroes and foot soldiers who marched, protested, and risked their lives to bring about the end of segregation and Jim Crow.(APPLAUSE)

Because of them, I grew up taking for granted that women could vote and, because of them, my daughter grew up taking for granted that children of all colors could go to school together.Because of them, Barack Obama and I could wage a hard-fought campaign for the Democratic nomination.Because of them and because of you, children today will grow up taking for granted that an African-American or a woman can, yes, become the president of the United States.And so...(APPLAUSE)

...when that day arrives, and a woman takes the oath of office as our president, we will all stand taller, proud of the values of our nation, proud that every little girl can dream big and that her dreams can come true in America.And all of you will know that, because of your passion and hard work, you helped pave the way for that day.So I want to say to my supporters: When you hear people saying or think to yourself, “If only, or, ”What if," I say, please, don't go there.Every moment wasted looking back keeps us from moving forward.(APPLAUSE)

Life is too short, time is too precious, and the stakes are too high to dwell on what might have been.We have to work together for what still can be.And that is why I will work my heart out to make sure that Senator Obama is our next president.(APPLAUSE)

And I hope and pray that all of you will join me in that effort.(APPLAUSE)

To my supporters and colleagues in Congress, to the governors and mayors, elected officials who stood with me in good times and bad, thank you for your strength and leadership.To my friends in our labor unions who stood strong every step of the way, I thank you and pledge my support to you.To my friends from every stage of my life, your love and ongoing commitment sustained me every single day.To my family, especially Bill and Chelsea and my mother, you mean the world to me, and I thank you for all you have done.(APPLAUSE)

And to my extraordinary staff, volunteers and supporters...(APPLAUSE)

...thank you for working those long, hard hours.Thank you for dropping everything, leaving work or school, traveling to places that you've never been, sometimes for months on end.And thanks to your families, as well, because your sacrifice was theirs, too.All of you were there for me every step of the way.Now, being human, we are imperfect.That's why we need each other, to catch each other when we falter, to encourage each other when we lose heart.Some may lead, some may follow, but none of us can go it alone.The changes we're working for are changes that we can only accomplish together.Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are rights that belong to us as individuals.But our lives, our freedom, our happiness are best enjoyed, best protected, and best advanced when we do work together.That is what we will do now, as we join forces with Senator Obama and his campaign.We will make history together, as we write the next chapter in America's story.We will stand united for the values we hold dear, for the vision of progress we share, and for the country we love.There is nothing more American than that.And looking out at you today, I have never felt so blessed.The challenges that I have faced in this campaign...(APPLAUSE)

...are nothing compared to those that millions of Americans face every day in their own lives.So today I'm going to count my blessings and keep on going.I'm going to keep doing what I was doing long before the cameras ever showed up and what I'll be doing long after they're gone: working to give every American the same opportunities I had and working to ensure that every child has the chance to grow up and achieve his or her God-given potential.I will do it with a heart filled with gratitude, with a deep and abiding love for our country, and with nothing but optimism and confidence for the days ahead.This is now our time to do all that we can to make sure that, in this election, we add another Democratic president to that very small list of the last 40 years and that we take back our country and once again move with progress and commitment to the future.Thank you all.And God bless you, and God bless America.(APPLAUSE)全文完

这是一篇极出色的演说，内容可圈可点，给人留下深刻印象。

一般来说，这种承认自己失败的演说，很难讲好，既不能流露出对对手的怨恨，又不能让自己显得灰溜溜。何况希拉里确实有理由不服：几乎所有的大州都是她赢，奥巴马赢的都是小州，而且在最后9个州里，希拉里赢了6个。再加上，希拉里的性格很要强，所以演说的难度可想而知。

但是实际情况是，她最后足足讲了30分钟，期间有几十次的掌声和欢呼，尽管是退出选举，但是仍然像一个胜利者一样。

第五篇：英文版的希拉里退选演讲稿

Thank you.Thank you.Thank you, so much.Thank you, all.Thank you very, very much.Well--Well, this isn't exactly the party I'd planned, but I sure like the company.And I want to start today by saying how grateful I am to all of you, to everyone who poured your hearts and your hopes into this campaign, who drove for miles and lined the streets waving homemade signs, who scrimped and saved to raise money, who knocked on doors and made calls, who talked, sometimes argued with your friends and neighbors, who e-mailed and contributed online, who invested so much in our common enterprise, to the moms and dads who came to our events, who lifted their little girls and little boys on their shoulders and whispered in their ears, “See, you can be anything you want to be.”

To the young people like 13-year-old Anne Riddell from Mayfield, Ohio, who had been saving for two years to go to Disney World and decided to use her savings instead to travel to Pennsylvania with her mom and volunteer there, as well.To the veterans, to the childhood friends, to New Yorkers and Arkansans who traveled across the country, telling anyone who would listen why you supported me.And to all of those women in their 80s and their 90s born before women could vote, who cast their votes for our campaign.I've told you before about Florence Stein of South Dakota who was 88 years old and insisted that her daughter bring an absentee ballot to her hospice bedside.Her daughter and a friend put an American flag behind her bed and helped her fill out the ballot.She passed away soon after and, under state law, her ballot didn't count, but her daughter later told a reporter, “My dad's an ornery, old cowboy, and he didn't like it when he heard Mom's vote wouldn't be counted.I don't think he had voted in 20 years, but he voted in place of my mom.”

So to all those who voted for me and to whom I pledged my utmost, my commitment to you and to the progress we seek is unyielding.You have inspired and touched me with the stories of the joys and sorrows that make up the fabric of our lives.And you have humbled me with your commitment to our country.Eighteen million of you, from all walks of life--women and men, young and old, Latino and Asian, African-American and Caucasian, rich, poor, and middle-class, gay and straight, you have stood with me.And I will continue to stand strong with you every time, every place, in every way that I can.The dreams we share are worth fighting for.Remember, we fought for the single mom with the young daughter, juggling work and school, who told me, “I'm doing it all to better myself for her.” We fought for the woman who grabbed my hand and asked me, “What are you going to do to make sure I have health care?” and began to cry, because even though she works three jobs, she can't afford insurance.We fought for the young man in the Marine Corps t-shirt who waited months for medical care and said, “Take care of my buddies over there, and then will you please take care of me?” We fought for all those who've lost jobs and health care, who can't afford gas or groceries or college, who have felt invisible to their President these last seven years.I entered this race because I have an old-fashioned conviction that public service is about helping people solve their problems and live their dreams.I've had every opportunity and blessing in my own life, and I want the same for all Americans.And until that day comes, you'll always find me on the front lines of democracy, fighting for the future.The way to continue our fight now, to accomplish the goals for which we stand is to take our energy, our passion, our strength, and do all we can to help elect Barack Obama, the next President of the United States.Today, as I suspend my campaign, I congratulate him on the victory he has won and the extraordinary race he has run.I endorse him and throw my full support behind him.And I ask all of you to join me in working as hard for Barack Obama as you have for me.I have served in the Senate with him for four years.I have been in this campaign with him for 16 months.I have stood on the stage and gone toe-to-toe with him in 22 debates.I've had a front-row seat to his candidacy, and I have seen his strength and determination, his grace and his grit.In his own life, Barack Obama has lived the American dream, as a community organizer, in the State Senate, as a United States senator.He has dedicated himself to ensuring the dream is realized.And in this campaign, he has inspired so many to become involved in the democratic process and invested in our common future.Now, when I started this race, I intended to win back the White House and make sure we have a President who puts our country back on the path to peace, prosperity and progress.And that's exactly what we're going to do, by ensuring that Barack Obama walks through the doors of the Oval Office on January 20, 2009.Now, I understand--I understand that we all know this has been a tough fight, but the Democratic Party is a family.And now it's time to restore the ties that bind us together and to come together around the ideals we share, the values we cherish, and the country we love.We may have started on separate journeys, but today our paths have merged.And we're all heading toward the same destination, united and more ready than ever to win in November and to turn our country around, because so much is at stake.We all want an economy that sustains the American dream, the opportunity to work hard and have that work rewarded, to save for college, a home and retirement, to afford that gas and those groceries, and still have a little left over at the end of the month, an economy that lifts all of our people and ensures that our prosperity is broadly distributed and shared.We all want a health care system that is universal, high-quality and affordable, so that parents don't have to choose between care for themselves or their children or be stuck in dead-end jobs simply to keep their insurance.This isn't just an issue for me.It is a passion and a cause, and it is a fight I will continue until every single American is insured, no exceptions and no excuses.We all want an America defined by deep and meaningful equality, from civil rights to labor rights, from women's rights to gay rights from ending discrimination to promoting unionization, to providing help for the most important job there is: caring for our families.And we all want to restore America's standing in the world, to end the war in Iraq, and once again lead by the power of our values and to join with our allies to confront our shared challenges, from poverty and genocide to terrorism and global warming.You know, I've been involved in politics and public life in one way or another for four decades.And during those--during those 40 years, our country has voted 10 times for President.Democrats won only three of those times, and the man who won two of those elections is with us today.We made tremendous progress during the '90s under a Democratic President, with a flourishing economy and our leadership for peace and security respected around the world.Just think how much more progress we could have made over the past 40 years if we'd had a Democratic President.Think about the lost opportunities of these past seven years on the environment and the economy, on health care and civil rights, on education, foreign policy and the Supreme Court.Imagine how far we could have come, how much we could have achieved if we had just had a Democrat in the White House.We cannot let this moment slip away.We have come too far and accomplished too much.Now, the journey ahead will not be easy.Some will say we can't do it, that it's too hard, we're just not up to the task.But for as long as America has existed, it has been the American way to reject can't-do claims and to choose instead to stretch the boundaries of the possible through hard work, determination, and a pioneering spirit.It is this belief, this optimism that Senator Obama and I share and that has inspired so many millions of our supporters to make their voices heard.So today I am standing with Senator Obama to say: Yes, we can!

And that together we will work--we'll have to work hard to achieve universal health care.But on the day we live in an America where no child, no man, and no woman is without health insurance, we will live in a stronger America.That's why we need to help elect Barack Obama our President.We'll have to work hard to get back to fiscal responsibility and a strong middle class.But on the day we live in an America whose middle class is thriving and growing again, where all Americans, no matter where they live or where their ancestors came from, can earn a decent living, we will live in a stronger America.And that is why we must help elect Barack Obama our President.We'll have to work hard to foster the innovation that will make us energy independent and lift the threat of global warming from our children's future.But on the day we live in an America fueled by renewable energy, we will live in a stronger America.And that is why we have to help elect Barack Obama our President.We'll have to work hard to bring our troops home from Iraq and get them the support they've earned by their service.But on the day we live in an America that's as loyal to our troops as they have been to us, we will live in a stronger America.And that is why we must help elect Barack Obama our President.This election is a turning-point election.And it is critical that we all understand what our choice really is.Will we go forward together, or will we stall and slip backwards?

Now, think how much progress we've already made.When we first started, people everywhere asked the same questions.Could a woman really serve as commander-in-chief? Well, I think we answered that one.Could an African-American really be our President? And Senator Obama has answered that one.Together, Senator Obama and I achieved milestones essential to our progress as a nation, part of our perpetual duty to form a more perfect union.Now, on a personal note, when I was asked what it means to be a woman running for President, I always gave the same answer, that I was proud to be running as a woman, but I was running because I thought I'd be the best President.But--But I am a woman and, like millions of women, I know there are still barriers and biases out there, often unconscious, and I want to build an America that respects and embraces the potential of every last one of us.I ran as a daughter who benefited from opportunities my mother never dreamed of.I ran as a mother who worries about my daughter's future and a mother who wants to leave all children brighter tomorrows.To build that future I see, we must make sure that women and men alike understand the struggles of their grandmothers and their mothers, and that women enjoy equal opportunities, equal pay, and equal respect.Let us--Let us resolve and work toward achieving very simple propositions: There are no acceptable limits, and there are no acceptable prejudices in the 21st century in our country.You can be so proud that, from now on, it will be unremarkable for a woman to win primary state victories;unremarkable to have a woman in a close race to be our nominee;unremarkable to think that a woman can be the President of the United States--and that is truly remarkable, my friends.To those who are disappointed that we couldn't go all of the way, especially the young people who put so much into this campaign, it would break my heart if, in falling short of my goal, I in any way discouraged any of you from pursuing yours.Always aim high, work hard, and care deeply about what you believe in.And, when you stumble, keep faith.And, when you're knocked down, get right back up and never listen to anyone who says you can't or shouldn't go on.As we gather here today in this historic, magnificent building, the 50th woman to leave this Earth is orbiting overhead.If we can blast 50 women into space, we will someday launch a woman into the White House.Although we weren't able to shatter that highest, hardest glass ceiling this time, thanks to you, it's got about 18 million cracks in it, and the light is shining through like never before, filling us all with the hope and the sure knowledge that the path will be a little easier next time.That has always been the history of progress in America.Think of the suffragists who gathered at Seneca Falls in 1848 and those who kept fighting until women could cast their votes.Think of the abolitionists who struggled and died to see the end of slavery.Think of the civil rights heroes and foot soldiers who marched, protested, and risked their lives to bring about the end of segregation and Jim Crow.Because of them, I grew up taking for granted that women could vote and, because of them, my daughter grew up taking for granted that children of all colors could go to school together.Because of them, Barack Obama and I could wage a hard-fought campaign for the Democratic nomination.Because of them and because of you, children today will grow up taking for granted that an African-American or a woman can, yes, become the President of the United States.And so when that day arrives, and a woman takes the oath of office as our President, we will all stand taller, proud of the values of our nation, proud that every little girl can dream big and that her dreams can come true in America.And all of you will know that, because of your passion and hard work, you helped pave the way for that day.So I want to say to my supporters: When you hear people saying or think to yourself, “If only, or, ”What if," I say, please, don't go there.Every moment wasted looking back keeps us from moving forward.Life is too short, time is too precious, and the stakes are too high to dwell on what might have been.We have to work together for what still can be.And that is why I will work my heart out to make sure that Senator Obama is our next President.And I hope and pray that all of you will join me in that effort.To my supporters and colleagues in Congress, to the governors and mayors, elected officials who stood with me in good times and bad, thank you for your strength and leadership.To my friends in our labor unions who stood strong every step of the way, I thank you and pledge my support to you.To my friends from every stage of my life, your love and ongoing commitment sustained me every single day.To my family, especially Bill and Chelsea and my mother, you mean the world to me, and I thank you for all you have done.And to my extraordinary staff, volunteers and supporters, thank you for working those long, hard hours.Thank you for dropping everything, leaving work or school, traveling to places that you've never been, sometimes for months on end.And thanks to your families, as well, because your sacrifice was theirs, too.All of you were there for me every step of the way.Now, being human, we are imperfect.That's why we need each other, to catch each other when we falter, to encourage each other when we lose heart.Some may lead, some may follow, but none of us can go it alone.The changes we're working for are changes that we can only accomplish together.Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are rights that belong to us as individuals.But our lives, our freedom, our happiness are best enjoyed, best protected, and best advanced when we do work together.That is what we will do now, as we join forces with Senator Obama and his campaign.We will make history together, as we write the next chapter in America's story.We will stand united for the values we hold dear, for the vision of progress we share, and for the country we love.There is nothing more American than that.And looking out at you today, I have never felt so blessed.The challenges that I have faced in this campaign are nothing compared to those that millions of Americans face every day in their own lives.So today I'm going to count my blessings and keep on going.I'm going to keep doing what I was doing long before the cameras ever showed up and what I'll be doing long after they're gone: working to give every American the same opportunities I had and working to ensure that every child has the chance to grow up and achieve his or her God-given potential.I will do it with a heart filled with gratitude, with a deep and dividing love for our country, and with nothing but optimism and confidence for the days ahead.This is now our time to do all that we can to make sure that, in this election, we add another Democratic President to that very small list of the last 40 years and that we take back our country and once again move with progress and commitment to the future.Thank you all.And God bless you, and God bless America.