蒂姆-库克于2010年5月14日在奥本大学毕业典礼上发表的演讲全文：

第一篇：蒂姆-库克于2010年5月14日在奥本大学毕业典礼上发表的演讲全文：

腾讯科技讯（万学）北京时间8月28日消息，据国外媒体报道，在过去这么多年中，我们已对苹果前任CEO史蒂夫-乔布斯（Steve Jobs）的个性特点耳熟能详。但是，我们对于他的继任者蒂姆-库克（Tim Cook）却知之不多。这两个人都能曾在大学毕业典礼上发表过演讲。也许我们能够从中管窥库克的内心世界。

下面是蒂姆-库克于2010年5月14日在奥本大学毕业典礼上发表的演讲全文：

我很荣幸回到这里与你们见面，很荣幸回到这个像家一样的地方，回到这个带给我很多温馨回忆的地方。奥本大学以前对我的生活产生过重大影响，现在对于我也具有重要的意义。任何人，只要到过我在苹果的办公室或者我在帕罗奥图的家，就能立即发现这一点。我保存有很多奥本大学的纪念物。

站在你们面前，我感到非常激动，因为我知道在座的很多人以及我们州的其他很多人都受到了天灾的影响。我从小在墨西哥湾地区长大，我的家人现在还住在那边，但是我要让你们知道，我与你们感同身受。

站在你们面前，我感到诚惶诚恐。我能走到今天，是因为我的父母牺牲了很多他们原本应该拥有的东西，因为我的教师、教授、朋友和导师给了我超出他们责任范围的关心，因为史蒂夫-乔布斯和苹果给我提供了宝贵的工作机会，让我在过去12年中每天都过得很有意义。我知道，我的面前还有一群受人尊敬的教职工，他们的思想和研究成果已给我们的生活带来了积极的影响。他们的才智加上无数父母、祖父母、曾祖父母的生活智慧，是可以让当今毕业生受益终生的宝贵精神财富。当着他们的面，给你们这些毕业生们提出忠告，我真的感到诚惶诚恐。

因此，请记住，我将要给大家分享一些我个人的心得体会，这些心得至少对于我而言非常受用，但愿也能让你们有所启发。

与乔布斯会面5分钟决定加盟苹果

在我的生命中，我迄今为止最重要的心得体会来源于一个决定：加入苹果。在苹果工作，从来没有被列入我的人生规划中，但是它毫无疑问是我做过的最英明的决定。当然，我们的生命中还有许多其他重要的决定，譬如决定来奥本。在我念高中的时候，有些老师建议我读奥本大学，有些教师建议我选择阿拉巴马大学。我说过，有些决定是不言而喻的。但是，在1998年初，我选择进入苹果的决定却并没有这么顺理成章。由于你们中的大多数人当年还只有10岁，因此你们可能不知道，1998年初的苹果与今天的苹果有着天壤之别。在1998年，还没有iPad或iMac或iPhone，甚至也没有iPod——我知道，你们很难想象没有iPod的生活。尽管苹果当时已生产了Mac电脑，但是却连年亏损，人们普遍认为，苹果已经濒临破产了。而就在我接受苹果工作的前几个月，当戴尔公司的创始人兼CEO迈克尔-戴尔（Michael Dell）被问及他会如何来解决苹果的问题时，他回答说“我将会关闭它，然后把钱还给股东们。”戴尔的这一番话实际上说出了很多人的心声。

因此，苹果当年的境遇可谓是步履维艰。而在当时，我所在的公司——康柏电脑是全球最大的个人电脑公司。不仅康柏的业绩比苹果好很多，而且它的总部位于德克萨斯州，因而离奥本大学很近。任何理智的人权衡利弊后都会选择康柏，当时我周围的人也建议我留在康柏。我曾经向一位CEO咨询此事，他果断地说，如果我离开康柏而选择苹果，我就是一个傻子。

在决定是否进入苹果时，我必须运用我作为工程师的思维进行思考。工程师学到的方法就是通过不带任何感情的客观分析来做出决策。当我们面对两个选择的时候，我们就会权衡利弊，选出一个更好的。但是，在我们的生活中，很多时候，精细地权衡利弊似乎并不是做出决定的正确方法。在我们所有人的生活中，有时候依靠直觉做决定似乎更靠谱。有意思的是，我发现在面对人生重大决定的时候，直觉似乎更能让你做出正确的选择。

要把重要的决定权交给直觉，你就必须放弃规划人生未来的想法。直觉决定当下发生的事情。如果你认真聆听它，它就有可能把你导向最适合你的人生道路上。在1998年初的那一天，我听从了我的直觉，而不是我的左脑或最了解我的人。我不知道我为什么会这样做，时至今日我也仍然无法确定。但是，在我与史蒂夫-乔布斯会面不到五分钟，我就把逻辑和谨慎抛到了一边，加入了苹果。我的直觉告诉我，加入苹果是一生仅有一次的机会，我能借此机会为富有创意的天才工作，加入可能创造伟大公司的管理团队。如果当时我的直觉在与我左脑斗争的过程中败下阵来，我真不知道我现在会在哪里，但是肯定不会站在你们面前。

直觉+准备=成功

这是一个深刻的教训。我还记得，在我毕业的时候，我也感到茫然，不知道我的生活将会通往何方。我很想设定一个25年的规划来引领我的人生。当我念商学院的时候，我们甚至练习做一个25年的人生规划。现在22年过去了，我已在为你们的毕业典礼准备演讲稿了。当我还是一个年轻的MBA学生时，我并不明白，生活经常会向你投来曲线球。别误会我——我并不是说人生不需要规划。规划人生未来没有错，但是如果你像我一样，偶尔想去看看篱笆外面的风景，你就不要指望按部就班的生活。但是，即使你不规划人生，你也能着手准备。伟大的棒球手并不知道曲线球什么时候飞过来，但是他知道它会飞过来。于是，他就开始准备，等待时机给它用力一击。

人们经常把直觉等同于依靠运气或忠诚。真理再向前走一小步就是谬误。直觉能够告诉你哪扇门是对你开放的，你应该从这扇门里走出去。但是，直觉不能让你准备好迎接门外面的东西。我经常想起阿伯拉罕-林肯说过的一句话：“我将会认真准备，直到机会有一天到来。”我深信不疑。正是这种信仰引领我到奥本大学学习工业工程，引领我到杜克大学学习商业，引领我接受了难以计数的工作和任务。

商场如赛场，绝大多数成功在比赛开始之前就已经决定了。我们不能控制机会来临的时间，但是我们能够控制我们的准备工作。就目前的经济形势以及我们时常感受到的担心而言，林肯的话在今天尤其适用。当我在1982年毕业的时候，我也有着和你们一样的担心。但是，在座的很多学生家长可能还记得，当时的经

济状态与现在实际上差不了多少。失业率高达两位数字，尽管没有华尔街银行倒闭，但是我们有着严重的储蓄和贷款危机。和我的很多同班同学一样，我也很担心自己的未来。

但是，适用于林肯的至理名言，也适用于我们82届毕业的学生，当然同样也适用于今天毕业的你们。机会垂青有准备的头脑。就像所有的前辈人一样，你们将会站在你们上一代人的肩膀上，也就是我和你们的父母这一代人的肩膀上。你们将会看得更远，取得更大的成就。在这个伟大的时刻，你们和你们的家人汇聚在这个伟大的学校，这证明你们的准备已经开始了。毕业后，你们还要像你们在奥本大学所做的那样，继续用知识武装你们自己。只有这样，当你的直觉告诉你“我的机会来临”时，你就能信心百倍地准备迎接它了。

艰苦努力不可或缺

当你已准备好，而且正确的大门也已向你敞开，你就只需要做一件事了：行动起来。至少对我而言，奥本大学校训中的第二句话“我相信工作，艰苦地工作”能让我产生很大的共鸣，而且一直是我的核心信念之一。这是一句很朴实的话，但却蕴含着无穷的智慧和尊严。而且，它们也经受住了时间的检验。

无数事例告诉我们，那些想要不费吹灰之力就取得成功的人终究是在欺骗他们自己，甚至是在欺骗别人。我非常幸运，我的周围有很多睿智的、听从直觉的思想家，他们创造了全世界最精致、最杰出的产品。对于我们来说，直觉不能取代缜密的思维和艰苦的工作，它只能把我们引进门，修行还得靠个人。我们没有捷径可走。我们必须关注每一个细节，听从好奇心的指引。我们清楚，整个过程可能非常漫长，但是最终它是值得的。我们敢于冒险，也知道冒险有时候会导致失败。但是，没有失败，又何谈成功？我们牢记阿尔伯特-爱因斯坦的话：“疯狂就是反复做同一件事情，并期待有不一样的结果。”总而言之，直觉对你做的任何事情都很重要。但是，如果没有坚持不懈地准备和行动，它就会变得毫无意义。

这些就是我对于直觉、准备和努力工作重要性的心得体会。它们给出了一个简单的原则，能够应用到你人生中最重要的决定中：相信你自己的直觉，然后运用你拥有的一切去证明它的正确。

没有失败就没有成功

逻辑告诉我，我应该就此打住，但是我说过，有时候逻辑并不占上风。因此，我还有最后一个心得体会要简短地与你们分享一下。我认为，只谈成功，不提失败，可能会产生误导。任何有所成就的人，在他们自己的生活中，都不可避免地会经历艰辛、挫折和后悔。所以，不要相信你过去生活中发生的事情会妨碍你在将来做出伟大的成就。你们拥有的自我怀疑，我也一直有；尽管我今天在大谈伟大的决定，但是我也做过一些糟糕的决定。就像你们中的许多人一样，我也经常遇到自己人生中的挑战和失败。但是，这一路走来，我终于明白，所有这些人生的艰难时刻都将会过去，而且每经历过一次，我们都会变得更加坚强和睿智。老

话说，“这一切也会过去。”这对于我来说就是至理名言，我相信对于相信它的人也是如此。

所以，在你的头脑中描绘你们人生的蓝图吧，然后充分准备，相信自己，并按照你们的直觉行动。不要因为人生道路上的坑坑洼洼而分散你们的注意力。祝贺你们，2010年的毕业班，今天是你们的重大日子。你们在一流的学府接受了一流的教育。也祝贺一直支持你们的亲朋好友。在这个重大的日子里，请秉承奥本的精神，去迎接未来的人生。让你们的快乐贯彻在你们的奋斗历程中，而不是建立在一个遥远的目标上。无论你们各自的人生经历将会把你们带到何方，我都会祝福你们，并感谢你们让我参加了今日的聚会。

第二篇：毕业演讲苹果公司首席执行官蒂姆库克在乔治华盛顿大学 2015年毕业典礼上的演讲：改变世界的人可能就是你

毕业演讲苹果公司首席执行官蒂姆·库克在乔治·华盛顿大学 2015年毕业典礼上的演讲：改变世界的人可能就是你

编者按：乔治·华盛顿大学（The George Washington University, GW）是美国顶尖的私立大学之一，位于美国首都华盛顿哥伦比亚特区，自1821年创立以来，经历了近200年的风雨洗礼，已发展成为一所规模庞大、声誉卓著的研究型大学。2015年5月17日，乔治·华盛顿大学在国家广场举行了2015届毕业生典礼，荣誉校友蒂姆·库克（Tim Cook)以“总会有人改变世界——这个人可能就是你”为主题发表了演讲。蒂姆·库克生于美国阿拉巴马州，1982年毕业于奥本大学工业工程专业，1988年获得杜克大学企业管理硕士学位，曾在IBM公司供职多年，负责个人电脑（PC）在北美和拉美地区的制造和分销。1998年初，库克进入苹果公司，任副总裁，主管电脑制造业务。2011年，接替史蒂夫·乔布斯担任苹果公司首席执行官。今年5月，库克先生获得乔治·华盛顿大学荣誉博士学位。在演讲中，库克以自己的经历为例反复强调只要找到自己的信仰和价值并付诸实践，个人就有可能改变世界。他鼓励毕业生们走上世界舞台，用自己的能量、激情、成功的渴望去改变世界，实现自身的价值。文章由本刊特约译者根据乔治·华盛顿大学网站公布的英文演讲稿编译，本刊编辑部审校，标题系本刊所加。乔治·华盛顿大学的各位同学，你们好！

很感谢克纳普（Knapp）校长热情地对我作了介绍，也很感谢学校理事会，老师们，院长们，我的同事们，尤其感谢2015届毕业生们！

恭喜你们，也恭喜前来参加典礼的你们的家人和朋友，你们成功了！作为荣誉校友，我无比荣耀地站在这里，和你们共度这一生中最难忘的时光。

在演讲开始之前，校方要求我做一个例行说明，想必你们都知道，就是将手机调成静音模式。因此，请你们保持手机静音。如果你们用的是苹果手机，请把它调到静音模式；如果你们用的不是苹果手机，请把手机传到中间的过道上，参加苹果公司的世界级回收项目。

大家都知道，这里是个令人惊叹的地方。我很确信，对于你们来说，之所以选择来华盛顿，是因为这里是美国民主政治的中心。这个地方有着强大的吸引力。在这里，马丁·路德·金曾挑战美国人，为真正实现对民主的承诺，为每个上帝的儿女实现真正的公平。

也是在这里，里根总统号召我们，要相信自己，相信我们能成就一番事业。在今天这样一个特别的早晨，我想与你们分享我第一次来这里的经历。1977年的夏天，那年我才16岁，还是个小男生，刚读完高中二年级，住在老家阿拉巴马州的罗伯茨代尔小镇。也就在那时，我在由国家乡村电力协会（National Rural Electric Association）赞助的作文比赛中获奖。至于作文的内容，我已经很模糊了，唯一让我记忆犹新的便是那一份份不断修改的手写稿。那个年代，打印机有点贵，我们家买不起。

全国数百名获奖者前往华盛顿，而我则是我们那个地区两名获奖者中的一名。在我们出发之前，代表团先去了州府蒙哥马利与州长见面，我们见到的是州长乔治·华莱士（George C.Wallace）。他便是1963年站在阿拉巴马州大学校门口阻止该校为黑人登记注册的那个人。他支持邪恶的种族隔离制度，支持白人对抗黑人、南方对抗北方、工人阶层对抗所谓的精英阶层。因此，对于我来说，与州长会面并不是一种荣耀。

我生命中的英雄是强烈反对华莱士支持种族隔离制度的马丁·路德·金和罗伯特·肯尼迪（Robert F.Kennedy）。要知道，在我出生和成长的地方，马丁·路德·金和罗伯特·肯尼迪都没有得到相应的尊重。在我小的时候，美国南方仍然在篡改历史，我学习的教科书上甚至说美国内战是一场各州争取权利的战争，课本中很少提及奴隶制度。

因此，我自己必须学会明辨是非。当然，这也是一种探索，一个过程。我从父母和教堂那里获悉的，以及发自肺腑的道德观念都指引我走向属于我自己的探索之路。我从公共图书馆找到了那些可能连他们自己都不知道会有的藏书，而这些藏书全部都证明华莱士是错的。种族隔离制度在世界上没有立足之地。平等是一种权利。

正如所言，我见到华莱士的时候只有16岁，所以我按照大家期盼的那样和他握了手。但是，我觉得和他握手是对自己信仰的背叛，更是在出卖自己的灵魂。

随后，我们从蒙哥马利飞到了华盛顿，那是我第一次坐飞机，事实上也是我第一次走出美国南方。1977年6月15号，新总统吉米·卡特（Jimmy Carter）在白宫南侧的草坪上接待了我和其他900名获奖者。卡特总统站在椭圆桌的另一面。我是这些获奖者中的一个幸运儿，得以和总统握握手。卡特总统在看到我的胸牌（Name Tag）后，关切地询问起那年遭受暴风雨袭击后的阿拉巴马州的人民过得怎么样。他是那么友好，那么富有同情心。他虽拥有至高无上的权力，但却没有失去人情味。我为我们拥有这样一位总统而骄傲，也为他来自美国南方而骄傲。在那一周里，我见到了两个被写进历史的人，他们来自同一个地方，同一个政党，也曾是相邻两个州的州长，但他们的世界观却截然相反。我很清楚他们谁是谁非。华莱士的一生都致力于制造分裂，而卡特的一生却为我们传达每一个美国公民都是密切相连的理念。每个人都要走过一段路途，形成他们赖以生存的价值观念。价值观的形成不仅受经历和环境的影响，也受个人内心的影响。

16岁那年，我的人生历程才刚刚开始，我甚至还没开始申请大学。而对于在座的各位毕业生来说，毕业就意味着一段新历程，发现自我、塑造自我、重塑自我也都将从此刻开始。你必须找到并坚守自己的信仰和价值，找到自己的“北极星”。这意味着选择，这种选择有时很容易，有时却很困难，有时则会让你质疑一切。华盛顿之旅的20年后，我就遇到一个让我质疑一切的人，也是这个人用最好的方式推翻了我所有的假设，他就是史蒂夫·乔布斯（Steve Jobs）。乔布斯成功创建了一家公司，但在那之后不久，他被驱逐了出去，后来又回到这家公司救其于危难之中。当时，乔布斯或许不知道，他将会把自己的余生奉献给这家公司，并将其带到无法企及的高度。任何人都没有想到，除了他自己。大多数人或许都忘了，在1997年和1998年初的那段时间，苹果公司的业绩连年下滑，但乔布斯相信苹果公司可以重振旗鼓。也就是在那个时候，乔布斯找到了我并询问我是否愿意为苹果公司出一份力。

乔布斯对苹果公司的愿景是将强大的科技转化为容易被人们使用的工具，成为帮助人们实现梦想的工具，让世界更美好的工具。我是工程专业出身，后来修读了工商管理硕士（MBA）。经过学习，我被塑造成一个务实的人，一个解决问题的人。然而，当我坐在一个四十几岁、很有活力的人面前，听他说要改变世界的愿景时，我发现那并不是我所期待的。你看，我在1998年考虑自己职业生涯的时候，也一样犹豫不决。

我知道生活中的自己是什么样子，也注视着我自己的北极星，为他人做些好事而非为自己谋利是我的责任。但在工作上，我总认为工作就是工作。价值实现有自己的领地，我也想过要改变世界，但必须放在工作之余，绝不会在办公室里。乔布斯却不这么认为，他是一个理想主义者，他用他的方式让我回忆起我年幼时的想法。与他的第一次会晤就让我相信，只要我们努力工作，制造好的产品，就可以改变世界。出乎我意料的是，我被他说服了，我接受了这份工作，同时改变了自己的人生。现今已是我在苹果公司工作的第17个年头，我从未后悔我的选择。

苹果公司的每一位员工都相信，他们所做的工作不仅是要改善自己的生活，也要改善其他人的生活。我们要做令人惊叹的产品。就像乔布斯设想的那样，他们帮助了全世界的人：盲人需要用语音获取信息，因为他们看不见屏幕；科技为被距离阻隔或身患残疾的人带来不一样的生命体验；相机方便人们随时曝光他们所目击到的社会不公。

苹果公司的企业责任远不止产品本身，还有对环境的影响，对公平的追求，以及对教育的促进。我们坚信，一个拥有核心价值并诚挚付出的公司，一定可以改变世界。对于我们个人来说也是一样的，改变世界的人可以是你，也必须是你。毕业生们，你们的价值观十分重要，它是你们的北极星，会指引你走上正确的轨道并感受工作的真正意义。否则，你就会发现，工作就是工作，而对于工作来说，人生太短了。当今世界需要你们这代人中最优秀的、最有智慧的人来领导商界、政界、科学界、艺术界、新闻界、学术界，这些追求都是非常光荣的。你们有机会去做充满道德意义的事，而不用在“把事情做好”和“做好的事情”之间做出选择。这是一种错误的选择，尤其是在当今社会。

你们面临的挑战是寻找一份能帮你解决生存问题，并且让你能够做正确、正义的事情的工作。

因此，去寻找你的北极星，让它指导你的工作和生活，亦或你一生奉献的事业。但我现在怀疑，你们其中的一些人对此不感兴趣，没关系，我不会往心里去的。有质疑精神是正常的，尤其是在华盛顿。在如今这个年代，你们有充足的理由怀疑。一定数量的良性的怀疑是好的，但怀疑太过频繁，就会使人变得愤世嫉俗。愤世嫉俗的人会怀疑任何人说的任何事，他们会怀疑说话者的初衷和人格。不过，如果你努力寻找的话，可以证明他们真的正在说谎。或许，这就是我们生活的世界。但是，毕业生们，这也是你们要改变的世界。

就像我前面提到过的，我很自豪自己是美国南方人的儿子，我永远热爱我的故乡。但在过去的17年里，我都生活在硅谷，这是一个特别的地方。在这里，任何问题都能得到解决，不管它有多困难或多复杂，这就是它的核心本质，一种非常诚恳的乐观主义。上世纪90年代，苹果公司曾做过一系列名为“不同凡想”（Think Different）的创意广告。这些广告设计非常简单，每个广告都是印有某个英雄人物的照片，他们都是渴望挑战和改变我们生活的人，如甘地、杰基·罗宾森、玛莎·格兰姆、爱因斯坦、阿梅莉亚·埃尔哈特、迈尔斯·戴维斯。直到现在，那些人仍旧激励着我们，提醒我们要为内心深处的价值而活，去实现我们最崇高的理想。正是这些英雄们让我们相信万事皆有可能。我在苹果公司的一位友人说，解决问题的最好方法就是走进一个全是苹果工程师的房间，然后宣称：“这不可能。”

我可以告诉你，他们不会接受这种论调，你也不应该接受。这就是我想从位于加利福尼亚的库比蒂诺的苹果公司总部带给你们的理念。不管你选择了什么样的生活，想要取得伟大的进步皆有可能。这世上总是不乏用批评和嘲讽将人摧毁的旁观者，同样有害的还有那些仅有好意却碌碌无为的人。就像马丁·路德·金在伯明翰监狱中所写的一封书信中提到的，我们的社会需要改变的不仅是恶人的恶言，也需要改变好人们可怕的沉默。

你不能只做一个旁观者，你需要站在世界的舞台上，并参与其中，因为这世界还有许多问题亟待解决，不公平现象需要被终结。很多人还在遭受迫害，很多疾病仍需治愈。无论接下来你要做什么，这个世界都需要你的能量，需要你的激情，需要你对进步的迫切追求。不要因为风险而退缩，收起那些批评和愤世嫉俗。虽然历史很少屈服于一个人，但是别忘了，如果它真的发生会是什么样子。这个人可以是你，应该是你，也必须是你。

恭喜你们，2015届毕业生们！我想给你们照张相，这将是世界上最美也是最棒的风景。

谢谢大家！

第三篇：奥巴马在美国一所大学毕业典礼上的演讲

For Immediate Release May 14, 2012

Remarks by the President at Barnard College Commencement Ceremony

Barnard College Columbia University New York, New York

1:28 P.M.EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you so much.(Applause.)Thank you.Please, please have a seat.Thank you.(Applause.)Thank you, President Spar, trustees, President Bollinger.Hello, Class of 2012!(Applause.)Congratulations on reaching this day.Thank you for the honor of being able to be a part of it.There are so many people who are proud of you--your parents, family, faculty, friends--all who share in this achievement.So please give them a big round of applause.(Applause.)To all the moms who are here today, you could not ask for a better Mother’s Day gift than to see all of these folks graduate.(Applause.)I have to say, though, whenever I come to these things, I start thinking about Malia and Sasha graduating, and I start tearing up and--(laughter)--it's terrible.I don't know how you guys are holding it together.(Laughter.)I will begin by telling a hard truth: I’m a Columbia college graduate.(Laughter and applause.)I know there can be a little bit of a sibling rivalry here.(Laughter.)But I’m honored nevertheless to be your commencement speaker today--although I’ve got to say, you set a pretty high bar given the past three years.(Applause.)Hillary Clinton--(applause)--Meryl Streep--(applause)--Sheryl Sandberg--these are not easy acts to follow.(Applause.)But I will point out Hillary is doing an extraordinary job as one of the finest Secretaries of State America has ever had.(Applause.)We gave Meryl the Presidential Medal of Arts and Humanities.(Applause.)Sheryl is not just a good friend;she’s also one of our economic advisers.So it’s like the old saying goes--keep your friends close, and your Barnard commencement speakers even closer.(Applause.)There's wisdom in that.(Laughter.)

Now, the year I graduated--this area looks familiar--(laughter)--the year I graduated was 1983, the first year women were admitted to Columbia.(Applause.)Sally Ride was the first American woman in space.Music was all about Michael and the Moonwalk.(Laughter.)AUDIENCE MEMBER: Do it!(Laughter.)THE PRESIDENT: No Moonwalking.(Laughter.)No Moonwalking today.(Laughter.)We had the Walkman, not iPods.Some of the streets around here were not quite so inviting.(Laughter.)Times Square was not a family destination.(Laughter.)So I know this is all ancient history.Nothing worse than commencement speakers droning on about bygone days.(Laughter.)But for all the differences, the Class of 1983 actually had a lot in common with all of you.For we, too, were heading out into a world at a moment when our country was still recovering from a particularly severe economic recession.It was a time of change.It was a time of uncertainty.It was a time of passionate political debates.You can relate to this because just as you were starting out finding your way around this campus, an economic crisis struck that would claim more than 5 million jobs before the end of your freshman year.Since then, some of you have probably seen parents put off retirement, friends struggle to find work.And you may be looking toward the future with that same sense of concern that my generation did when we were sitting where you are now.Of course, as young women, you’re also going to grapple with some unique challenges, like whether you’ll be able to earn equal pay for equal work;whether you’ll be able to balance the demands of your job and your family;whether you’ll be able to fully control decisions about your own health.And while opportunities for women have grown exponentially over the last 30 years, as young people, in many ways you have it even tougher than we did.This recession has been more brutal, the job losses steeper.Politics seems nastier.Congress more gridlocked than ever.Some folks in the financial world have not exactly been model corporate citizens.(Laughter.)No wonder that faith in our institutions has never been lower, particularly when good news doesn’t get the same kind of ratings as bad news anymore.Every day you receive a steady stream of sensationalism and scandal and stories with a message that suggest change isn’t possible;that you can’t make a difference;that you won’t be able to close that gap between life as it is and life as you want it to be.My job today is to tell you don’t believe it.Because as tough as things have been, I am convinced you are tougher.I’ve seen your passion and I’ve seen your service.I’ve seen you engage and I’ve seen you turn out in record numbers.I’ve heard your voices amplified by creativity and a digital fluency that those of us in older generations can barely comprehend.I’ve seen a generation eager, impatient even, to step into the rushing waters of history and change its course.And that defiant, can-do spirit is what runs through the veins of American history.It’s the lifeblood of all our progress.And it is that spirit which we need your generation to embrace and rekindle right now.See, the question is not whether things will get better--they always do.The question is not whether we’ve got the solutions to our challenges--we’ve had them within our grasp for quite some time.We know, for example, that this country would be better off if more Americans were able to get the kind of education that you’ve received here at Barnard--(applause)--if more people could get the specific skills and training that employers are looking for today.We know that we’d all be better off if we invest in science and technology that sparks new businesses and medical breakthroughs;if we developed more clean energy so we could use less foreign oil and reduce the carbon pollution that’s threatening our planet.(Applause.)We know that we’re better off when there are rules that stop big banks from making bad bets with other people’s money and--(applause)--when insurance companies aren’t allowed to drop your coverage when you need it most or charge women differently from men.(Applause.)Indeed, we know we are better off when women are treated fairly and equally in every aspect of American life--whether it’s the salary you earn or the health decisions you make.(Applause.)We know these things to be true.We know that our challenges are eminently solvable.The question is whether together, we can muster the will--in our own lives, in our common institutions, in our politics--to bring about the changes we need.And I’m convinced your generation possesses that will.And I believe that the women of this generation--that all of you will help lead the way.(Applause.)Now, I recognize that’s a cheap applause line when you're giving a commencement at Barnard.(Laughter.)It’s the easy thing to say.But it’s true.It is--in part, it is simple math.Today, women are not just half this country;you’re half its workforce.(Applause.)More and more women are out-earning their husbands.You’re more than half of our college graduates, and master’s graduates, and PhDs.(Applause.)So you’ve got us outnumbered.(Laughter.)After decades of slow, steady, extraordinary progress, you are now poised to make this the century where women shape not only their own destiny but the destiny of this nation and of this world.But how far your leadership takes this country, how far it takes this world--well, that will be up to you.You’ve got to want it.It will not be handed to you.And as someone who wants that future--that better future--for you, and for Malia and Sasha, as somebody who’s had the good fortune of being the husband and the father and the son of some strong, remarkable women, allow me to offer just a few pieces of advice.That's obligatory.(Laughter.)Bear with me.My first piece of advice is this: Don’t just get involved.Fight for your seat at the table.Better yet, fight for a seat at the head of the table.(Applause.)It’s been said that the most important role in our democracy is the role of citizen.And indeed, it was 225 years ago today that the Constitutional Convention opened in Philadelphia, and our founders, citizens all, began crafting an extraordinary document.Yes, it had its flaws--flaws that this nation has strived to protect(perfect)over time.Questions of race and gender were unresolved.No woman’s signature graced the original document--although we can assume that there were founding mothers whispering smarter things in the ears of the founding fathers.(Applause.)I mean, that's almost certain.What made this document special was that it provided the space--the possibility--for those who had been left out of our charter to fight their way in.It provided people the language to appeal to principles and ideals that broadened democracy’s reach.It allowed for protest, and movements, and the dissemination of new ideas that would repeatedly, decade after decade, change the world--a constant forward movement that continues to this day.Our founders understood that America does not stand still;we are dynamic, not static.We look forward, not back.And now that new doors have been opened for you, you’ve got an obligation to seize those opportunities.You need to do this not just for yourself but for those who don’t yet enjoy the choices that you’ve had, the choices you will have.And one reason many workplaces still have outdated policies is because women only account for 3 percent of the CEOs at Fortune 500 companies.One reason we’re actually refighting long-settled battles over women’s rights is because women occupy fewer than one in five seats in Congress.Now, I’m not saying that the only way to achieve success is by climbing to the top of the corporate ladder or running for office--although, let’s face it, Congress would get a lot more done if you did.(Laughter and applause.)That I think we’re sure about.But if you decide not to sit yourself at the table, at the very least you’ve got to make sure you have a say in who does.It matters.Before women like Barbara Mikulski and Olympia Snowe and others got to Congress, just to take one example, much of federally-funded research on diseases focused solely on their effects on men.It wasn’t until women like Patsy Mink and Edith Green got to Congress and passed Title IX, 40 years ago this year, that we declared women, too, should be allowed to compete and win on America’s playing fields.(Applause.)Until a woman named Lilly Ledbetter showed up at her office and had the courage to step up and say, you know what, this isn’t right, women weren’t being treated fairly--we lacked some of the tools we needed to uphold the basic principle of equal pay for equal work.So don’t accept somebody else’s construction of the way things ought to be.It’s up to you to right wrongs.It’s up to you to point out injustice.It’s up to you to hold the system accountable and sometimes upend it entirely.It’s up to you to stand up and to be heard, to write and to lobby, to march, to organize, to vote.Don’t be content to just sit back and watch.Those who oppose change, those who benefit from an unjust status quo, have always bet on the public’s cynicism or the public's complacency.Throughout American history, though, they have lost that bet, and I believe they will this time as well.(Applause.)But ultimately, Class of 2012, that will depend on you.Don’t wait for the person next to you to be the first to speak up for what’s right.Because maybe, just maybe, they’re waiting on you.Which brings me to my second piece of advice: Never underestimate the power of your example.The very fact that you are graduating, let alone that more women now graduate from college than men, is only possible because earlier generations of women--your mothers, your grandmothers, your aunts--shattered the myth that you couldn’t or shouldn’t be where you are.(Applause.)

I think of a friend of mine who’s the daughter of immigrants.When she was in high school, her guidance counselor told her, you know what, you’re just not college material.You should think about becoming a secretary.Well, she was stubborn, so she went to college anyway.She got her master’s.She ran for local office, won.She ran for state office, she won.She ran for Congress, she won.And lo and behold, Hilda Solis did end up becoming a secretary--(laughter)--she is America’s Secretary of Labor.(Applause.)So think about what that means to a young Latina girl when she sees a Cabinet secretary that looks like her.(Applause.)Think about what it means to a young girl in Iowa when she sees a presidential candidate who looks like her.Think about what it means to a young girl walking in Harlem right down the street when she sees a U.N.ambassador who looks like her.Do not underestimate the power of your example.This diploma opens up new possibilities, so reach back, convince a young girl to earn one, too.If you earned your degree in areas where we need more women--like computer science or engineering--(applause)--reach back and persuade another student to study it, too.If you're going into fields where we need more women, like construction or computer engineering--reach back, hire someone new.Be a mentor.Be a role model.Until a girl can imagine herself, can picture herself as a computer programmer, or a combatant commander, she won’t become one.Until there are women who tell her, ignore our pop culture obsession over beauty and fashion--(applause)--and focus instead on studying and inventing and competing and leading, she’ll think those are the only things that girls are supposed to care about.Now, Michelle will say, nothing wrong with caring about it a little bit.(Laughter.)You can be stylish and powerful, too.(Applause.)That's Michelle’s advice.(Applause.)And never forget that the most important example a young girl will ever follow is that of a parent.Malia and Sasha are going to be outstanding women because Michelle and Marian Robinson are outstanding women.So understand your power, and use it wisely.My last piece of advice--this is simple, but perhaps most important: Persevere.Persevere.Nothing worthwhile is easy.No one of achievement has avoided failure--sometimes catastrophic failures.But they keep at it.They learn from mistakes.They don’t quit.You know, when I first arrived on this campus, it was with little money, fewer options.But it was here that I tried to find my place in this world.I knew I wanted to make a difference, but it was vague how in fact I’d go about it.(Laughter.)But I wanted to do my part to do my part to shape a better world.So even as I worked after graduation in a few unfulfilling jobs here in New York--I will not list them all--(laughter)--even as I went from motley apartment to motley apartment, I reached out.I started to write letters to community organizations all across the country.And one day, a small group of churches on the South Side of Chicago answered, offering me work with people in neighborhoods hit hard by steel mills that were shutting down and communities where jobs were dying away.The community had been plagued by gang violence, so once I arrived, one of the first things we tried to do was to mobilize a meeting with community leaders to deal with gangs.And I’d worked for weeks on this project.We invited the police;we made phone calls;we went to churches;we passed out flyers.The night of the meeting we arranged rows and rows of chairs in anticipation of this crowd.And we waited, and we waited.And finally, a group of older folks walked in to the hall and they sat down.And this little old lady raised her hand and asked, “Is this where the bingo game is?”(Laughter.)It was a disaster.Nobody showed up.My first big community meeting--nobody showed up.And later, the volunteers I worked with told me, that's it;we’re quitting.They'd been doing this for two years even before I had arrived.They had nothing to show for it.And I’ll be honest, I felt pretty discouraged as well.I didn't know what I was doing.I thought about quitting.And as we were talking, I looked outside and saw some young boys playing in a vacant lot across the street.And they were just throwing rocks up at a boarded building.They had nothing better to do--late at night, just throwing rocks.And I said to the volunteers, “Before you quit, answer one question.What will happen to those boys if you quit? Who will fight for them if we don’t? Who will give them a fair shot if we leave? And one by one, the volunteers decided not to quit.We went back to those neighborhoods and we kept at it.We registered new voters, and we set up after-school programs, and we fought for new jobs, and helped people live lives with some measure of dignity.And we sustained ourselves with those small victories.We didn’t set the world on fire.Some of those communities are still very poor.There are still a lot of gangs out there.But I believe that it was those small victories that helped me win the bigger victories of my last three and a half years as President.And I wish I could say that this perseverance came from some innate toughness in me.But the truth is, it was learned.I got it from watching the people who raised me.More specifically, I got it from watching the women who shaped my life.I grew up as the son of a single mom who struggled to put herself through school and make ends meet.She had marriages that fell apart;even went on food stamps at one point to help us get by.But she didn’t quit.And she earned her degree, and made sure that through scholarships and hard work, my sister and I earned ours.She used to wake me up when we were living overseas--wake me up before dawn to study my English lessons.And when I’d complain, she’d just look at me and say, “This is no picnic for me either, buster.”(Laughter.)And my mom ended up dedicating herself to helping women around the world access the money they needed to start their own businesses--she was an early pioneer in microfinance.And that meant, though, that she was gone a lot, and she had her own struggles trying to figure out balancing motherhood and a career.And when she was gone, my grandmother stepped up to take care of me.She only had a high school education.She got a job at a local bank.She hit the glass ceiling, and watched men she once trained promoted up the ladder ahead of her.But she didn’t quit.Rather than

grow hard or angry each time she got passed over, she kept doing her job as best as she knew how, and ultimately ended up being vice president at the bank.She didn’t quit.And later on, I met a woman who was assigned to advise me on my first summer job at a law firm.And she gave me such good advice that I married her.(Laughter.)And Michelle and I gave everything we had to balance our careers and a young family.But let’s face it, no matter how enlightened I must have thought myself to be, it often fell more on her shoulders when I was traveling, when I was away.I know that when she was with our girls, she’d feel guilty that she wasn’t giving enough time to her work, and when she was at her work, she’d feel guilty she wasn’t giving enough time to our girls.And both of us wished we had some superpower that would let us be in two places at once.But we persisted.We made that marriage work.And the reason Michelle had the strength to juggle everything, and put up with me and eventually the public spotlight, was because she, too, came from a family of folks who didn’t quit--because she saw her dad get up and go to work every day even though he never finished college, even though he had crippling MS.She saw her mother, even though she never finished college, in that school, that urban school, every day making sure Michelle and her brother were getting the education they deserved.Michelle saw how her parents never quit.They never indulged in self-pity, no matter how stacked the odds were against them.They didn't quit.Those are the folks who inspire me.People ask me sometimes, who inspires you, Mr.President? Those quiet heroes all across this country--some of your parents and grandparents who are sitting here--no fanfare, no articles written about them, they just persevere.They just do their jobs.They meet their responsibilities.They don't quit.I'm only here because of them.They may not have set out to change the world, but in small, important ways, they did.They certainly changed mine.So whether it’s starting a business, or running for office, or raising a amazing family, remember that making your mark on the world is hard.It takes patience.It takes commitment.It comes with plenty of setbacks and it comes with plenty of failures.But whenever you feel that creeping cynicism, whenever you hear those voices say you can’t make a difference, whenever somebody tells you to set your sights lower--the trajectory of this country should give you hope.Previous generations should give you hope.What young generations have done before should give you hope.Young folks who marched and mobilized and stood up and sat in, from Seneca Falls to Selma to Stonewall, didn’t just do it for themselves;they did it for other people.(Applause.)That’s how we achieved women’s rights.That's how we achieved voting rights.That's how we achieved workers’ rights.That's how we achieved gay rights.(Applause.)That’s how we’ve made this Union more perfect.(Applause.)And if you’re willing to do your part now, if you're willing to reach up and close that gap between what America is and what America should be, I want you to know that I will be right there with you.(Applause.)If you are ready to fight for that brilliant, radically simple idea of America that no matter who you are or what you look like, no matter who you love or what God you worship, you can still pursue your own happiness, I will join you every step of the way.(Applause.)

Now more than ever--now more than ever, America needs what you, the Class of 2012, has to offer.America needs you to reach high and hope deeply.And if you fight for your seat at the table, and you set a better example, and you persevere in what you decide to do with your life, I have every faith not only that you will succeed, but that, through you, our nation will continue to be a beacon of light for men and women, boys and girls, in every corner of the globe.So thank you.Congratulations.(Applause.)God bless you.God bless the United States of America.(Applause.)

第四篇：罗姆尼在南弗吉尼亚大学2013届毕业典礼上的演讲

米特·罗姆尼在南弗吉尼亚大学2013届毕业典礼上的演讲

米特·罗姆尼于2013年4月27日在南维吉尼亚大学发表演讲：每个人只能活一次，别让自己永远呆在安全的浅滩，应该到更深的地方去冒险，遇到自己爱的人，就结婚，对自己报以更高的期望，付出更多的努力。

威拉德·米特·罗姆尼（Willard Mitt Romney，1947年3月12日－），美国政治家、企业家，马萨诸塞州第70任州长。1975年获得哈佛大学商学院和法学院工商管理硕士和法学士（JD）学位。他是一名耶稣基督后期圣徒教会（摩门教）信徒。曾担任贝恩资本风险投资与杠杆收购公司CEO，以及盐湖城冬奥会组委会主席。2012年8月被共和党提名为四十五任总统候选人，在11月的总统选举中挑战现任总统奥巴马，但最终在和奥巴马的角斗中落败，与第45任总统之位失之交臂。

米特.罗姆尼2013南维吉尼亚毕业典礼英语演讲稿：Launch Out into the Deep

Thank you so much.Thank you President Sybrowsky, and thank you also to Chairman Knight.What an inspirational and powerful leader.Well, leaders both of these men are, and I appreciate the support of their wives.Thank you also for our Congressman being here, Bob Goodlatte.I appreciate his service and his leadership at a critical time in our nation‟s history.It‟s an honor to be with so many distinguished guests here, parents and friends, and of course the graduating seniors here at SVU.To the class of [2013], congratulations on a job well done.Now, to the parents, the years of investment and prayers have added to this joyful achievement, and you are about to enjoy the new American dream.The new American dream is not owning your own home.The new American dream is getting the kids out of the home you own.Now quite a few years ago, at a ceremony not unlike this one, I and my fellow graduates followed a tradition of standing and singing one of our high school hymns.Its words were very impressed upon my mind.And they led me to dream, to imagine what my future would be like.And the words went like this:

“Forty years on, when afar and asunder, Parted are those who are singing today, When we look back and forgetfully wonder

What it was like in our work and our play，How will it seem to us, forty years on?”

And as I sang those words, it was inconceivable to me that I would ever someday be forty years older.How would my life seem to me, forty years on? What would I have achieved? What would I have accomplished? Would my life be a success, or would I look back with regret?

Now up until now, almost all of your life has been about education, about preparation, about getting ready for the course of your life.To a significant degree the course of your life, the story of your life, begins today—that‟s why they call this your “commencement.”

And so the time is finally here for you to write the story of your life.Now over the last forty years or so I have written numerous chapters in the story of my life.And I‟ve watched the story of the lives of my fellow graduates and friends throughout my life.And of course we see the stories of the lives of people who are in the public arena, of various kinds.And all this has led me to a conclusion that you may find somewhat surprising: Every one of you here today, as a graduate, can live an abundant life.Every single one of you.You will not all be rich and famous and powerful, but each of you can live an eminently successful, rewarding, abundant life.Now I‟m going to draw on a familiar account from the life of the Savior to help me describe what I believe is a secret to abundant living.You recall that Peter and the other fishermen had been unsuccessful in catching fish, and the Master directed them to return to their boats, to go out deeper and to let down their nets again.Which they did, and when they did so, they were met with enormous success.These were the words that Luke records that the Master spoke.He said this, “Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets.”

“Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets.” In some ways these words are a metaphor for life.Launch out into the deep.Don‟t live in the shallows;live in the deep waters.Grasp every ennobling experience that‟s available to you.Embrace every dimension of living that challenges you, that educates you, that elevates you.Live for purposes greater than yourself.Lose yourself in the service of others.Reach beyond the shallowness of selfishness and complacency, and mindless conformity and of indulgence.This is the promise: launch out into the deep and your nets will be filled.Now how do you that?

Well getting married is one way of launching into the deep.I‟m so glad I found Ann when I was still so young.Combining your life with another person, particularly someone, when man and woman are as different as we are, this combination is extraordinarily challenging, and enormously rewarding.Some people could marry but choose to take more time they say, “for themselves.” Others plan to wait until they‟re well into their 30s or 40s before they think about getting married.They‟re going to miss so much of living I‟m afraid.From the beginning of recorded time, the prophet Adam told us this life secret: “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife.” Marriage is a gift from God.Now some may dismiss the counsel coming from the Bible because it comes from a book which they‟ve discarded.But the Bible is one of two things.Either it‟s the word of God, as I believe, or it‟s the product of brilliant philosophers and sages who‟ve observed lives and nations and civilizations and history over thousands upon thousands of years.Either way, the Bible is a pearl of wisdom, the distillation of lessons of life.And so when it says to marry, listen.Now bringing children into the world is also launching into the deep.I had friends who weren‟t sure whether they wanted to have kids.They told me they were going to buy a dog first to see how that went.A dog!I guess I shouldn‟t be too critical, cause as a teenager I used to look at little kids, and wonder what it would be like to have one.They cried all the time, they were intrusive, and they always seemed to have something coming out of their nose.It is a challenge to raise and nurture a child.Some years ago, Ann and I were invited to speak to students at Harvard Business School to describe our choice of careers.We would be joining two other couples doing that, and in the other couples both spouses, husband and wife, had professional careers.Ann was the only one who was a mother full time.Her career was one that made her reluctant to address this body.She wondered how she would defend her choice to an audience at Harvard.And she was the last of the six of us to speak.She described the requirements of her profession.Being a mother, she said, required the utmost skills of persuasion, psychology, instruction, tutoring, organization, management, healthcare and compassion.Hers, she concluded, was the most important, most demanding, most difficult and most rewarding profession she could imagine.Now for a moment this class of ambitious MBAs was silent.Then they rose to their feet in applause.The feelings of a parent for a child, the depth of life experience that one has, being part of nurturing a child, teaching a child, is beyond description.For me, there‟s an event from the Mormon pioneer exodus, recounted by President Boyd K.Packer in 1974, that captures some of what having a child means, how it pulls at your heart, how much experience we have by having a child, and how much we revere those who have children, who raise children, who teach children, who mentor children, or who rescue them.This is how the account goes:

Among the pioneers who pushed handcarts to Salt Lake City was one Archer Walters.On July 2, 1856, his diary records this:

“’Brother Parker‟s little boy, age six, was lost, and the father went back to hunt him.‟”

“The boy, Arthur, was next youngest of four children of Robert and Ann Parker.Three days earlier the company had hurriedly made camp in the face of a…thunderstorm.It was then the boy was missed.The parents had thought him to be playing along… with the other children.“Someone remembered [that] earlier in the day, when they had stopped, they had seen the little boy settle down to rest under the shade of some brush.“Now [those] of you who have [a little six-year-old] know how [tiredly a child can be, and falling] asleep on a… summer day, and how [deeply] he could [fall asleep], so that even the noise of a camp moving might not wake him.“For two days the company remained, and all of the men searched for him.Then on July 2, with no alternative, the company was ordered west.“Robert Parker, as the diary records, went back alone to search once more for his little son.As he was leaving camp, his wife pinned a bright shawl about his shoulders with words such as these:

“’[Robert,] if you find him dead, wrap him in the shawl to bury him.If you find him alive, you could use this as a flag to signal us.‟

“[And] she, with the other little children, took the handcart and struggled along with the company.“Out on the trail each night Ann Parker kept watch.At sundown on July 5, as they were watching, they saw a figure approach from the east!Then, in the rays of the setting sun, she saw the glimmer of the bright red shawl.“One of the diaries records: „Ann Parker fell in a pitiful heap upon the sand, and that night, for the first time in six nights, she slept.‟

“Under July 5, Brother Walters records: “‘Brother Parker came into camp with a little boy that had been lost.Great joy throughout the camp.The mother‟s joy I cannot describe.‟”

Again from the Bible: “Children are an heritage of the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is his reward...Happy is the man who hath his quiver full of them.” Now as much as embracing marriage and children, and finding God… finding God launches our lives into the deep and abundantly fills our nets.For me, serving God first meant going on a mission to France.I learned a new language, came to appreciate a new culture and explored the reaches of my faith.Almost every returned missionary says that those were the most difficult years of his life.And they were also the best years of his life, or her life.Now think about that.It may sound like a paradox.But it actually follows one from the other.Mission years are the best years in part because they are the hardest years.When you are living to the fullest, beyond yourself, beyond comfort, life is most full and exhilarating.Serving God takes us into the deepest waters of life.Last week I spoke with an old friend from Salt Lake City.She said that she was driving home early one morning, and she saw a man who was shoveling snow for one of the widows in the neighborhood.Later she noticed that he had actually shoveled walks for several people in the neighborhood.And then she saw who it was, Elder Russell M.Nelson.Now he‟s in his 80s or 90s and an apostle of my church.You see serving God doesn‟t depend on the position you have.Serving God and His children is something any one of us can do, and we will be blessed for doing it.God is “no respecter of persons,” nor is He a respecter of positions.Now your occupation is also a part of abundant living, and living into the deepest waters.It‟s not by happenstance or chance that we earn our daily bread “by the sweat of our brow.” The Creator gave us work for our benefit.Your job will expand your skills, it will demand your ability, your energy and your time.Hard work, ennobling work.Dive into your profession with passion and heart.Go beyond what‟s expected or required.And in doing so, by the way, you will learn the secret to advancement.And that is doing your present job well.Now on this topic of your career, I have some news that you may find disappointing.I don‟t think God cares whether you get rich.I don‟t think He hopes that your business will make a huge profit.I know a lot of religious people who think God will intervene to make their investments grow, or to get them a promotion, or make their business a success.But life on this earth is about learning to live and work in a place where God does not make everything work out for good people.We learn through our study, our effort, our choices, and yes, by our failures as well as by our successes.Your worldly success will partly be a function of your choices and capabilities, but it will also be subject to the vagaries of life, and to chance.Fortunately, our relationship with God depends on none of that.It‟s entirely in our control, for He is always at the door and knocks for us.Our worldly success can‟t be guaranteed, but our ability to achieve spiritual success is entirely up to us, thanks to the grace of God.The best advice I know is to give those worldly things your best, but never your all, reserving the ultimate hope for the only One who can grant it.Now in addition to your marriage, and children, and your occupation, and serving God and becoming closer to Him, you may have some other unique opportunities to jump into the deep waters of life.I was presented with the opportunity for public service.Ann, who‟s the mother of five boys, has been able to help shape the lives of many many dozens of young women.My son, Josh, is a real estate developer, and yet he‟s able to go around the world and help bring life-changing surgeries to children.And, quite literally, hundreds from this campus gave up vacation time to help a candidate‟s presidential campaign, for which I owe you deeply.Thank you so much.And so you‟re about to write new chapters of your life story.Give yourself a lot to write about.You only live one life.Don‟t spend it in safe, shallow water.Launch out into the deep.If you meet a person you love, get married.Have a quiver full of kids if you can.Give more to your occupation than is expected.Serve God by serving His children.Seize any opportunity that might come along that will expand your mind and challenge your abilities.Living life to the fullest, venturing into the deep waters of life, promises an abundance of experience and joy.Forty years on, you‟ll smile with satisfaction, anxious for the next chapter in your life story.God bless each of you, and God bless this great country.Thank you.En8848原版英语

第五篇：苹果CEO库克在华盛顿大学2015年毕业典礼演讲 中英双语

苹果CEO库克在华盛顿大学2015年毕业典礼演

（2015-05-20）

5月18日，苹果首席执行官蒂姆·库克（Tim Cook）参加了美国乔治华盛顿大学毕业典礼，并发表了题为《总会有人改变世界的——这个人可能就是你》（someone has to change the world — it might as well be you）的主题演讲。

与十年前乔布斯的“求知若饥，虚心若愚”遥相呼应，库克这次面对乔治华盛顿大学即将走向社会的毕业生讲出的“金句”也是频频发人深省。

公平是一种权利！毕业生要与不公平抗争

库克发表演讲的地方是在华盛顿国家广场，那里距离华盛顿纪念碑不远。华盛顿大学宣称，当时有2.5万人参加此次毕业典礼，包括6000名毕业生。库克称：“正是在这里，金挑战所有美国人，让民主的观念深入人心。正是在这里，里根总统号召我们相信自己，相信我们能够做出伟业。大学毕业生应该坚守自己的信念，他还说自己一路奋斗走来，让他愈发觉得，公平是一种权利，而作为毕业生要勇于与不公平做抗争。”

·与州长见面不是我的荣誉，握着他的手就像是对我信仰的背叛

演讲刚开始，库克就讲述了美国近代史的一些故事。他说，他心中的英雄是马丁路德金和总统肯尼迪，因为他们将正义和民主带到现实中来。16 岁时库克因为获得一次论文大赛的奖项，时任阿拉巴马州州长 George Wallace 亲自接待了库克以及其他获奖的小伙伴。而库克为 Wallace 的“接见”感到耻辱，因为后者曾推进种族隔离，并禁止黑人上大学。他说：”与州长见面不是我的荣誉，握着他的手就像是对我信仰的背叛。”

·毕业生们不光要吃饱饭 也要坚持梦想 你不必在“做正确的事”和“好的生活”中作抉择。若说乔布斯的那次演讲代表着一往无前的勇气，库克的理念则更接地气，他希望同学们在吃饱肚子的前提下坚持梦想。

·总会有人改变世界，可能就是你

他还鼓励学生：“不要害怕挑战，也不要一味愤世嫉俗或批评别人，历史从来都不是由一个人写下的，但也从来不会忘记一个人的贡献，这个写下历史的人可能就是你，那个人应该就是你，那个人必须就是你。”

·我遇到的第一个让我开始质疑一切的人就是史蒂夫·乔布斯

库克谈到，当时他年近40，浑浑噩噩，正如当时的苹果公司。直到乔布斯邀请他去改变世界，让他所有关于未来的假设被颠覆。当时的库克觉得改变世界很好，但是与工作无关，而乔布斯认为这就应该是同一件事。

·你必须找到你的北斗星（价值观），那意味着你必须做出选择

“我们认为一个具有价值观并真心为其付出的公司真的可以改变世界。个人也是一样。这可能是你，也一定是你。毕业生们，你们的价值观十分重要。它们是你的北极星。否则，它就只是一个工作，对于工作来说人生太短了……寻找你的北极星。让它指导你在生活和工作，或者说你一生奉献的工作……”库克说。

·将强大的技术转变成容易使用的工具。这些工具可帮助人们实现自己的梦想，更好地改变世界

史蒂夫创造了一个成功的公司，然后被赶走。当他再回来时，公司已是一座废墟。他正打算把一生奉献给公司，尽管当时并不知道苹果将达到无人能想象的高度。很多人不记得，当时的苹果放任自流、群龙无首，但史蒂夫相信苹果能再次变得伟大。他问我是否愿意加入。他对苹果的愿景是把强大的科技变成好用的工具，用这些工具帮助人们实现梦想，并把世界变的更好。·世界需要你的能量、热情，和你躁动的努力

你们不用从“做对的事情”和“过好的生活”中抉择，这根本不是一个抉择，尤其在今天。工作应该是：让你付起房租，吃饱肚子，然后做正确、正当的好事。无论你从事什么工作，都会有批评者和愤世者打击你，同时也有很多沉默的好心人。仍有人在被迫害，仍有疾病需要治疗，世界需要你的能量、热情，和你躁动的努力。

·在硅谷，人们相信任何问题都能被解决，无论它有多么困难

在演讲结束前，库克还提及苹果和硅谷的价值观。库克说，在硅谷，人们相信任何问题都能被解决，无论它有多么困难。这是非常真诚的乐观精神。苹果也信奉类似价值观。他说：“我在苹果的一个朋友喜欢这样说：解决问题的最好方式就是走出满是苹果工程师的房间，远离‘这不可能’的论调。取得重大进展是可能的，无论你做出何种选择，总是有冷眼旁观者和批评者，同时好心却无贡献者也对实现目标毫无意义。”

·加入苹果17年来，我从未后悔过

库克表示，他当时依然忠于自己的价值观，但只在工作中坚持它们。他说：“我觉得工作就是工作。在工作中保持专业性和谦逊态度非常重要。但乔布斯是个理想主义者，他让我相信：如果我们努力工作，制作出更好产品，我们也能改变世界。我接受了他的邀请，这改变了我的生活。17年来，我从未后悔过。”

离开讲台前，库克还拿出自己的iPhone 6，拍摄了一张众多毕业生的照片。这种至今为止只有苹果才会缔造出的社会价值在即将毕业的莘莘学子面前讲述是再适合不过的了。

这是一种最好的广告，也是一份最平常的“炫耀”。

Thank you very much President Knapp for that kind intro.Alex, trustees, faculty and deans of the university, my fellow honorees, and especially you the class of 2015.Yes.Congratulations to you, to your family, to your friends that are attending today's ceremony.You made it.It's a privilege, a rare privilege of a lifetime to be with you today.And I think thank you enough for making me an honorary Colonial.Before I begin today, they asked me to make a standard announcement.You’ve heard this before.About silencing your phones.Those of you with an iPhone, just place it in silent mode.If you don't have an iPhone, please pass it to the center aisle.Apple has a world-class recycling program.You know, this is really an amazing place.And for a lot of you, I’m sure that being here in Washington, the very center of our democracy, was a big draw when you were choosing which school to go to.This place has a powerful pull.It was here that Dr.Martin Luther King challenged Americans to make real the promises of democracy, to make justice a reality for all of God's children.And it was here that President Ronald Reagan called on us to believe in ourselves and to believe in our capacity to perform great deeds.I'd like to start this morning by telling you about my first visit here.In the summer of 1977--yes, I’m a little old--I was 16 years old and living in Robertsdale, the small town in southern Alabama that I grew up in.At the end of my junior year of high school I’d won an essay contest sponsored by the National Rural Electric Association.I can't remember what the essay was about, what I do remember very clearly is writing it by hand, draft after draft after draft.Typewriters were very expensive and my family could not afford one.I was one of two kids from Baldwin County that was chosen to go to Washington along with hundreds of other kids across the country.Before we left, the Alabama delegation took a trip to our state capitol in Montgomery for a meeting with the governor.The governor's name was George C.Wallace.The same George Wallace who in 1963 stood in the schoolhouse door at the University of Alabama to block African Americans from enrolling.Wallace embraced the evils of segregation.He pitted whites against blacks, the South against the North, the working class against the so-called elites.Meeting my governor was not an honor for me.My heroes in life were Dr.Martin Luther King, and Robert F.Kennedy, who had fought against the very things that Wallace stood for.Keep in mind, that I grew up, or, when I grew up, I grew up in a place where King and Kennedy were not exactly held in high esteem.When I was a kid, the South was still coming to grips with its history.My textbooks even said the Civil War was about states’ rights.They barely mentioned slavery.So I had to figure out for myself what was right and true.It was a search.It was a process.It drew on the moral sense that I’d learned from my parents, and in church, and in my own heart, and led me on my own journey of discovery.I found books in thepublic library that they probably didn't know they had.They all pointed to the fact that Wallace was wrong.That injustices like segregation had no place in our world.That equality is a right.As I said, I was only 16 when I met Governor Wallace, so I shook his hand as we were expected to do.But shaking his hand felt like a betrayal of my own beliefs.It felt wrong.Like I was selling a piece of my soul.From Montgomery we flew to Washington.It was the first time I had ever been on an airplane.In fact it was the first time that I traveled out of the South.On June 15, 1977, I was one of 900 high schoolers greeted by the new president, President Jimmy Carter, on the south lawn of the White House, right there on the other side of the ellipse.I was one of the lucky ones, who got to shake his hand.Carter saw Baldwin County on my name tag that day and stopped to speak with me.He wanted to know how people were doing after the rash of storms that struck Alabama that year.Carter was kind and compassionate;he held the most powerful job in the world but he had not sacrificed any of his humanity.I felt proud that he was president.And I felt proud that he was from the South.In the space of a week, I had come face to face with two men whoguaranteed themselves a place in history.They came from the same region.They were from the same political party.They were both governors of adjoining states.But they looked at the world in very different ways.It was clear to me, that one was right, and one was wrong.Wallace had built his political career by exploiting divisions between us.Carter's message on the other hand, was that we are all bound together, every one of us.Each had made a journey that led them to the values that they lived by, but it wasn't just about their experiences or their circumstances, it had to come from within.My own journey in life was just beginning.I hadn't even applied for college yet at that point.For you graduates, the process of discovering yourself, of inventing yourself, of reinventing yourself is about to begin in earnest.It's about finding your values and committing to live by them.You have to find your North Star.And that means choices.Some are easy.Some are hard.And some will make you question everything.Twenty years after my visit to Washington, I met someone who made me question everything.Who upended all of my assumptions in the very best way.That was Steve Jobs.Steve had built a successful company.He had been sent away and he returned to find it in ruins.He didn't know it at the time, but he was about to dedicate the rest of his life to rescuing it, and leading it to heights greater than anyone could ever imagine.Anyone, that is, except for Steve.Most people have forgotten, but in 1997 and early 1998, Apple had been adrift for years.Rudderless.But Steve thought Apple could be great again.And he wanted to know if I’d like to help.His vision for Apple was a company that turned powerful technology into tools that were easy to use, tools that would help people realize their dreams.And change the world for the better.I had studied to be an engineer and earned an M.B.A.I was trained to be pragmatic, a problem solver.Now I found myself sitting before and listening to this veryanimated 40-something guy with visions of changing the world.It was not what I had expected.You see, when it came to my career, in 1998, I was also adrift.Rudderless.I knew who I was in my personal life, and I kept my eye on my North Star, myresponsibility to do good for someone else, other than myself.But at work, well I always figured that work was work.Values had their place and, yes, there were things that I wanted to change about the world, but I thought I had to do that on my own time.Not in the office.Steve didn't see it that way.He was an idealist.And in that way he reminded me of how I felt as a teenager.In that first meeting he convinced me if we worked hard and made great products, we too could help change the world.And to mysurprise, I was hooked.I took the job and changed my life.It's been 17 years and I have never once looked back.At Apple we believe the work should be more than just about improving your own self.It's about improving the lives of others as well.Our products do amazing things.And just as Steve envisioned, they empower people all over the world.People who are blind, and need information read to them because they can't see the screen.People for whom technology is a lifeline because they are isolated by distance or disability.People whowitness target=_blank class=infotextkey>witness injustice and want to expose it, and now they can because they have a camera in their pocket all the time.Our commitment goes beyond the products themselves to how they’re made.To our impact on the environment.To the role we play in demanding and promoting equality.And in improving education.We believe that a company that has values and acts on them can really change the world.And an individual can too.That can be you.That must be you.Graduates, your values matter.They are your North Star.And work takes on new meaning when you feel you are pointed in the right direction.Otherwise, it's just a job, and life is too short for that.We need the best and brightest of your generation to lead in government and in business.In the science and in the arts.In journalism and in academia.There is honor in all of these pursuits.And there is opportunity to do work that is infused with moral purpose.You don't have to choose between doing good and doing well.It's a false choice, today more than ever.Your challenge is to find work that pays the rent, puts food on the table, and lets you do what is right and good and just.So find your North Star.Let it guide you in life, and work, and in your life's work.Now, I suspect some of you aren't buying this.I won't take it personally.It's no surprise that people are skeptical, especially here in Washington.Where these days you’ve got plenty of reason to be.And a healthy amount of skepticism is fine.Though too often in this town, it turns to cynicism.To the idea that no matter who’s talking or what they’re saying, that their motives are questionable, their character is suspect, and if you search hard enough, you can prove that they are lying.Maybe that's just the world we live in.But graduates, this is your world to change.As I said, I am a proud son of the South.It's my home, and I will always love it.But for the last 17 years I’ve built a life in Silicon Valley;it's a special place.The kind of place where there’s no problem that can't be solved.No matter how difficult or complex, that's part of its essential quality.A very sincere sort of optimism.Back in the 90s, Apple ran an advertising campaign we called “Think Different.” It was pretty simple.Every ad was a photograph of one of our heroes.People who had the audacity to challenge and change the way we all live.People like Gandhi and Jackie Robinson, Martha Graham and Albert Einstein, Amelia Earhart and Miles Davis.These people still inspire us.They remind us to live by our deepest values and reach for our highest aspirations.They make us believe that anything is possible.A friend of mine at Apple likes to say the best way to solve aproblem is to walk into a room full of Apple engineers and proclaim, “this is impossible.”

I can tell you, they will not accept that.And neither should you.So that's the one thing I’d like to bring to you all the way from Cupertino, California.The idea that greatprogress is possible, whatever line of work you choose.There will always be cynics and critics on the sidelines tearing people down, and just as harmful are those people with good intentions who make no contribution at all.In his letter from the Birmingham jail, Dr.King wrote that our society needed to repent, not merely for the hateful words of the bad people, but for the appalling silence of the good people.The sidelines are not where you want to live your life.The world needs you in the arena.There are problems that need to be solved.Injustices that need to be ended.People that are still being persecuted, diseases still in need of cure.No matter what you do next, the world needs your energy.Your passion.Your impatience with progress.Don'tshrink from risk.And tune out those critics and cynics.History rarely yields to one person, but think, and never forget, what happens when it does.That can be you.That should be you.That must be you.Congratulations Class of 2015.I’d like to take one photo of you, because this is the bestview in the world.And it's a great one.Thank you very much.