美国总统奥巴马的就职演说词

第一篇：美国总统奥巴马的就职演说词

美国总统奥巴马的就职演说词

让全世界一起分享美国的光荣与梦想

美利坚合众国第44任总统 奥巴马

美利坚合众国的各位公民：

今天，我作为一名美国普通公民站在这里，向你们宣誓，就任美利坚合众国的总统，担负起宪法规定的职权和义务。此时此刻，我像你们一样会想起另一个普通的美国公民，马丁.路德.金，令我们自豪的是，现在，肤色和种族的多样性已经成为美国的财富，人生来平等正在成为现实，我们不要对国家抱怨什么，只要对这个国家和人民有足够的热爱以及坚强的信念，谁都可以担当重任。现在，我相信你们最兴奋的不是产生了一位新的美国总统，而是沐浴在万能的上帝和这个伟大国家的光荣和梦想的圣光里。这束高洁尊贵的圣光像上帝的声音一样穿越了历史和未来，并普照在每一个美国公民的内心。如果他们愿意，我们也愿意与全世界人民一起分享这一个庄严而温暖的时刻。我想告诉他们的是，这是全世界的胜利。很多年以前，我的父辈从非洲大陆出发，带着一颗单纯的心来到美国寻找梦想。我仿佛还能看到他们走过的清晰的执着的漫长的道路。那是通往梦想的路，虽然艰苦而且并不充满诗意，但它却激励他们把非洲和美国都当成自己的祖国。上帝和我的父母选择美国作为我的出生地，美国就是我的全部。我愿意承担起宪法赋予我的一切。

自由、民主和保护人权是美国与生俱来的责任。我愿意为承担责任而奉献我的全部，因为那是我为什么要竞选美国总统的唯一理由。我的梦想是像其他美国总统一样因为保护美国和美国公民功勋卓越而名垂青史。但美国不是永远都是美好的代名词。美国不能因为是世界上最强大的国家而沾沾自喜，蒙蔽我们眼睛的不是慌言而是麻痹。面对我们知道的和无法预知的挑战，美国必须改变。现在，干扰我们梦想的不是梦想本身，而是安全、信心和对价值观的怀疑。我们所要做的一切就是让美国自信起来。我们必须像平息飓风一样平息金融危机，重建美国的金融和经济秩序，恢复美国公民对国家的信任。我们还必须改变贸易政策，使美国在与世界各国的贸易往来中获得更大利益。国家必须像保护国土安全那样竭尽所能确保能源安全。反对恐怖活动就是保护我们自己，美利坚合众国必须动用一切力量与一切邪恶战斗。但我们更热爱和平，武力不是唯一的办法。美国不要害怕付出太多而回报太少，更不能因此动摇对世界和平的信念和责任。在这里我不得不提到，我们将要从伊拉克撤出军队，这并不说明我们害怕战争，相反，那是因为我们对美国价值观坚定不移的坚持而作出的正确选择。我们还认识到，美国的命运与世界各国紧密相连，帮助和依靠我们的盟友，团结和与友好国家、组织一起努力，是解决动荡、威胁、环境、疾病、灾害和贫困等等问题的重要方法。我们的外交必须是在不断解决世界性的重大问题中体现美国的利益并体现各国平等。北大西洋公约组织对美国至关重要，扩大这个组织并使之更强大是维护世界和平、遏制霸权和独裁专制的有力震胁力量。我们要尊重并努力加强联合国的权威。因为在这个机构中，寄托着我们最美好的梦想，即使是最弱小的国家发出的声音也能让全世界听到并得到尊重，并且让它们

平等地参与世界事务。美国支持和推动联合国的有效改革，支持世界各国推行民主、自由的价值观和政策以及它们为保障人权所作的一切努力。美国是世界的，我们愿意与世界一起分享美国的光荣与梦想。当然，美国将会从人类的文明与进步中获得更大的喜悦和成功。我，奥巴马，美利坚合众国第44任总统，以上帝和《宪法》的名义向你们保证，美国是我的生命，我将全力以赴地爱她，爱她的一切！

2008年11月3日中午

第二篇：奥巴马就职演说词

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given.It must be earned.Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less.It has not been the path for the faint-heartedsome celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.再次肯定我们国家的伟大，我们了解伟大绝非赐予而来，必须努力达成。我们的旅程从来就不是抄捷径或很容易就满足。这条路一直都不是给 不勇敢的人走的，那些偏好逸乐胜过工作，或者只想追求名利就满足的人。恰恰相反，走这条路的始终是勇于冒险的人，做事的人，成事的人，其中有些人很出名，但更常见的是在各自岗位上的男男女女无名英雄，在这条漫长崎区的道路上支撑我们，迈向繁荣与自由。

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.为了我们，他们携带很少的家当，远渡重洋，追寻新生活。

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West;endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.为了我们，他们胼手胝足，在西部安顿下来；忍受风吹雨打，筚路蓝缕。

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg;Normandy and Khe Sanh.为了我们，他们奋斗不懈，在康科特和盖茨堡，诺曼地和溪山等地葬身。

Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life.They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions;greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.前人不断的奋斗与牺牲，直到双手皮开肉绽，我们才能享有比较好的生活。他们将美国视为大于所有个人企图心总和的整体，超越出身、财富 或小圈圈的差异。

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics.Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our landthey will be met.今天我要告诉各位，我们面临的挑战是真的，挑战非常严重，且不在少数。它们不是可以轻易，或在短时间内解决。但是，美国要了解，这些 挑战会被解决。

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.在这一天，我们聚在一起，因为我们选择希望而非恐惧，有意义的团结而非纷争和不合。

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the

recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.在这一天，我们来此宣示，那些无用的抱怨和虚伪的承诺已终结，那些扭曲我们政治已久的相互指控和陈旧教条已终结。We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things.The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit;to choose our better history;to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.我们仍是个年轻的国家，但借用圣经的话，摆脱幼稚事物的时刻到来了，重申我们坚忍精神的时刻到来了，选择我们更好的历史，实践那种代 代传承的珍贵权利，那种高贵的理念：就是上帝的应许，我们每个人都是平等的，每个人都是自由的，每个人都应该有机会追求全然的幸福。

第三篇：美国总统奥巴马就职演讲稿

美国总统奥巴马就职演讲稿

Hello，芝加哥。

美国是一个一切皆有可能的地方，如果还有人对这一点心存怀疑，如果还有人怀疑美国奠基者的梦想在我们时代是否还有活力，还有人怀疑我们民主制度的力量，那么，你们今晚正是对那些疑问作出了回答。

在学校和教堂周围所出现的前所未有的长队是答案，这个国家从未见过这么多的人前来投票，人们排三个、四个小时的队来进行有生以来的第一次投票，因为他们相信这一次将会不同，他们发出的声音可能就是那个差别。

这是一个年轻人和年老人、富人和穷人、民主党人和共和党人、黑人、白人、西班牙裔人、亚裔、印第安人、同性恋和异性恋、残障人士和健全人士所作出的回答。美国人向世界发出一个信息：我们从不只是一些个人的累加或者“红色州”和“蓝色州”的累加。

我们是，我们永远是美利坚合众国。

这是一个引导人们的答案，太多的人在很长的时间内给他们说这个答案，以至于他们对此持愤世疾俗的态度，对我们是否可以再一次把握历史的希望感到担心和怀疑。已经过去了很长时间，但是今晚，由于我们今天在这场选举所采取的行动，在这个决定性的时候，变革来到了美国。

今晚早些时候，我接到来自参议员麦凯恩的一个特别有风度的电话。麦凯恩在这场选战中进行了长期和艰苦的努力，他为这个他所爱的国家战斗了更长的时间，作出了更艰苦的努力。他为美国承受了我们中的大多数人无法想像的牺牲。由于这位勇敢和无私领导人的服务，我们的生活变得更好。

我向他表示祝贺，我向佩林州长表示祝贺，向他们所取得的成果表示祝贺，我盼望与他们共事以继续这个国家在未来岁月的承诺。

我想感谢我在竞选旅程的伙伴，一位用心竞选的男士，一位为和他一起在斯克兰顿街头一同长大的男人和女子代言、经常坐火车回特拉华州的男士，美国当选副总统拜登。

如果没有我过去16年最好的朋友、我们家庭的中坚、我生命中的挚爱，我今天晚上不可能站在这里，美国下一位第一夫人米歇尔-奥巴马。

萨沙和马莉娅，我爱你们，我对你们的爱超出了你们的想象。你们已赢得了新的宠物狗，它将和我们一起前往新的白宫。

尽管她没能和我们在一起，但我知道，我的祖母和养大我的家人在看着我，我今晚很想念他们，我知道我欠他们的东西是无法计量的。我的妹妹马娅、我的姐姐奥玛，我其他的兄弟和姐妹，非常感谢你们对我的支持，我感谢他们。我的竞选经理大卫-普劳夫，这位竞选活动的无名英雄，他进行了最好的政治竞选活动，我认为这是美国历史上最棒的。我的首席策略师大卫-艾克斯罗德，他一直是追随我的伙伴。你们组建了政治史上最好的竞选团队，是你们成就了今天，我永远感谢你们为此所作出的牺牲。

但最重要的是，我永远不会忘记这场胜利真正属于谁，它属于你们，它属于你们。

我从来不是最有可能获得这一职务的候选人。我们刚开始并没有太多资金，也没有得到许多人的支持。我们的竞选活动并非始自华盛顿的大厅里，而是始于得梅因、康科德、查尔斯顿这些地方的普通民众家中。那些辛勤工作的人们从自己微薄的储蓄中捐出5美元、10美元、20美元。竞选活动因为年轻人的支持而越来越有声势，他们拒绝了他们那一代对政治不感兴趣的神话，他们离开家，从事那些薪水少而且辛苦的工作。竞选活动的声势也来自那些已不再年轻的人们，他们冒着严寒酷暑，敲开陌生人的家门进行竞选宣传；竞选声势也源自数百万的美国民众，他们充当志愿者和组织者，他们证明了在两百多年以后，民有、民治、民享的政府并未从地球上消失。这是你们的胜利。

我知道你们的所做的一切并不只是为了赢得选举，我也知道你们做这一切并不是为了我。你们这样做是因为你们明白前面的任务有多么艰巨。即便我们今晚欢呼庆祝，我们也知道明天将面临我们一生之中最艰难的挑战——两场战争、一个面临危险的星球，一个世纪以来最严重的金融危机。

就在我们今晚站在这里的时刻，我们知道勇敢的美国士兵在伊拉克的沙漠里和阿富汗的群山中醒来，他们冒着生命危险来保护着我们的生命。仍有在孩子熟睡后仍难以入眠的父母，他们担心如何偿还按揭月供、付医药费或是存够钱让孩子上大学。我们需要开发新的能源、创造新的工作岗位，我们需要修建新学校，应对众多威胁、修复与许多国家的盟友关系。

前方的道路将很漫长，我们攀登的脚步会很艰辛。我们可能无法在一年甚至一个任期内实现这些目标，但我从未像今晚这样满怀希望，我们将实现我们的目标。我向你们承诺——我们作为一个整体将会达成目标。

我们会遭遇挫折和不成功的起步。我作为总统所做的每项决定或政策，会有许多人持有异议，我们也知道，政府不能解决所有问题。但我将总是会向你们坦陈我们所面临的挑战。我会听取你们的意见，尤其是存在不同意见的时候。最重要的是，我会请求你们参与重建这个国家，以美国221年来从未改变的唯一方式-一砖一瓦、同心协力。

21个月前在寒冬所开始的一切不应当在今天这个秋夜结束。今天的选举胜利并不是我们所寻求的改变--这只是我们进行改变的机会。如果我们仍然按照过去的方式行事，我们所寻求的改变将不会发生。没有你们，没有服务和牺牲的新精神，就不可能发生改变。

因此，让我们发扬新的爱国和负责精神，所有的人都下定决心参与其中，更加努力地工作，不仅是为自己而是为彼此。让我们记住这一点，如果说这场金融危机教会了我们什么东西的话，那就是我们不可能在金融以外的领域处于困境的同时拥有繁荣兴旺的华尔街。

在这个国家，我们患难与共。让我们抵制重走老路的诱惑，避免重新回到令美国政治长期深受毒害的党派纷争、小题大作、不成熟的表现。让我们记住，是伊利诺伊州的一名男子首次将共和党的旗帜扛到了白宫。共和党是建立在自立、个人自由以及国家团结的价值观之上的。这也是我们所有人共同的价值观。虽然民主党今天晚上赢得了巨大的胜利，但我们是以谦卑的态度和弥合阻碍我们进步的分歧的决心赢得这场胜利的。林肯在向远比我们眼下分歧更大的国家发表讲话时说，我们不是敌人，而是朋友……虽然激情可能会褪去，但这不会割断我们感情上的联系。对于那些现在没有投票给我的美国人，我想说，我可能没有赢得你们的选票，但是我听到了你们的声音，我需要你们的帮助，而且我也将是你们的总统。

对于那些彻夜关注美国大选的海外人士，从国会到皇宫，以及在被遗忘的角落里挤在收音机旁的人们，我们的经历虽然各有不同，但是我们的命运是一样的，新的美国领导层已产生了。

那些想要颠覆这个世界的人们，我们将击败你们。那些追求和平和安全的人们，我们支持你们。那些所有怀疑美国的灯塔能否能像以前一样明亮的人们，今天晚上我们再次证明，我们国家真正的力量并非来自我们武器的威力或财富的规模，而是来自我们理想的持久力量：民主、自由、机会、不屈服的希望。

这才是美国真正的精华——美国能够改变。我们的联邦会日渐完美。我们现在已取得的成就为我们将来能够取得和必须取得的成就增添了希望。

这次大选创造了多项第一，也诞生了很多将世代流传的故事。但是今天晚上令我难忘的却是在亚特兰大投票的一名妇女：安-尼克松-库波尔。她和其他数百万排队等待投票的选民没有什么差别，除了一点：她已是106岁的高龄。

她出生的那个时代奴隶制度刚刚结束；那时路上没有汽车，天上也没有飞机。当时像她这样的人由于两个原因不能投票，首先她是女性，其次她是黑人。

今天晚上，我想到了她在美国过去一百年间所经历的种种：心痛和希望；斗争和进步；在那里时代，我们被告知我们办不到，一些人继续坚信着美国的信念──是的，我们能做到。

妇女当时没有投票权，她们的希望被挫败，但是安-尼克松-库波尔活着看到妇女们站了起来，看到她们站出来发表自己的见解，看到她们参加大选投票。是的，我们能做到。

当30年代的沙尘暴和大萧条使人们感到绝望时，她看到一个国家用新政、新的就业机会以及对新目标的共同追求战胜恐慌。是的，我们能做到。

当炸弹袭击了我们的港口、暴政威胁到全世界，她见证了一代美国人的伟大崛起，见证了一个民主国家获得拯救。是的，我们能做到。

她看到蒙哥马利通了公共汽车、伯明翰接上了水管、塞尔马建了桥，一位来自亚特兰大的传教士告诉人们：“我们将克服阻力。”是的，我们能做到。

人类登上月球、柏林墙倒下，世界被我们的科学和想像被连接在一起。今年，在这场选举中，她用手指触摸屏幕投下自己的选票，因为在美国生活了106年之后，经历了最好的时光和最黑暗的时刻之后，她知道美国如何能够发生变革。是的，我们能做到。

美国，我们已经走过了一条漫漫长路。我们已经历了很多。但是我们仍有很多事情要做。因此今夜，请让我们自问--如果我们的孩子能够活到下个世纪；如果我的女儿有幸活得和安一样长，她们将会看到怎样的改变？我们将会取得什么样的进步？

现在是我们回答这个问题的机会。这是我们的时刻。

这是我们的时代--让我们的人民重新就业，为我们的后代敞开机会之门，恢复繁荣，推进和平，重新确立“美国梦”，再次证明这样一个基本的真理：我们是一家人；只要一息尚存，我们就有希望；当我们遇到嘲讽和怀疑，当有人说我们办不到的时候，我们要以这个永恒的信条来回应他们：

是的，我们能做到。感谢你们。上帝保佑你们。愿上帝保佑美利坚合众国。

第四篇：美国总统奥巴马连任就职演讲(2013)

美国总统奥巴马连任就职演讲

2013.1.21Vice President Biden, Mr.Chief Justice, Members of the United States Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow citizens:

拜登副总统，最高法院首席大法官先生，美国国会议员们，尊敬的客人们，同胞们：

Each time we gather to inaugurate a president, we bear witness to the enduring strength of our Constitution.We affirm the promise of our democracy.We recall that what binds this nation together is not the colors of our skin or the tenets of our faith or the origins of our names.What makes us exceptional – what makes us American – is our allegiance to an idea, articulated in a declaration made more than two centuries ago:

当我们每次聚集在一起为总统举行就职典礼时，我们都是在见证美国宪法的不朽力量。我们是在又一次立下美国民主的承诺。我们再次提醒说，把这个国家凝聚在一起的不是我们的肤色，不是信仰的教条，也不是我们的姓氏源于何处。使我们与众不同——使我们成为美国人——的，是我们对一个在两个多世纪以前发表的宣言中所表述的理念：

―We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.‖

―我们认为这些真理是不言而喻的：人人生而平等，他们都从他们的造物主那里被赋予了某些不可剥夺的权利，包括生命权、自由权和追求幸福的权利。‖

Today we continue a never-ending journey, to bridge the meaning of those words with the realities of our time.For history tells us that while these truths may be self-evident, they have never been self-executing;that while freedom is a gift from God, it must be secured by His people here on Earth.The patriots of 1776 did not fight to replace the tyranny of a king with the privileges of a few or the rule of a mob.They gave to us a Republic, a government of, and by, and for the people, entrusting each generation to keep safe our founding creed.今天，我们仍在继续这个永恒的旅程，让那些字句体现在我们这个时代的现实中。因为历史告诉我们，虽然这些真理是不言而喻的，但它们却不会自动实现；虽然自由是上帝给我们的礼物，但自由只能靠他在世间的子民的奋斗才能获得。1776年爱国先驱们所进行的斗争并不是以少数人的特权或乌合之众的统治来替代专制君主。他们为我们缔造的是一个共和国，一个民有、民治、民享的政府，并将捍卫这个建国理念的任务交给一代又一代的后人。

For more than two hundred years, we have.两百多年的历史证明，我们做到了。

Through blood drawn by lash and blood drawn by sword, we learned that no union founded on the principles of liberty and equality could survive half-slave and half-free.We made ourselves anew, and vowed to move forward together.从皮鞭下和刺刀尖流出的鲜血中，我们发现，建立在自由和平等原则之上的合众国不能一半是蓄奴的，一半是自由的。我们浴火重生，我们发誓共同努力向前。

Together, we determined that a modern economy requires railroads and highways to speed travel and commerce;schools and colleges to train our workers.我们共同决定，现代经济需要铁路和公路，以加快旅行和商业，也需要中小学和大学来培训我们的工人。

Together, we discovered that a free market only thrives when there are rules to ensure competition and fair play.我们一起发现，只有确保竞争和公平的法规健全，自由市场才能欣欣向荣。

Together, we resolved that a great nation must care for the vulnerable, and protect its people from life’s worst hazards and misfortune.我们一同决定，一个伟大国家必须关照弱者，并保护我们的人民免受生活中最严重的危险和不幸。

Through it all, we have never relinquished our skepticism of central authority, nor have we succumbed to the fiction that all society’s ills can be cured through government alone.Our celebration of initiative and enterprise;our insistence on hard work and personal responsibility, are constants in our character.在做这一切的时候，我们从来没有放弃对政府集中权力的怀疑，我们也没有屈就于那种相信只靠政府就可以解决所有社会弊病的幻想。我们一直保持着自己的秉性，推崇创造力和企业家精神，坚持辛勤工作和个人责任。

But we have always understood that when times change, so must we;that fidelity to our founding principles requires new responses to new challenges;that preserving our individual freedoms ultimately requires collective action.For the American people can no more meet the demands of today’s world by acting alone than American soldiers could have met the forces of fascism or communism with muskets and militias.No single person can train all the math and science teachers we’ll need to equip our children for the future, or build the roads and networks and research labs that will bring new jobs and businesses to our shores.Now, more than ever, we must do these things together, as one nation, and one people.但是我们也很明白，随着时代的变化，我们也必须变化；我们出于对基本原则的忠诚，需要对新的挑战做出新的回应；我们为保护个人自由就最终需要集体作出努力。美国人民如果再单打独斗去应付当今世界的挑战，等于让美国军队以长枪和民兵组织去面对法西斯主义或共产主义的武装。没有任何一个个人有能力训练出我们后代的教育需要的所有数学和科学教师，或者建造出能把新的工作和商业机会带给我们的道路、网络、实验室。现在比以往任何时候都需要我们共同努力，作为一个国家人民的整体，来做这些事情。

This generation of Americans has been tested by crises that steeled our resolve and proved our resilience.A decade of war is now ending.An economic recovery has begun.America’s possibilities are limitless, for we possess all the qualities that this world without boundaries demands:youth and drive;diversity and openness;an endless capacity for risk and a gift for reinvention.My fellow Americans, we are made for this moment, and we will seize it – so long as we seize it together.我们这一代美国人经历过危机的考验，这些危机坚定了我们的决心，也证明了我们的耐力。长达10年的战争即将结束，经济复苏已经开始，美国的潜力是无限的，因为我们拥有这个全球化的世界需要的所有特质：我们年轻有动力，多元而开放，我们有应对危机的无限能力和创新发展的天赋。美国同胞们，我们为这个时刻而生，只要我们共同努力，我们就能牢牢抓住这个机会。For we, the people, understand that our country cannot succeed when a shrinking few do very well and a growing many barely make it.We believe that America’s prosperity must rest upon the broad shoulders of a rising middle class.We know that America thrives when every person can find independence and pride in their work;when the wages of honest labor liberate families from the brink of hardship.We are true to our creed when a little girl born into the bleakest poverty knows that she has the same chance to succeed as anybody else, because she is an American, she is free, and she is equal, not just in the eyes of God but also in our own.我们美国人知道，我们的国家不可能在只有越来越少的人富有、越来越多的人捉襟见肘的情况下取得成功，我们相信美国的繁荣有赖于更多的人成为中产阶级，我们知道美国的振兴取决于每个人都能在工作中找到独立与自信，也取决于人们诚实的劳动让家庭脱离贫困。当一个出身贫困的年轻女孩知道，她与任何人都享有同样的成功机会，身为美国人，她不仅仅是在上帝眼中，而且在每一个人的眼中，她都享有自由与平等，这样我们才算是遵守了立国的原则。

We understand that outworn programs are inadequate to the needs of our time.We must harness new ideas and technology to remake our government, revamp our tax code, reform our schools, and empower our citizens

with the skills they need to work harder, learn more, and reach higher.But while the means will change, our purpose endures:a nation that rewards the effort and determination of every single American.That is what this moment requires.That is what will give real meaning to our creed.我们明白，目前那些陈旧的政府计划跟不上时代。我们必须驾驭新的思想和技术以重塑政府，更新税法，改革学校，并让公民能够掌握新技能，以便更加努力工作，学习更多的知识，以达到更高的目标。我们的方法虽然会改变，但目的始终如一：建设一个奖励每个人的努力和决心的国家。这是当下所需要的。这是我们信念的真正意义所在。

We, the people, still believe that every citizen deserves a basic measure of security and dignity.We must make the hard choices to reduce the cost of health care and the size of our deficit.But we reject the belief that America must choose between caring for the generation that built this country and investing in the generation that will build its future.For we remember the lessons of our past, when twilight years were spent in poverty, and parents of a child with a disability had nowhere to turn.We do not believe that in this country, freedom is reserved for the lucky, or happiness for the few.We recognize that no matter how responsibly we live our lives, any one of us, at any time, may face a job loss, or a sudden illness, or a home swept away in a terrible storm.The commitments we make to each other – through Medicare, and Medicaid, and Social Security – these things do not sap our initiative;they strengthen us.They do not make us a nation of takers;they free us to take the risks that make this country great.我们，美国人，仍然相信，每位公民都应该得到基本的安全和尊严。我们必须作出降低我们的医保费用和赤字规模的艰难抉择。但是，我们拒绝接受这种看法，亦即美国必须在照顾建设了国家的那代人和投资于开创国家未来的那代人之间作出选择。我们记得过去的教训：老人的暮年在贫困中度过，残疾孩子的父母走投无路。我们不相信，在这个国家里自由只属于幸运者，幸福只属于少数人。我们知道，无论我们平日如何负责，我们当中任何人，在任何时候，都有可能面临失业、突然生病或者房子被风暴卷走的情况。我们通过联邦医疗保险、医疗补助计划以及社会安全保障为彼此作出的承诺，不仅不会挫伤我们的积极性，反而使我们更加强壮。它们不会使我们成为一群不劳而获的人，反而使我们敢于去冒险，这才使国家强大。

We, the people, still believe that our obligations as Americans are not just to ourselves, but to all posterity.We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations.Some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science, but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires, and crippling drought, and more powerful storms.The path towards

sustainable energy sources will be long and sometimes difficult.But America cannot resist this transition;we must lead it.We cannot cede to other nations the technology that will power new jobs and new industries – we must claim its promise.That is how we will maintain our economic vitality and our national treasure – our forests and waterways;our croplands and snowcapped peaks.That is how we will preserve our planet, commanded to our care by God.That’s what will lend meaning to the creed our fathers once declared.我们，美国人，依然相信我们作为美国人的承诺不仅是对自己的，也是对所有子孙后代的。我们会对气候变化的威胁做出回应，因为我们了解如果不这样做，将会违背对子孙后代的承诺。有些人可能依然不承认科学的判断，但所有人都无法不去正视疯狂的野火、残酷的干旱、更大风暴的袭击。通往可持续发展能源的道路会是漫长的，而且有时会很艰难。但美国不能抗拒这个转变，而是必须领导这个转变。我们不能将可以增加就业、诞生新型产业的这些技术拱手让给其它国家，我们必须拥有这些技术。这是维护我们经济的活力与国家财富的途径，这些财富包括我们的森林、江河、农田、雪山。这是保护我们的地球的途径，那是上帝交给我们去守护的。这也是我们为先驱们宣示的信念增加新的含义的途径。

We, the people, still believe that enduring security and lasting peace do not require perpetual war.Our brave men and women in uniform, tempered by the flames of battle, are unmatched in skill and courage.Our citizens, seared by the memory of those we have lost, know too well the price that is paid for liberty.The knowledge of their sacrifice will keep us forever vigilant against those who would do us harm.But we are also heirs to those who won the peace and not just the war, who turned sworn enemies into the surest of friends, and we must carry those lessons into this time as well.我们，美国人，依然相信不必通过无休止的战争就能获得永久的安全与和平。我们的军人久经战火考验，技能和勇气都举世无双。我们的人民永远铭记先烈们的牺牲，珍惜自由的来之不易。不忘先烈们的牺牲将让我们永远对敌人保持警惕。但是我们同样牢记那些不仅能够赢得战争、还能赢得和平、化顽敌为挚友的人们。这些经验教训，我们今天必须发扬光大。

We will defend our people and uphold our values through strength of arms and rule of law.We will show the courage to try and resolve our differences with other nations peacefully – not because we are naïve about the dangers we face, but because engagement can more durably lift suspicion and fear.America will remain the anchor of strong alliances in every corner of the globe;and we will renew those institutions that extend our capacity to manage crisis abroad, for no one has a greater stake in a peaceful world than its most powerful nation.We will support democracy from Asia to Africa;from the Americas to the Middle East, because our interests and our conscience compel us to act on behalf of those who long for freedom.And we must be a source of hope to the poor, the sick, the marginalized, the victims of prejudice – not out of mere charity, but because peace in our time requires the constant advance of those principles that our common creed

describes:tolerance and opportunity;human dignity and justice.我们将通过加强武装力量和法制来保卫我们的人民和价值体系。我们将通过试图与其它国家和平地解决争端来显示我们的勇气——这不是出于对我们面临的危险的无知，而是相信协商能够更长久地解除怀疑与恐惧。美国将继续在世界每个角落都保持积极的联盟，我们也将继续维护那些令我们能够在国外应付危机的机制，因为没有哪个国家会比世界上最强大的国家更需要一个和平的世界。我们将支持从亚洲到非洲、从拉美到中东的民主发展，因为利益和良知促使我们去支持那些希望自由的人们。我们也必须是贫困、疾病、歧视、偏见的受害者们的后援——这不仅仅是出于慈善为怀，也因为我们时代的和平需要不断地推动我们共同信念所基于的原则，包括宽容、机遇、人类尊严与公正。

We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths – that all of us are created equal – is the star that guides us still;just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall;just as it guided all those men and women, sung and unsung, who left footprints along this great Mall, to hear a preacher say that we cannot walk alone;to hear a King proclaim that our individual freedom is inextricably bound to the freedom of every soul on Earth.我们，美国人，今天宣布，最不言自明的真理——人人生而平等——仍然是指引我们的北斗星，就像当年这条真理在色内加瀑布[1]、塞尔玛[2]、石墙[3]这些地方指引着人们，它指引着在这个宏大的草坪上留下了足迹的所有知名和不知名的人们。他们来到这里聆听宣讲，说我们不能独自行进；他们来聆听一位王者[4]说，我们的个人自由与地球上每个人的自由是紧密地联系在一起的。

It is now our generation’s task to carry on what those pioneers began.For our journey is not complete until our wives, our mothers, and daughters can earn a living equal to their efforts.Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law – for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well.Our journey is not complete until no citizen is forced to wait for hours to exercise the right to vote.Our journey is not complete until we find a better way to welcome the striving, hopeful immigrants who still see America as a land of opportunity;until bright young students and engineers are enlisted in our workforce rather than expelled from our country.Our journey is not complete until all our children, from the streets of Detroit to the hills of Appalachia to the quiet lanes of Newtown, know that they are cared for, and cherished, and always safe from harm.如今到了我们这一代人去接过先驱们开创的使命的时候了。在我们的妻子、母亲、女儿，在得到与她们的付出相符的待遇之前，我们的使命还没有完成；在我们同性恋的兄弟和姐妹像其他人一样在法律上被视真正平等之前，我们的使命还没有完成-因为如果我们之间真正平等，那么可以肯定，我们所承诺的彼此相爱也必须是平等的。在所有公民行使投票权不必被迫等待几个小时之前，我们的使命还没有完成。在我们找到一个更好的方式来欢迎那些仍然可以把美国看作一个充满机遇的土地，乐于奋斗，充满希望的移民之前，在那些聪明的年轻学生和工程师被纳入到我们的劳动大军之中而不是被驱逐出境之前，我们的使命还没

有完成。在从底特律的街头到阿巴拉契亚山间到纽顿安静的小巷中，我们所有的孩子们都知道他们在被关心和爱护，安全有保障之前，我们的使命还没有完成。

That is our generation’s task – to make these words, these rights, these values – of Life, and Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness – real for every American.Being true to our founding documents does not require us to agree on every contour of life;it does not mean we will all define liberty in exactly the same way, or follow the same precise path to happiness.Progress does not compel us to settle centuries-long debates about the role of government for all time – but it does require us to act in our time.这是我们这一代人的使命真正成为每一个美国人的现实。忠实我们国家的创始文件，并不需要我们生活的每一个范畴都看法一致，也并不意味着我们以完全相同的方式定义自由，或者遵循同样的路径追求幸福。进步并不强迫我们放弃几个世纪以来关于所有政府作用的辩论-但需要我们在我们的时代采取行动。For now decisions are upon us, and we cannot afford delay.We cannot mistake absolutism for principle, or substitute spectacle for politics, or treat name-calling as reasoned debate.We must act, knowing that our work will be imperfect.We must act, knowing that today’s victories will be only partial, and that it will be up to those who stand here in four years, and forty years, and four hundred years hence to advance the timeless spirit once conferred to us in a spare Philadelphia hall.我们现在就要做出抉择，我们不能承受拖延的后果。我们不能误以为毫无妥协余地是在坚持原则，或者以做秀取代政治，或者以相互指责取代理性的辩论。我们必须行动，尽管知道我们的工作不会十全十美。我们必须行动，尽管知道今天的胜利只是部分的成功，它将更多地取决于今后四年、四十年乃至四百年后站在这里的人们，继续发扬从费城独立厅传到我们手中的超越时代的精神。

My fellow Americans, the oath I have sworn before you today, like the one recited by others who serve in this Capitol, was an oath to God and country, not party or faction – and we must faithfully execute that pledge during the duration of our service.But the words I spoke today are not so different from the oath that is taken each time a soldier signs up for duty, or an immigrant realizes her dream.My oath is not so different from the pledge we all make to the flag that waves above and that fills our hearts with pride.我的美国同胞们，我今天在你们面前宣誓，就和过去在这座国会山上宣誓过的人一样，是对上帝和国家而不是对一个政党或者派别的誓词。我们必须在任职期间忠实履行我们的誓言。我的誓词，和每次军人接受任务、移民实现梦想时的誓词，并无太大不同；和我们面对在空中飘扬，让我们心中充满自豪的国旗所做的宣誓，也无太大差异。

They are the words of citizens, and they represent our greatest hope.You and I, as citizens, have the power to set this country’s course.这些是美国公民的心声，代表了我们最大的希望。

You and I, as citizens, have the obligation to shape the debates of our time – not only with the votes we cast, but with the voices we lift in defense of our most ancient values and enduring ideals.你们和我，作为美国公民，有确定国家未来前程的权力。你们和我，作为美国公民，有塑造我们时代话语的责任，不仅通过我们投下的选票，也通过为了维护我们最永久的价值观及理想而发出的大声疾呼。

Let each of us now embrace, with solemn duty and awesome joy, what is our lasting birthright.With common effort and common purpose, with passion and dedication, let us answer the call of history, and carry into an uncertain future that precious light of freedom.让我们每个人用庄严的责任和无与伦比的欢悦，来拥抱我们与生俱来的永恒权利。凭借共同的努力，凭借热情和执着，让我们响应历史的召唤，承载一个珍爱自由之光的未知未来。

Thank you, God Bless you, and may He forever bless these United States of America.感谢你们，上帝保佑你们，愿上帝永远佑护美利坚合众国。

第五篇：2013奥巴马就职演说词(文言文版)V1.20

2013奥巴马就职演说词（文言文版）

惟夫吾侪众聚，成祚命之礼，咸睹宪法刚严，习践民主之诺也。是故申之曰：国之所立，庶非肤色，抑所皈依，遑论宗嗣。为美利坚而以别他者，二百年之宣言也：

大道显然，曰：生民平等，其命授于天者，全其身，张其志，谋其祉也，讵可擅夺。

而今吾辈继前贤之迹，行宣言之教于当世。维虑道显而不自达，虽由天赐，孰言易与，非奋搏之不可得也。创国之初，赤心报国之士，非举权贵勋旧享国祚，而缔以共和，明其宗曰：民有、民治、民享。后，子孙秉承法理，道统不绝。

斯历两百余载，无有逾矩也。

鞭笞割锐，血衅刑施，而后知自由平等之国，不可蓄奴兼行焉。终浴火涅槃，振翅翱宇。

其所政者，路路以利商贾，以便行者，庠序以育贤达，以巧百工。其所知者，法布周备，陟罚无偏，使胜心不坠，商所以兴也。其所识者，冀国之治也，必思其民，使老弱得扶，危难有庇。

虽然，吾辈未尝稍弃权集庙堂之忧也。是故，不惟庙堂，持以本心，尚巧思，崇商道，惟勤勉以任事。

与时俱进，卿所周知矣。持道以诚，虽事发百端，以百法合之，可也。夫举众志以全自由。使国民独临世险，无异执拙钝而抗强暴也。一人难治百科以教孺子，匹夫奚兴万业以振家邦。当此时者，尤冀万民同舟共济，无作壁上观。

吾辈临危履难，心愈毅而志愈坚。今十载狼烟且熄，经济行转时序。当世寰宇为一，而国具其质, 是善兆焉：海纳百川，君子乾乾。有临危决断之勇力，鼎新展翼之赋禀。我曹所以生者，为此时也，啐啄同机，时不可逝哉。

国人知之，国之治也，不可寡富而众贫。国之所昌，决于恒产者也，决于乐其业者也，决于躬作而脱贫者也。使一寒门女弱，亦可致富贵，而无独别于他者，其享自由平等，非惟识于天，抑亦识于万民，方可谓不违立国之道也。庙堂陈筹，不合时宜，众所知矣。故须开新风，行新策，更税法，革学弊。予民新技，以利其勤勉，多其学识，以达博远。虽辟径而行，其的如一。褒坚毅励行之士，乃当务之急也，亦国兴之本欤！

安保其身，尊明其人，生民须得以有也，此我国人犹笃信之。降医保，削赤字，虽两难而必权取之！老老幼幼，并行兼施，前车不远，殷鉴犹在：老暮困顿，残疾幼稚哀于寒家，固非所期也。自由非以幸至，福泽岂可寡分。吾知殚精竭虑，亦有不足恃，困苦疾难，日或加身。惟以医保社保，扶危济困，诺若磐如，使民无后顾之忧，慵懒不生，而奋其勇也。如此，国可兴矣。

吾曹之诺，岂徒谋己哉？犹为子孙谋也。气候危征，须以应之，勿使贻祸后世。或以科学判析，未足信孚。抑观夫狂火噬野，酷旱焦然，飓风愈烈，苟无所动焉？固知时艰不易，讵能涸泽而渔？世事日新，旧不宜循，务以导之。可使民有新业，国掌枢机，岂能委之他邦哉。至如田、林、山、水，国之大宝，是以足民本，增仓禀之途也。斯安世之道，天降其任，亦为先贤故理之新诠也。

至若非兴干戈无以图和平者，吾不信也。我百炼精钢之师，威名无二。缅先烈之牺牲，怜自由之不易。战事不忘，惕之不懈。亦不辍干戈化玉帛者也。斯以为训，冀使昭彰。

缮甲兵以护国卫道，筹纵横而旌显智勇。其不知危耶？行伐谋之道而怖惧不生也。匡盟天下以为制，应莫测不虞之变。吾国称雄寰球，而亟求和平，非他邦可及也。亚、非、拉、中东，吾援以民主之道，予自由于其人，此利与义俱促焉。兼以广善博施，敬而不辱，正而不倚，宽而不苛，运而不专，非惟善念之所驱，抑亦仁政之大同也。

人皆生而平等，天下之达道也。譬如北辰，引航而进，识之不歧。或曰：不可孤行焉。金言：自由不专于一人，惟天下人与之共哉！

吾侪承先贤创业之志，力使生民平等。苟有母亲妻女酬不符劳者，吾侪之业未竟；苟有磨镜留桃有不齿乎正色者，吾侪之业未竟；苟有遗天下之民跂望数时，不可得而投其票者，吾侪之业未竟；此有良禽，奋信希远，视我为嘉木，迎之不恭，吾侪之业未竟；此有生员、匠作，巧技聪哲，未获采纳而逐之域外，吾侪之业未竟；自底特律至阿巴拉契亚，至纽顿，使孺子未蒙幼幼，不得安护，吾侪之业未竟也。全其身，张其志，谋其祉，此大矣哉！何以赋此予我国民？曰：此吾侪之责也。未必诸事求同，解悟自由如是，求取福祉亦如是。欲国之治，岂可废百年政府因用之辩？时我待者，惟行而已。

当断则断，莫承其患。孤刚非毅也，媚众不足以为政也，相攻互讦非辩之道也。或问：然则如何？曰：且行之矣，何求尽善尽宜哉？且行之，何求毕功于一役哉？光费城大道者，惟薪火是承，四、十、百年后，其未可知也。

今我誓于此者，非为党为私，是誓于上天与国耳，其与国会山先贤无异。今幸暂摄大位，必谨守我誓。此誓与兵甲受命之誓无异，与移民践梦之誓无异，与星条旗下，我辈壮怀激烈之誓无异也。

此夫国民之心声，我辈之大冀也。曰： 吾之国民，有共谋国是之权。

吾之国民，有震当世大音之责。其何以恃？曰：选票与卫道之呼鸣也。吾之权利，生与之俱。庄穆以待，乐极而欢，意气奋发，戮力同心。虽后世不可知，必以自由也。薪火不灭，不负青史铁笔。

唯唯，愿神佑诸君，神佑美利坚。

【文言版翻译者按：本文的文言翻译，是集体创作的结果。朽木先生拿到中文版后，即在“古文、文言文创作”（79567218）Q群中倡议翻译为文言，由于文字较多，大家分工参与。其中，朽木承担了一大半的翻译工作，又以文普、云中子为辅，完成了初稿翻译。文字先后经过斐士、翰墨、朽木、文普的多轮校对，群中很多网友人提出大量中肯的修改意见，最后由文普综合整理、统一风格汇集成篇。由于时间仓促，又限于群友们的业余水平，错漏之处在所难免，若发现谬误，欢迎批评指正。PS：转载请保留本段文字。以上翻译版本为V1.20。】

英文版

MR.OBAMA: Thank you.Thank you so much.Vice President Biden, Mr.Chief Justice, Members of the United States Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow citizens: Each time we gather to inaugurate a president, we bear witness to the enduring strength of our Constitution.We affirm the promise of our democracy.We recall that what binds this nation together is not the colors of our skin or the tenets of our faith or the origins of our names.What makes us exceptional – what makes us American – is our allegiance to an idea, articulated in a declaration made more than two centuries ago: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Today we continue a never-ending journey, to bridge the meaning of those words with the realities of our time.For history tells us that while these truths may be self-evident, they have never been self-executing;that while freedom is a gift from God, it must be secured by His people here on Earth.The patriots of 1776 did not fight to replace the tyranny of a king with the privileges of a few or the rule of a mob.They gave to us a Republic, a government of, and by, and for the people, entrusting each generation to keep safe our founding creed.For more than two hundred years, we have.Through blood drawn by lash and blood drawn by sword, we learned that no union founded on the principles of liberty and equality could survive half-slave and half-free.We made ourselves anew, and vowed to move forward together.Together, we determined that a modern economy requires railroads and highways to speed travel and commerce;schools and colleges to train our workers。

Together, we discovered that a free market only thrives when there are rules to ensure competition and fair play.Together, we resolved that a great nation must care for the vulnerable, and protect its people from life’s worst hazards and misfortune.Through it all, we have never relinquished our skepticism of central authority, nor have we succumbed to the fiction that all society’s ills can be cured through government alone.Our celebration of initiative and enterprise;our insistence on hard work and personal responsibility, these are constants in our character.But we have always understood that when times change, so must we;that fidelity to our founding principles requires new responses to new challenges;that preserving our individual freedoms ultimately requires collective action.For the American people can no more meet the demands of today’s world by acting alone than American soldiers could have met the forces of fascism or communism with muskets and militias.No single person can train all the math and science teachers we’ll need to equip our children for the future, or build the roads and networks and research labs that will bring new jobs and businesses to our shores.Now, more than ever, we must do these things together, as one nation, and one people.This generation of Americans has been tested by crises that steeled our resolve and proved our resilience.A decade of war is now ending.An economic recovery has begun.America’s possibilities are limitless, for we possess all the qualities that this world without boundaries demands: youth and drive;diversity and openness;an endless capacity for risk and a gift for reinvention.My fellow Americans, we are made for this moment, and we will seize it – so long as we seize it together.For we, the people, understand that our country cannot succeed when a shrinking few do very well and a growing many barely make it.We believe that America’s prosperity must rest upon the broad shoulders of a rising middle class.We know that America thrives when every person can find independence and pride in their work;when the wages of honest labor liberate families from the brink of hardship.We are true to our creed when a little girl born into the bleakest poverty knows that she has the same chance to succeed as anybody else, because she is an American, she is free, and she is equal, not just in the eyes of God but also in our own.We understand that outworn programs are inadequate to the needs of our time.We must harness new ideas and technology to remake our government, revamp our tax code, reform our schools, and empower our citizens with the skills they need to work harder, learn more, and reach higher.But while the means will change, our purpose endures: a nation that rewards the effort and determination of every single American.That is what this moment requires.That is what will give real meaning to our creed.We, the people, still believe that every citizen deserves a basic measure of security and dignity.We must make the hard choices to reduce the cost of health care and the size of our deficit.But we reject the belief that America must choose between caring for the generation that built this country and investing in the generation that will build its future.For we remember the lessons of our past, when twilight years were spent in poverty, and parents of a child with a disability had nowhere to turn.We do not believe that in this country, freedom is reserved for the lucky, or happiness for the few.We recognize that no matter how responsibly we live our lives, any one of us, at any time, may face a job loss, or a sudden illness, or a home swept away in a terrible storm.The commitments we make to each other – through Medicare, and Medicaid, and Social Security – these things do not sap our initiative;they strengthen us.They do not make us a nation of takers;they free us to take the risks that make this country great.We, the people, still believe that our obligations as Americans are not just to ourselves, but to all posterity.We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations.Some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science, but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires, and crippling drought, and more powerful storms.The path towards sustainable energy sources will be long and sometimes difficult.But America cannot resist this transition;we must lead it.We cannot cede to other nations the technology that will power new jobs and new industries – we must claim its promise.That is how we will maintain our economic vitality and our national treasure – our forests and waterways;our croplands and snowcapped peaks.That is how we will preserve our planet, commanded to our care by God.That’s what will lend meaning to the creed our fathers once declared.We, the people, still believe that enduring security and lasting peace do not require perpetual war.Our brave men and women in uniform, tempered by the flames of battle, are unmatched in skill and courage.Our citizens, seared by the memory of those we have lost, know too well the price that is paid for liberty.The knowledge of their sacrifice will keep us forever vigilant against those who would do us harm.But we are also heirs to those who won the peace and not just the war, who turned sworn enemies into the surest of friends, and we must carry those lessons into this time as well.We will defend our people and uphold our values through strength of arms and rule of law.We will show the courage to try and resolve our differences with other nations peacefully – not because we are naïve about the dangers we face, but because engagement can more durably lift suspicion and fear.America will remain the anchor of strong alliances in every corner of the globe;and we will renew those institutions that extend our capacity to manage crisis abroad, for no one has a greater stake in a peaceful world than its most powerful nation.We will support democracy from Asia to Africa;from the Americas to the Middle East, because our interests and our conscience compel us to act on behalf of those who long for freedom.And we must be a source of hope to the poor, the sick, the marginalized, the victims of prejudice – not out of mere charity, but because peace in our time requires the constant advance of those principles that our common creed describes: tolerance and opportunity;human dignity and justice.We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths – that all of us are created equal – is the star that guides us still;just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall;just as it guided all those men and women, sung and unsung, who left footprints along this great Mall, to hear a preacher say that we cannot walk alone;to hear a King proclaim that our individual freedom is inextricably bound to the freedom of every soul on Earth.It is now our generation’s task to carry on what those pioneers began.For our journey is not complete until our wives, our mothers, and daughters can earn a living equal to their efforts.Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law – for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well.Our journey is not complete until no citizen is forced to wait for hours to exercise the right to vote.Our journey is not complete until we find a better way to welcome the striving, hopeful immigrants who still see America as a land of opportunity;until bright young students and engineers are enlisted in our workforce rather than expelled from our country.Our journey is not complete until all our children, from the streets of Detroit to the hills of Appalachia to the quiet lanes of Newtown, know that they are cared for, and cherished, and always safe from harm.That is our generation’s task – to make these words, these rights, these values – of Life, and Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness – real for every American.Being true to our founding documents does not require us to agree on every contour of life;it does not mean we will all define liberty in exactly the same way, or follow the same precise path to happiness.Progress does not compel us to settle centuries-long debates about the role of government for all time – but it does require us to act in our time.For now decisions are upon us, and we cannot afford delay.We cannot mistake absolutism for principle, or substitute spectacle for politics, or treat name-calling as reasoned debate.We must act, knowing that our work will be imperfect.We must act, knowing that today’s victories will be only partial, and that it will be up to those who stand here in four years, and forty years, and four hundred years hence to advance the timeless spirit once conferred to us in a spare Philadelphia hall.My fellow Americans, the oath I have sworn before you today, like the one recited by others who serve in this Capitol, was an oath to God and country, not party or faction – and we must faithfully execute that pledge during the duration of our service.But the words I spoke today are not so different from the oath that is taken each time a soldier signs up for duty, or an immigrant realizes her dream.My oath is not so different from the pledge we all make to the flag that waves above and that fills our hearts with pride.They are the words of citizens, and they represent our greatest hope.You and I, as citizens, have the power to set this country’s course.You and I, as citizens, have the obligation to shape the debates of our time – not only with the votes we cast, but with the voices we lift in defense of our most ancient values and enduring ideals.Let each of us now embrace, with solemn duty and awesome joy, what is our lasting birthright.With common effort and common purpose, with passion and dedication, let us answer the call of history, and carry into an uncertain future that precious light of freedom.Thank you, God Bless you, and may He forever bless these United States of America.