harvard graduates, class of XX: i urge you to be fearless about the future. just because something has not been done yet, doesn't mean it can't be. i was never deterred from running for president just because there had never been any females elected head of state in africa. simply because political leadership in liberia had always been a "boys' club" didn't mean it was right, and i was not deterred. today, an unprecedented number of women hold leadership positions in our country, and we intend to increase that number.
哈佛大学XX届毕业生,我敦促你们勇敢无畏地面对未来。某件事还没做成,并不意味着它不能做成。我竞选总统时,没有因为从无妇女在非洲当过总统,而感到畏缩。不能因为利比里亚政府总是被男人控制,就说明这是对的,我没有被吓住。今天,利比里亚领导岗位上的妇女,数量前所未有,我们还将继续增加。
as you approach your future, there will be ample opportunity to become jaded and cynical, but i urge you to resist cynicism -- the world is still a beautiful place and change is possible. as i have noted here today, my path to the presidency was never straightforward or guaranteed. prison, death threats, and exile provided every reason to quit, to forget about the dream, yet i persisted, convinced that my country and people are so much better than our recent history indicates. looking back on my life, i have come to appreciate its difficult moments. i believe i am a better leader, a better person with a richer appreciation for the present because of my past.
当你们进入社会,很有可能变得厌倦和偏激,但是我希望你们能够抵制这种愤世嫉俗的心态。这个世界依然是一个美丽的地方,改变是可能发生的。正如我今天在这里所说,我的总统之路并不顺利,充满变数。监狱、死亡、流亡,任何一个理由都能使我退出,忘掉自己的梦想,但是我坚持下来了,坚信我的国家和人民绝不应该是那时的样子,而应该好得多。回顾我的人生,我对那些艰难时刻,反而感到非常珍惜。因为有了那些过去的痛苦,我才更珍惜现在,它让我成了一个更好的领导人、更好的人。
the size of your dreams must always exceed your current capacity to achieve them. if your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough. if you start off with a small dream, you may not have much left when it is fulfilled because along the way, life will task your dreams and make demands on you. i am, however, bullish about the future of our world because of you. we share one defining characteristic that prepares us to transform our world -- we are all harvard university graduates. when we add to that the traditional quests for excellence for which we are known, there is no telling what we can accomplish.
你们要敢于怀有大梦想,不要担心超过自己现在的能力。如果你的梦想不令你感到害怕,那就说明它们不够大。如果你的梦想很小,当它实现的时候,你会发现人生顿时空空荡荡,因为你的梦想为人生创造出任务,对你提出要求。不过我相信,你们会令我们的世界有一个更美好的未来,我充满信心。我们有一个共同的特点,那就是我们都是哈佛大学的毕业生,这使得我们都必须做好去改变世界的准备。当我们接受这种传统,为了追求卓越,去开拓那些未知的领域,没有人能够预言我们能达到怎样的成就。
go forth and embrace a future that awaits you.
勇敢向前,未来正在前方等着你们。