哈佛大学校长Drew Gilpin Faust在毕业典礼的演讲

第一篇：哈佛大学校长Drew Gilpin Faust在毕业典礼的演讲

记住我们对你们寄予的厚望，就算你们觉得它们不可能实现，也要记住，它们至关重要，是你们人生的北极星，会指引你们到达对自己和世界都有意义的彼岸。你们生活的意义要由你们自己创造。

这所备受尊崇的学校历来好学求知，所以你们期待我的演讲能传授永恒的智慧。我站在这个讲坛上，穿得像个清教徒牧师——这身打扮也许会把很多我的前任吓坏，还可能会让其中一些人重新投身于消灭女巫的事业中去，让英克利斯和考特恩父子（1）出现在如今的“泡沫派对”上（2）。但现在，我在台上，你们在底下，这是一个属于真理（3）、追求真理的时刻。

你们已经求学四年，而我当校长还不到一年；你们认识三任校长，我只认识一个班的大四学生。所以，智慧从何谈起呢？也许你们才是应该传授智慧的人。或许我们可以互换一下角色，用哈佛法学院教授们随机点名提问的方式，让我在接下来的一个小时里回答你们的问题（4）。

让我们把这个毕业典礼想象成一个问答式环节，你们是提问者。“福斯特校长，生活的意义是什么？我们在哈佛苦读四年是为了什么？福斯特校长，从你四十年前大学毕业到现在，你肯定学到了不少东西吧？”（四十年了。我可以大声承认这个时间，因为我生活的每一个细节——当然包括我获得布尔茅尔学位的年份——现在好像都能公开查到。但请注意，当时我在班里还算岁数小的。）

可以这么说，在过去的一年里，你们一直在提出问题让我回答，只不过你们把提问范围限定得比较小。我也一直在思考应该怎样回答，还有你们提问的动机，这是我更感兴趣的。

其实，从我与校委会见面时起，就一直被问到这些问题，当时是2007年冬天，我的任命才宣布不久。此后日渐频繁，我在柯克兰楼吃午饭，我在莱弗里特楼吃晚饭，在我专门会见学生的工作时段，甚至我在国外遇见毕业生的时候，都会被问到这些问题。你们问我的第一件事不是问课程，不是教师辅导，不是教师的联系方式，也不是学生学习生活的空间。实际上，甚至不是酒精限制政策。你们反复问我的是：“为什么我们很多人都去了华尔街？为什么我们哈佛毕业生中，有那么多人进入金融、咨询行业和投资银行？”

要思考并回答这个问题，有很多方式。比如威利-萨顿式的。当他被问及为什么要抢银行时，他回答：“因为那儿有钱。”你们中很多人都在经济学课上见过克劳迪娅-戈尔丁和拉里-卡茨两位教授，根据他们从70年代以来对学生择业的研究，得出的结论大同小异。他们发现，值得注意的是，虽然金融行业有极高的金钱回报，还是有很多学生选择了其它工作。

确实如此，你们中有37个人已经和“为美国而教”签约（5）；有一个会去跳探戈，去阿根廷研究舞蹈疗法；还有一个将投身于肯尼亚的农业发展；一个拿了数学荣誉学位的人要去研究诗歌；另一个要去美国空军受训当飞行员；还有一个要与乳癌作斗争。你们中有很多人会去读法律、医学、或其他研究生。但是，绝大多数人选择了金融和咨询，这与戈尔丁和卡茨的调查结果不谋而合。

《克里姆森报》（6）对去年的毕业班作了调查，结果表明，参加工作的人中，58%的男生和43％的女生做出了上述选择。虽然今年经济不景气，这个数字还是达到了39%。

高额的薪水、几乎难以拒绝的招聘方、能与朋友一起在纽约工作、享受生活，以及有趣的工作——有很多种理由可以解释这些选择。你们中的一些人本来就决定过这样子的生活，至少在一两年之内是这样。另一些人则认为先要利己才能利人。但是，你们还是问我，为什么要走这条路。

在某种程度上，我觉得自己更关心的是你们为什么问这些问题，而不是给出答案。如果戈尔丁和卡茨教授的结论是正确的；如果金融行业的确就是“理性的选择”，那么你们为什么还是不停地问我这个问题呢？为什么这个看似理性的选择，会让你们许多人觉得难以理解、不尽合理，甚至在某种意义上是出于被迫或必须，而非自愿呢？为什么这个问题会困扰你们这么多人呢？

我认为，你们问我的其实是生活的意义，只不过你们提出的问题是经过伪装的——提问角度是高级职业选择中可观察、可度量的现象，而不是抽象的、难以理解的、令人尴尬的形而上学范畴。“生活的意义”——是个大大的问题——又是老生常谈——把它看成蒙提派森（7）的某部电影的讽刺标题或者某一集《辛普森一家》（8）的主题就容易回答，但是当作蕴含严肃意义的话题就把问题复杂化了。

但是，暂时抛开我们哈佛人自以为是的圆滑、沉着和无懈可击，试着探寻一下你们问题的答案。

我认为，你们之所以担心，是因为你们不想自己的生活只是传统意义上的成功，而且还要有意义。但你们又不知道如何协调这两个目标。你们不知道在一家有着金字招牌的公司里干着一份起薪丰厚的工作，加上可以预见的未来的财富，是否能满足你们的内心。

你们为什么担心？这多少是我们学校的错。从一进校门，我们就告诉你们，你们会成为对未来负责的领袖，你们是最优秀、最聪明的是我们的依靠，你们会改变整个世界。我们对你们寄予厚望，反而成了你们的负担。其实，你们已经取得了非凡的成绩：你们参与各种课外活动，表现出服务精神；你们大力提倡可持续发展，透露出你们对这个星球未来的关注；你们积极参与今年的总统竞选，为美国政治注入了新的活力。

而现在，你们中有许多人不知道如何把以上这些成绩与择业结合起来。是否一定要在有利益的工作和有意义的工作之间做出抉择？如果必须选择，你们会选哪个？有没有可能两者兼得呢？

你们问我和问自己的是一些最根本的问题：关于价值、关于试图调和有潜在冲突的东西、关于对鱼与熊掌不可兼得的认识。你们正处在一个转变的时刻，需要做出抉择。只能选一个选项——工作、职业、读研——都意味着要放弃其他

选项。每一个决定都意味着有得有失——一扇门打开了，另一扇却关上了。你们问我的问题差不多就是这样——关于舍弃的人生道路。

金融业、华尔街和“招聘”已经变成了这个两难困境的标志，代表着一系列问题，其意义要远比选择一条职业道路宽广和深刻。某种意义上，这些是你们所有人早晚都会遇到的问题——当你从医学院毕业并选择专业方向——是选全科家庭医生还是选皮肤科医生；当你获得法学学位之后，要选择是去一家公司工作，还是做公共辩护律师；当你在“为美国而教”进修两年以后，要决定是否继续从事教育。你们担心，是因为你们既想活得有意义，又想活得成功；你们清楚，你们所受的教育是让你们不仅为自己，为自己的舒适和满足，更要为你们身边的世界创造价值。而现在，你们必须想出一个方法，去实现这一目标。

我认为，你们之所以担心，还有另一个原因——和第一个原因有关，但又不完全相同。那就是，你们想过得幸福。你们趋之若鹜地选修“积极心理学”——心理学1504——和“幸福的科学”，想找到秘诀。但我们怎样才能找到幸福呢？我可以给出一个鼓舞人心的答案：长大。调查表明，年长的人——比如我这个岁数的人——幸福感比年轻人更强。不过，你们可能不愿意等待。

我听过你们谈论面临的种种选择，所以我知道你们对成功和幸福的关系感到烦恼——或者更准确地说，如何定义成功，才能使之产生并包含真正的幸福，而不只是金钱和名望。你们担心经济回报最多的选择，可能不是最有意义或最令人满意的。但你们想知道自己到底应该怎样生存，不论是作为艺术家、演员、公务员还是高中老师？你们要怎样找到一条通向新闻业的道路？在不知道多少年之后，完成了研究生学业和论文，你们会找到英语教授的工作吗？

答案是：只有试过了才知道。但是，不论是绘画、生物还是金融，如果你不去尝试做你喜欢的事；如果你不去追求你认为最有意义的东西，你会后悔的。人生之路很长，总有时间去实施备选方案，但不要一开始就退而求其次。

我将其称为择业停车位理论，几十年来一直在与同学们分享。不要因为觉得肯定没有停车位了，就把车停在距离目的地20个街区远的地方。直接去你想去的地方，如果车位已满，再绕回来。

你们可能喜欢投行、金融或咨询，它可能就是你的最佳选择。也许你们和我在柯克兰楼吃午饭时遇到的那个大四学生一样，她刚从西海岸一家知名咨询公司面试回来。她问：“我为什么要做这行？我讨厌坐飞机，我不喜欢住酒店，我不会喜欢这个工作的。”那就找个你喜欢的工作。要是你在醒着的时间里超过一半都在做你不喜欢的事情，你是很难感到幸福的。

但是，最最重要的是，你们问问题，既是在问我，更是在问你们自己。你们在选择道路，同时又质疑自己的选择。你知道自己想要什么样的生活，只是不知确定自己所选的路对不对。这是最好的消息。这也是，我希望，从某种程度上说，我们的错。关注你的生活，对其进行反思，思考怎样才能好好地生活，想想怎样对社会有用：这些也许就是人文教育传授给你们的最宝贵的东西。

人文教育要求你们自觉地生活，赋予你寻找和定义所做之事的内在意义的能力。它使你学会自我分析和评判，让你从容把握自己的生活，并掌控其发展路径。正是在这个意义上，“人文”才是名副其实的liberare ——自由（9）。它们赋予你开展行动、发现事物意义和作出选择的能力。通向有意义、幸福生活的必由之路是让自己为之努力奋斗。不要停歇。随时准备着改变方向。记住我们对你们寄予的厚望，就算你们觉得它们不可能实现，也要记住，它们至关重要，是你们人生的北极星，会指引你们到达对自己和世界都有意义的彼岸。你们生活的意义要由你们自己创造。

我迫不及待地想知道你们会变成什么样子。一定要经常回来，告诉我们过得如何。

译者注：

（1）Increase and Cotton：英克利斯和考特恩父子，都是著名清教徒牧师。Increase Mather 曾任哈佛大学管理层成员，并参加1692年塞勒姆巫师审判案。其子Cotton Mather。

（2）Mather lather：哈佛大学每年春天举行的全校性泡沫派对，即用泡沫机喷射泡沫铺满大厅地面，参加者身穿泳装跳舞狂欢。在本文中是假设，指如果在以前，Increase and Cotton父子会参加泡沫派对这一另人颇感神秘的活动，去消灭女巫，即校长本人。

（3）Veritas：拉丁文，真理，也是哈佛大学校训。

（4）cold call：营销人员打给陌生客户推销商品的电话。与之相对的是warm call，指打给相识客户的推销电话。在文中，特指哈佛法学院的教授会在课上随机点名让学生回答问题。

（5）Teach For America：为美国而教，一个教育组织，旨在消除美国某些地区的教育不公平现象。

（6）Crimson：指The Harvard Crimson，《克里姆森报》，哈佛大学学生主办的校报。

（7）Monty Python：英国六人喜剧团体。

（8）Simpsons：《辛普森一家》，美国电视史上播放时间最长的动画片。

（9）原文中liberal education（人文教育）里的liberal源自于拉丁文liberare，意思是to free，使自由。

第二篇：哈佛大学校长Drew Faust 2012毕业典礼演讲

哈佛大学校长Drew Faust 2012毕业典礼演讲

With Commencement today, we close our year of commemorating Harvard’s 375th birthday.From an exuberant party for 18,000 in torrential rain and ankle-deep mud here in Tercentenary Theatre last fall to today’s invocation of John Harvard’s spirit still walking the Yard, we have celebrated this special year and this institution’s singular and distinguished history.Founded by an act of the Great and General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1636, Harvard was the first college in the English colonies and is the oldest in what has become the United States.Harvard was already 140 years old when the nation was founded.There are few institutions in this country or even the world that can claim such longevity.But what does such a claim mean? At a time when the buzzword of “innovation” is everywhere, when the allure of the new drives business, politics and society, what do we intend by our celebration of endurance and of history? Why do we see history as an essential part of our identity? Why is Harvard’s past an invaluable resource as we decide how to shape the future?

In a quite literal sense, history creates our identity – who we as Harvard actually are – and as a result who we aspire to be.We live in a community made up not just of the students, faculty and staff now here – or even the 300,000 Harvard alumni around the world.We are part of a community that extends across time as well as space.We acknowledge an indelible connection to those who have come before – predecessors both recent and remote, who remind us of what is possible for us by their demonstration of what was possible for them.Harvard’s history instills both expectations and responsibilities as it challenges us to inhabit this legacy.One cannot study philosophy here without sighting the ghosts of John Rawls, Willard Quine, Benjamin Peirce, Ralph Waldo Emerson, or William James.One cannot study law without thinking of the 18 Harvard Law School alumni who have served as Supreme Court justices, including the 6 currently on the bench – not to mention the graduate in the White House and the seven presidents with Harvard degrees who have preceded him.Those who appear on Harvard stages surely imagine themselves as Jack Lemmon or Natalie Portman or Stockard Channing, directed by the equivalents of Peter Sellars, Diane Paulus, or Mira Nair.Or perhaps our aspiring actors see themselves in John Lithgow and Tommy Lee Jones, who returned together for Arts First weekend earlier this month to reminisce about their thespian adventures in Cambridge.And those seeking to change the world through technology are sure to reflect on Zuckerberg, Ballmer, and Gates.In these domains and so many others, we have the privilege of living alongside a remarkable heritage of predecessors.We have certainly not come to work and study here in Cambridge and Boston because of the weather – though this past winter suggests climate change may be altering that.We are drawn here because others before us have set a standard that extends across centuries in its power and its appeal.We think of ourselves in their company;we seek to be worthy of that company, and to share our days with others similarly motivated and inspired.We want to contribute as they have contributed in every imaginable field.We want to know – to understand – societies, governments, eras, organizations, galaxies, works of art and literature, structures, circuits, diseases, cells.We want to make our lives matter.We want to improve the human condition and build a better world.We want Harvard to ask that of us, to expect that of us and to equip us to accomplish it.History shapes our institutional ideals as well as our individual ambitions.Having a history diminishes the grip of the myopic present, helping us to see beyond its bounds, to transcend the immediate in search of the enduring.It challenges us to place our aspirations and responsibilities within the broadest context of understanding.We expect the future to be as long as the past;we must act in ways that are not just about tomorrow – but about decades and even centuries to come.This means that we teach our students with the intention of shaping the whole of their lives as well as readying them for what happens as soon as they leave our gates.This means that in the sciences – and beyond – we support research that is driven by curiosity, by the sheer desire to understand – at the same time that we pursue discoveries that have immediate measurable impact.And it means that we support fields of study – of languages, literatures, cultures – that are intended to locate us within traditions of reflection about the larger purposes of human existence, enabling us to look beyond ourselves and our own experience, to ask where we are going – not just how we get there.Even in our professional Schools, designed to educate students for specific vocations, we seek to instill the perspective that derives from the critical eye and the questioning mind;we charge our students to think about lasting value, not just quarterly returns.These commitments shape our institutional identity – our discussions and decisions about what a university is and must be.As both higher education and the world have been transformed, Harvard has not just weathered the past 375 years.It has changed and flourished – from its origins as a small, local college designed to produce educated ministers and citizens, to its emergence as a research university in the late 19th century, to its transformation into a national institution, and its development after World War II as an engine of scientific discovery and economic growth, as well as a force for significantly broadening social opportunity.We are now in another moment of dramatic shift in higher education: Globalization and technology are prominent among the forces that challenge us once again to examine how we do our work and how we define our aims.This year alone we have launched a new University-wide initiative to think in fresh ways about our methods of learning and teaching, a new University-wide Innovation Lab to help our students bring their ideas to life, and edX, a new partnership with MIT to embrace the promise of online learning for our students while sharing our knowledge more widely with the world.As we reimagine ourselves for the 21st century, we recognize that history teaches us not just about continuity – what is important because it is enduring.History also teaches us about change.Harvard has survived and thrived by considering over and over again how its timeless and unwavering dedication to knowledge and truth must be adapted to the demands of each new age.History encourages us to see contingency and opportunity by offering us the ability to imagine a different world.Think of how Harvard changed as we came to recognize that our commitment to fulfilling human potential required us to open our gates more broadly.The continuity of our deepest values led us to the transformation of our practices – and of the characteristics of the students, faculty and staff who inhabit and embody Harvard.What was once unimaginable came to seem necessary and even inevitable as we extended the circle of inclusion and belonging to welcome minorities and women, and in recent years to so significantly enhance support for students of limited financial means.Our history provides “a compass to steer by” – to borrow a phrase from Massachusetts Bay Governor John Winthrop.It fills us with confidence in our purposes and in our ability to surmount the risks of uncharted seas.With the strength of our past, we welcome these unknowns and the opportunities they offer as we reimagine Harvard for its next 375 years.For nearly four centuries now, Harvard has been inventing the future.History is where the future begins.From: http://

第三篇：哈佛大学校长Drew Faust在2012毕业典礼上的演讲

哈佛大学校长Drew Faust在2012毕业典礼上的演讲（英语文本）

美国哈佛大学校长Drew Faust女士在2012毕业典礼上的演讲，同时Drew G.Faust也是哈佛375年历史上第一位女性校长，还是第一位非哈佛毕业生校长，杰出的历史学家，2001年从宾西法尼业大学到哈佛的Radcliffe学院任教。With Commencement today, we close our year of commemorating Harvard’s 375th birthday.From an exuberant party for 18,000 in torrential rain and ankle-deep mud here in Tercentenary Theatre last fall to today’s invocation of John Harvard’s spirit still walking the Yard, we have celebrated this special year and this institution’s singular and distinguished history.Founded by an act of the Great and General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1636, Harvard was the first college in the English colonies and is the oldest in what has become the United States.Harvard was already 140 years old when the nation was founded.There are few institutions in this country or even the world that can claim such longevity.But what does such a claim mean? At a time when the buzzword of “innovation” is everywhere, when the allure of the new drives business, politics and society, what do we intend by our celebration of endurance and of history? Why do we see history as an essential part of our identity? Why is Harvard’s past an invaluable resource as we decide how to shape the future? In a quite literal sense, history creates our identity – who we as Harvard actually are – and as a result who we aspire to be.We live in a community made up not just of the students, faculty and staff now here – or even the 300,000 Harvard alumni around the world.We are part of a community that extends across time as well as space.We acknowledge an indelible connection to those who have come before – predecessors both recent and remote, who remind us of what is possible for us by their demonstration of what was possible for them.Harvard’s history instills both expectations and responsibilities as it challenges us to inhabit this legacy.One cannot study philosophy here without sighting the ghosts of John Rawls, Willard Quine, Benjamin Peirce, Ralph Waldo Emerson, or William James.One cannot study law without thinking of the 18 Harvard Law School alumni who have served as Supreme Court justices, including the 6 currently on the bench – not to mention the graduate in the White House and the seven presidents with Harvard degrees who have preceded him.Those who appear on Harvard stages surely imagine themselves as Jack Lemmon or Natalie Portman or Stockard Channing, directed by the equivalents of Peter Sellars, Diane Paulus, or Mira Nair.Or perhaps our aspiring actors see themselves in John Lithgow and Tommy Lee Jones, who returned together for Arts First weekend earlier this month to reminisce about their thespian adventures in Cambridge.And those seeking to change the world through technology are sure to reflect on Zuckerberg, Ballmer, and Gates.In these domains and so many others, we have the privilege of living alongside a remarkable heritage of predecessors.We have certainly not come to work and study here in Cambridge and Boston because of the weather – though this past winter suggests climate change may be altering that.We are drawn here because others before us have set a standard that extends across centuries in its power and its appeal.We think of ourselves in their company;we seek to be worthy of that company, and to share our days with others similarly motivated and inspired.We want to contribute as they have contributed in every imaginable field.We want to know – to understand – societies, governments, eras, organizations, galaxies, works of art and literature, structures, circuits, diseases, cells.We want to make our lives matter.We want to improve the human condition and build a better world.We want Harvard to ask that of us, to expect that of us and to equip us to accomplish it.History shapes our institutional ideals as well as our individual ambitions.Having a history diminishes the grip of the myopic present, helping us to see beyond its bounds, to transcend the immediate in search of the enduring.It challenges us to place our aspirations and responsibilities within the broadest context of understanding.We expect the future to be as long as the past;we must act in ways that are not just about tomorrow – but about decades and even centuries to come.This means that we teach our students with the intention of shaping the whole of their lives as well as readying them for what happens as soon as they leave our gates.This means that in the sciences – and beyond – we support research that is driven by curiosity, by the sheer desire to understand – at the same time that we pursue discoveries that have immediate measurable impact.And it means that we support fields of study – of languages, literatures, cultures – that are intended to locate us within traditions of reflection about the larger purposes of human existence, enabling us to look beyond ourselves and our own experience, to ask where we are going – not just how we get there.Even in our professional Schools, designed to educate students for specific vocations, we seek to instill the perspective that derives from the critical eye and the questioning mind;we charge our students to think about lasting value, not just quarterly returns.These commitments shape our institutional identity – our discussions and decisions about what a university is and must be.As both higher education and the world have been transformed, Harvard has not just weathered the past 375 years.It has changed and flourished – from its origins as a small, local college designed to produce educated ministers and citizens, to its emergence as a research university in the late 19th century, to its transformation into a national institution, and its development after World War II as an engine of scientific discovery and economic growth, as well as a force for significantly broadening social opportunity.We are now in another moment of dramatic shift in higher education: Globalization and technology are prominent among the forces that challenge us once again to examine how we do our work and how we define our aims.This year alone we have launched a new University-wide initiative to think in fresh ways about our methods of learning and teaching, a new University-wide Innovation Lab to help our students bring their ideas to life, and edX, a new partnership with MIT to embrace the promise of online learning for our students while sharing our knowledge more widely with the world.As we reimagine ourselves for the 21st century, we recognize that history teaches us not just about continuity – what is important because it is enduring.History also teaches us about change.Harvard has survived and thrived by considering over and over again how its timeless and unwavering dedication to knowledge and truth must be adapted to the demands of each new age.History encourages us to see contingency and opportunity by offering us the ability to imagine a different world.Think of how Harvard changed as we came to recognize that our commitment to fulfilling human potential required us to open our gates more broadly.The continuity of our deepest values led us to the transformation of our practices – and of the characteristics of the students, faculty and staff who inhabit and embody Harvard.What was once unimaginable came to seem necessary and even inevitable as we extended the circle of inclusion and belonging to welcome minorities and women, and in recent years to so significantly enhance support for students of limited financial means.Our history provides “a compass to steer by” – to borrow a phrase from Massachusetts Bay Governor John Winthrop.It fills us with confidence in our purposes and in our ability to surmount the risks of uncharted seas.With the strength of our past, we welcome these unknowns and the opportunities they offer as we reimagine Harvard for its next 375 years.For nearly four centuries now, Harvard has been inventing the future.History is where the future begins

第四篇：哈佛大学校长Drew Gilpin Faust在毕业典礼的演讲

哈佛大学校长Drew Gilpin Faust在毕业典礼的演讲：在醒着的时间里，追求你认为最有意义的！！(听君一席话，胜读十年书！！)

记住我们对你们寄予的厚望，就算你们觉得它们不可能实现，也要记住，它们至关重要，是你们人生的北极星，会指引你们到达对自己和世界都有意义的彼岸。你们生活的意义要由你们自己创造。

这所备受尊崇的学校历来好学求知，所以你们期待我的演讲能传授永恒的智慧。我站在这个讲坛上，穿得像个清教徒牧师——这身打扮也许会把很多我的前任吓坏，还可能会让其中一些人重新投身于消灭女巫的事业中去，让英克利斯和考特恩父子（1）出现在如今的“泡沫派对”上（2）。但现在，我在台上，你们在底下，这是一个属于真理（3）、追求真理的时刻。

你们已经求学四年，而我当校长还不到一年；你们认识三任校长，我只认识一个班的大四学生。所以，智慧从何谈起呢？也许你们才是应该传授智慧的人。或许我们可以互换一下角色，用哈佛法学院教授们随机点名提问的方式，让我在接下来的一个小时里回答你们的问题（4）。

让我们把这个毕业典礼想象成一个问答式环节，你们是提问者。“福斯特校长，生活的意义是什么？我们在哈佛苦读四年是为了什么？福斯特校长，从你四十年前大学毕业到现在，你肯定学到了不少东西吧？”（四十年了。我可以大声承认这个时间，因为我生活的每一个细节——当然包括我获得布尔茅尔学位的年份——现在好像都能公开查到。但请注意，当时我在班里还算岁数小的。）

可以这么说，在过去的一年里，你们一直在提出问题让我回答，只不过你们把提问范围限定得比较小。我也一直在思考应该怎样回答，还有你们提问的动机，这是我更感兴趣的。

其实，从我与校委会见面时起，就一直被问到这些问题，当时是2007年冬天，我的任命才宣布不久。此后日渐频繁，我在柯克兰楼吃午饭，我在莱弗里特楼吃晚饭，在我专门会见学生的工作时段，甚至我在国外遇见毕业生的时候，都会被问到这些问题。你们问我的第一件事不是问课程，不是教师辅导，不是教师的联系方式，也不是学生学习生活的空间。实际上，甚至不是酒精限制政策。你们反复问我的是：“为什么我们很多人都去了华尔街？为什么我们哈佛毕业生中，有那么多人进入金融、咨询行业和投资银行？”

要思考并回答这个问题，有很多方式。比如威利-萨顿式的。当他被问及为什么要抢银行时，他回答：“因为那儿有钱。”你们中很多人都在经济学课上见过克劳迪娅-戈尔丁和拉里-卡茨两位教授，根据他们从70年代以来对学生择业的研究，得出的结论大同小异。他们发现，值得注意的是，虽然金融行业有极高的金钱回报，还是有很多学生选择了其它工作。

确实如此，你们中有37个人已经和“为美国而教”签约（5）；有一个会去跳探戈，去阿根廷研究舞蹈疗法；还有一个将投身于肯尼亚的农业发展；一个拿了数学荣誉学位的人要去研究诗歌；另一个要去美国空军受训当飞行员；还有一个要与乳癌作斗争。你们中有很多人会去读法律、医学、或其他研究生。但是，绝大多数人选择了金融和咨询，这与戈尔丁和卡茨的调查结果不谋而合。《克里姆森报》（6）对去年的毕业班作了调查，结果表明，参加工作的人中，58%的男生和43％的女生做出了上述选择。虽然今年经济不景气，这个数字

还是达到了39%。

高额的薪水、几乎难以拒绝的招聘方、能与朋友一起在纽约工作、享受生活，以及有趣的工作——有很多种理由可以解释这些选择。你们中的一些人本来就决定过这样子的生活，至少在一两年之内是这样。另一些人则认为先要利己才能利人。但是，你们还是问我，为什么要走这条路。

在某种程度上，我觉得自己更关心的是你们为什么问这些问题，而不是给出答案。如果戈尔丁和卡茨教授的结论是正确的；如果金融行业的确就是“理性的选择”，那么你们为什么还是不停地问我这个问题呢？为什么这个看似理性的选择，会让你们许多人觉得难以理解、不尽合理，甚至在某种意义上是出于被迫或必须，而非自愿呢？为什么这个问题会困扰你们这么多人呢？

我认为，你们问我的其实是生活的意义，只不过你们提出的问题是经过伪装的——提问角度是高级职业选择中可观察、可度量的现象，而不是抽象的、难以理解的、令人尴尬的形而上学范畴。“生活的意义”——是个大大的问题——又是老生常谈——把它看成蒙提派森（7）的某部电影的讽刺标题或者某一集《辛普森一家》（8）的主题就容易回答，但是当作蕴含严肃意义的话题就把问题复杂化了。

但是，暂时抛开我们哈佛人自以为是的圆滑、沉着和无懈可击，试着探寻一下你们问题的答案。

我认为，你们之所以担心，是因为你们不想自己的生活只是传统意义上的成功，而且还要有意义。但你们又不知道如何协调这两个目标。你们不知道在一家有着金字招牌的公司里干着一份起薪丰厚的工作，加上可以预见的未来的财富，是否能满足你们的内心。

你们为什么担心？这多少是我们学校的错。从一进校门，我们就告诉你们，你们会成为对未来负责的领袖，你们是最优秀、最聪明的是我们的依靠，你们会改变整个世界。我们对你们寄予厚望，反而成了你们的负担。其实，你们已经取得了非凡的成绩：你们参与各种课外活动，表现出服务精神；你们大力提倡可持续发展，透露出你们对这个星球未来的关注；你们积极参与今年的总统竞选，为美国政治注入了新的活力。

而现在，你们中有许多人不知道如何把以上这些成绩与择业结合起来。是否一定要在有利益的工作和有意义的工作之间做出抉择？如果必须选择，你们会选哪个？有没有可能两者兼得呢？

你们问我和问自己的是一些最根本的问题：关于价值、关于试图调和有潜在冲突的东西、关于对鱼与熊掌不可兼得的认识。你们正处在一个转变的时刻，需要做出抉择。只能选一个选项——工作、职业、读研——都意味着要放弃其他选项。每一个决定都意味着有得有失——一扇门打开了，另一扇却关上了。你们问我的问题差不多就是这样——关于舍弃的人生道路。

金融业、华尔街和“招聘”已经变成了这个两难困境的标志，代表着一系列问题，其意义要远比选择一条职业道路宽广和深刻。某种意义上，这些是你们所有人早晚都会遇到的问题——当你从医学院毕业并选择专业方向——是选全科家庭医生还是选皮肤科医生；当你获得法学学位之后，要选择是去一家公司工作，还是做公共辩护律师；当你在“为美国而教”进修两年以后，要决定是否继续从事教育。你们担心，是因为你们既想活得有意义，又想活得成功；你们清楚，你们所受的教育是让你们不仅为自己，为自己的舒适和满足，更要为你们身边的世界创造价值。而现在，你们必须想出一个方法，去实现这一目标。

我认为，你们之所以担心，还有另一个原因——和第一个原因有关，但又不完全相同。那就是，你们想过得幸福。你们趋之若鹜地选修“积极心理学”——心理学1504——和“幸福的科学”，想找到秘诀。但我们怎样才能找到幸福呢？我可以给出一个鼓舞人心的答案：长大。调查表明，年长的人——比如我这个岁数的人——幸福感比年轻人更强。不过，你们可能不愿意等待。

我听过你们谈论面临的种种选择，所以我知道你们对成功和幸福的关系感到烦恼——或者更准确地说，如何定义成功，才能使之产生并包含真正的幸福，而不只是金钱和名望。你们担心经济回报最多的选择，可能不是最有意义或最令人满意的。但你们想知道自己到底应该怎样生存，不论是作为艺术家、演员、公务员还是高中老师？你们要怎样找到一条通向新闻业的道路？在不知道多少年之后，完成了研究生学业和论文，你们会找到英语教授的工作吗？

答案是：只有试过了才知道。但是，不论是绘画、生物还是金融，如果你不去尝试做你喜欢的事；如果你不去追求你认为最有意义的东西，你会后悔的。人生之路很长，总有时间去实施备选方案，但不要一开始就退而求其次。我将其称为择业停车位理论，几十年来一直在与同学们分享。不要因为觉得肯定没有停车位了，就把车停在距离目的地20个街区远的地方。直接去你想去的地方，如果车位已满，再绕回来。

你们可能喜欢投行、金融或咨询，它可能就是你的最佳选择。也许你们和我在柯克兰楼吃午饭时遇到的那个大四学生一样，她刚从西海岸一家知名咨询公司面试回来。她问：“我为什么要做这行？我讨厌坐飞机，我不喜欢住酒店，我不会喜欢这个工作的。”那就找个你喜欢的工作。要是你在醒着的时间里超过一半都在做你不喜欢的事情，你是很难感到幸福的。

但是，最最重要的是，你们问问题，既是在问我，更是在问你们自己。你们在选择道路，同时又质疑自己的选择。你知道自己想要什么样的生活，只是不知确定自己所选的路对不对。这是最好的消息。这也是，我希望，从某种程度上说，我们的错。关注你的生活，对其进行反思，思考怎样才能好好地生活，想想怎样对社会有用：这些也许就是人文教育传授给你们的最宝贵的东西。人文教育要求你们自觉地生活，赋予你寻找和定义所做之事的内在意义的能力。它使你学会自我分析和评判，让你从容把握自己的生活，并掌控其发展路径。正是在这个意义上，“人文”才是名副其实的liberare ——自由（9）。它们赋予你开展行动、发现事物意义和作出选择的能力。通向有意义、幸福生活的必由之路是让自己为之努力奋斗。不要停歇。随时准备着改变方向。记住我们对你们寄予的厚望，就算你们觉得它们不可能实现，也要记住，它们至关重要，是你们人生的北极星，会指引你们到达对自己和世界都有意义的彼岸。你们生活的意义要由你们自己创造。

我迫不及待地想知道你们会变成什么样子。一定要经常回来，告诉我们过得如何。

译者注：

（1）Increase and Cotton：英克利斯和考特恩父子，都是著名清教徒牧师。Increase Mather 曾任哈佛大学管理层成员，并参加1692年塞勒姆巫师审判案。其子Cotton Mather。

（2）Mather lather：哈佛大学每年春天举行的全校性泡沫派对，即用泡沫机喷射泡沫铺满大厅地面，参加者身穿泳装跳舞狂欢。在本文中是假设，指如果在以前，Increase and Cotton父子会参加泡沫派对这一另人颇感神秘的活

动，去消灭女巫，即校长本人。

（3）Veritas：拉丁文，真理，也是哈佛大学校训。

（4）cold call：营销人员打给陌生客户推销商品的电话。与之相对的是warm call，指打给相识客户的推销电话。在文中，特指哈佛法学院的教授会在课上随机点名让学生回答问题。

（5）Teach For America：为美国而教，一个教育组织，旨在消除美国某些地区的教育不公平现象。

（6）Crimson：指The Harvard Crimson，《克里姆森报》，哈佛大学学生主办的校报。

（7）Monty Python：英国六人喜剧团体。

（8）Simpsons：《辛普森一家》，美国电视史上播放时间最长的动画片。

（9）原文中liberal education（人文教育）里的liberal源自于拉丁文liberare，意思是to free，使自由。

第五篇：哈佛大学校长离职演讲

Good bye and good luck!

by Lawrence H.Summers, President of Harvard University

Today, I speak from this podium a final time as your president.As I depart, I want to thank all of youwith whom I have been privileged to work over these past years.Some of us have had our

disagreements, but I know that which unites us transcends that which divides us.I leave with a full heart, grateful for the opportunity I have had to lead this remarkable institution.Since I delivered my inaugural address, 56 months ago, I have learned an enormous amount—about higher education, about leadership, and also about myself.Some things look different to me than they did five years ago.The world that today’s Harvard’s graduates are entering is a profoundly different one than the world administrators entered.It is a world where opportunities have never been greater for those who know how to teach children to read, or those who know how to distribute financial risk;never greater for those who understand the cell and the pixel;never greater for those who can master, and navigate between, legal codes, faith traditions, computer platforms, political viewpoints.It is also a world where some are left further and further behindbut desperately in need of wisdom.Now, when sound bites are getting shorter, when instant messages crowd out essays, and when individual lives grow more frenzied, college graduates capable of deep reflection are what our world needs.For all these reasons I believedin the unique and irreplaceable mission of universities.Universities are where the wisdom we cannot afford to lose is preserved from generation to generation.Among all human institutions, universities can look beyond present norms to future possibilities, can look through current considerations to emergent opportunities.And among universities, Harvard stands out.With its great tradition, its iconic

reputation, its remarkable network of 300,000 alumni, Harvard has never had as much potential as it does now.And yet, great and proud institutions, like great and proud nations at their peak, must surmount a very real risk: that the very strength of their traditions will lead to caution, to an inward focus on prerogative and to a complacency that lets the world pass them by.And so I say to you that our University today is at an inflection point in its history.At such a moment, there is temptation to elevate comfort and consensus over progress and clear direction, but this would be a mistake.The University’s matchless resourcesdemand that we seize this moment with vision and boldness.To do otherwise would be a lost opportunity.We can spur great deeds that history will mark decades and even centuries from now.If Harvard can find the courage to change itself, it can change the world.