同胞们，今晚是我最后一次作为你们的总统，在白宫椭圆形办公室向你们做最后一次演讲。
我从心底深处感谢你们给了我两次机会和荣誉，为你们服务，为你们工作，和你们一起为我们的国家进入２１世纪做准备。这里，我要感谢戈尔副总统，我的内阁部长们以及所有伴我度过过去８年的同事们。现在是一个极具变革的年代，你们为迎接新的挑战已经做好了准备。是你们使我们的社会更加强大，我们的家庭更加健康和安全，我们的人民更加富裕。
同胞们，我们已经进入了全球信息化时代，这是美国复兴的伟大时代。
作为总统，我所做的一切---每一个决定，每一个行政命令，提议和签署的每一项法令，都是在努力为美国人民提供工具和创造条件，来实现美国的梦想，建设美国的未来――一个美好的社会，繁荣的经济，清洁的环境，进而实现一个更自由、更安全、更繁荣的世界。
借助我们永恒的价值，我驾驭了我的航程。机会属于每一个美国公民；（我的）责任来自全体美国人民；所有美国人民组成了一个大家庭。我一直在努力为美国创造一个新型的国家：更小、更现代化、更有效率、面对新时代的挑战充满创意和思想、永远把人民的利益放在第一位、永远面向未来。
我们在一起使美国变得更加美好。我们的经济正在破着一个又一个的记录，向前发展。我们已创造了２２００万个新的工作岗位，我们的失业率是３０年来最低的，老百姓的购房率达到一个空前的高度，我们经济繁荣的持续时间是历史上最长的。
我们的家庭、我们的社会变得更加强大。３５００万美国人曾经享受联邦休假，８００万人重新获得社会保障，犯罪率是２５年来最低的，１０００多万美国人享受更多的入学贷，更多的人接受大学教育。我们的学校也在改善。更高的办学水平、更大的责任感和更多的投资使得我们的学生取得更高的
目前，已有３００多万美国儿童在享受着医疗保险，７００多万美国人已经脱离了贫困线。全国人民的收入在大幅度提高。我们的空气和水资源更加洁净，食品和饮用水更加安全。我们珍贵的'土地资源也得到了近百年来前所未有的保护。
我非常高兴能于此时将领导权交给新任总统，强大的美国正面临未来的挑战。
今晚，我希望大家能从以下３点审视我们的未来：第一，美国必须保持它的良好财政状况。通过过去４个财政年度的努力，我们已经把破纪录的财政赤字变为破纪录的盈余。并且，我们已经偿还了６０００亿美元的国债，我们正向１０年内彻底偿还国家债务的目标迈进，这将是１８３５年以来的第一次。
只要这样做，就会带来更低的利率、更大的经济繁荣，从而能够迎接将来更大的挑战。如果我们做出明智的选择，我们就能偿还债务，解决（二战后出生的）一大批人们的退休问题，对未来进行更多的投资，并减轻税收。
第二，世界各国的联系日益紧密。为了美国的安全与繁荣，我们应继续融入世界。在这个特别的历史时刻，更多的美国人民享有前所未有的自由。我们的盟国更加强大。全世界人民期望美国成为和平与繁荣、自由与安全的力量。全球经济给予美国民众以及全世界人民更多的机会去工作、生活，更体面地养活家庭。
但是，这种世界融合的趋势一方面为我们创造了良好的机会，但同时使得我们在全球范围内更容易遭致破坏性力量、恐怖主义、有组织的犯罪、贩毒活动，致命性武器和疾病传播的威胁。
尽管世界贸易不断扩大，但它没能缩小处于全球经济繁荣中的我们同数十亿处于死亡边缘的人们之间的距离。
要解决世界贫富两极分化需要的不是同情和怜悯，而是实际行动。贫穷有可能被我们的漠不关心激化而成为火药桶。
托马斯-杰斐逊在他的就职演说中告诫我们结盟的危害。但是，在我们这个时代，美国不能，也不可能使自己脱离这个世界。如果我们想把我们共有的价值观赋予这个世界，我们必须共同承担起这个责任。
如果２０世纪的历次战争，尤其是新近在科索沃地区和波斯尼亚爆发的战争，能够让我们得到某种教训的话，我们从中得到的启示应是：由于捍卫了我们的价值观并领导了自由和和平的力量，我们才达到了目标。我们必须坚定勇敢地拥抱这个信念和责任，在语言和行动上与我们的同盟者们站在一起，领导他们按这条道路前进；循着在全球经济中以人为本的观念，让不断发展的贸易能够使所有国家的所有人受益，在全世界范围内提高他们的生活水平和实现他们的梦想。
第三，我们必须牢记如果我们不团结一致，美国就不能领先世界。随着我们变得越来越多样化，我们必须更加努力地团结在共同价值观和共同人性的旗帜下。
我们要加倍努力地工作，克服生活中存在的种种分歧。于情于法，我们都要让我们的人民受到公正的待遇，不论他是哪一个民族、信仰何种宗教、什么性别或性倾向，或者何时来到这个国家。我们时时刻刻都要为了实现先辈们建立高度团结的美利坚合众国的梦想而奋斗。
希拉里、切尔西和我同美国人民一起，向即将就任的布什总统、他的家人及美国致以衷心的祝福，希望能够勇敢面对挑战，并高扛自由大旗在新世纪阔步前进。
对我来说，当我离开总统宝座时，我充满更多的理想，比初进白宫时更加充满希望，并且坚信美国的好日子还在后面。
我的总统任期就要结束了，但是我希望我为美国人民服务的日子永远不会结束。在我未来的岁月里，我再也不会担任一个能比美利坚合众国总统更高的职位、签订一个比美利坚合众国总统所能签署的更为神圣的契约了。当然，没有任何一个头衔能让我比作为一个美国公民更为自豪的了。
谢谢你们！愿上帝保佑你们！愿上帝保佑美国！
Commencement season is once again upon us and with that comes a flurry of leaders traversing the country to don the ceremonial cap and gown, all with the mission of imparting words of wisdom and lessons learned upon 20XX’s newly-minted grads. Universities may vie to land bold-faced names for their esteemed commencement speaker slots, yet even the most prestigious leaders have fallen short when it comes to inspiring a future generation of leaders thanks to addresses peppered more with formulaic life lessons than authentic personal reflections.
毕业季再次降临我们身边，众多领导纷纷穿上毕业礼帽和礼服发表巡回演讲，向20XX年新毕业生传授智慧和
That’s certainly not the case with these 10 leaders from Forbes’ list of The World’s Most Powerful Women. Whether they’re sitting at the helm of multi-billion dollar corporations or reigning supreme in the world of fashion, these power women shared insights that have scaled far beyond the graduating classes for which they were intended.
当然，对于以下十位出自福布斯全球权势女性榜的人还说绝对是例外。无论是在数十亿美元的大公司做领导还是时尚界的主宰者，这些权势女性分享了远超出毕业生期望的见解。
1. Arianna Huffington – Smith College, 20XX
阿里安娜-赫芬顿——史密斯学院，20XX
Don’t buy society’s definition of success. Because it’s not working for anyone. It’s not working for women, it’s not working for men, it’s not working for polar bears, it’s not working for the cicadas that are apparently about to emerge and swarm us. It’s only truly working for thosse who make pharmaceuticals for stress, diabetes, heart disease, sleeplessness and high blood pressure.
不要相信社会对成功的定义。因为这对任何人都不灵。对女性没用，对男性也没用，对北极熊没用，对我们身边成群结队的鸣蝉也没用。这只对那些生产抗压、糖尿病、心脏病、失眠和高血压类药物的人有用。
2. J.K. Rowling — Harvard University, 2008
J.K.罗琳——哈佛大学，2008
The knowledge that you have emerged wiser and stronger from setbacks means that you are, ever after, secure in your ability to survive. You will never truly know yourself, or the strength of your relationships, until both have been tested by adversity. Such knowledge is a true gift, for all that it is painfully won, and it has been worth more to me than any qualification I ever earned.
你们从挫折中学到更高深、更强大的知识，随后，你的生存能力将保护你的前行。在受逆境的考验前，你们将无法真正了解自己或者人际关系的力量。这种知识是真正的礼物，尽管它来之不易，而且对我来说，它的价值超过了我所获得的任何证书。
3. Oprah Winfrey – Stanford University, 2008
奥普拉-温弗瑞——斯坦福大学，2008
And how do you know when you’re doing something right? How do you know that? It feels so. What I know now is that feelings are really your GPS system for life. When you’re supposed to do something or not supposed to do something, your emotional guidance system lets you know. The trick is to learn to check your ego at the door and start checking your gut instead.
你们怎么知道你做的事是正确的呢？怎么知道呢？靠感觉。现在我知道，感觉是你人生中的导航系统。当你认为要做或不要做什么事时，你的情感导航系统会指引你。诀窍是在开始检查你的意识，并审视你的直觉。
4. Ursula Burns — Columbia University, School of Engineering, 2012
乌苏拉-伯恩斯——哥伦比亚大学工程学院，2012
Doing good is not an “add on” but central to leading a rewarding life. As my Mother used to tell anyone who would listen, we all have an obligation to “put back” more than we “take out.” Leave more than you take — not a bad formula for true success.
做好事不是“附加物”，而是美满生活的核心。我母亲曾经对愿意倾听的人说，我们都有责任使我们的“回馈”多于“索取”。留下的比拿走的多——这对于真正的成功而言不是坏公式。
5. Anna Wintour — Fashion Institute of Technology, 2003
安娜-温图尔——时装技术学院，2003
The way to start: with clarity and purpose and flair.
起步之道：清晰，决心，天赋。
6. Indra Nyooi – Miami University, 2011
因陀罗-卢英德——迈阿密大学，2011
Optimismisn’t a life plan, but it is a great tailwind to have at your back. And if you take advantage of that tailwind by doing what you love, striving for perfection, constantly learning, believing in yourself as well as believing in others, you are bound to conquer the world.
乐观不是生活计划，但它是你身后强大的推动力。而且，如果你利用这种推动力并做你喜欢做的事，努力做到尽善尽美，不断学习，相信自己并相信他人，那么你必将征服世界。
7. Michelle Obama – University of California, Merced, 2009
米歇尔-奥巴 马——加州大学默塞德分校，2009
“When times get tough and fear sets in, think of those people who paved the way for you and those who are counting on you to pave the way for them. Never let setbacks or fear dictate the course of your life. Hold on to the possibility and push beyond the fear.”
“当形势变得艰难、恐惧滋生时，想想那些为你铺平道路的人和那些指望你为他们铺平道路的人。永远不要让挫折和恐惧占据你的人生之路。只要有可能，就要坚持，把恐惧抛到脑后。”
8. Sheryl Sandberg – Barnard College, 2011
雪莉-桑德伯格——巴纳德学院，2011
Women almost never make one decision to leave the workforce. It doesn’t happen that way. They make small little decisions along the way that eventually lead them there….So, my heartfelt message to all of you is, and start thinking about this now, do not leave before you leave. Do not lean back; lean in. Put your foot on that gas pedal and keep it there until the day you have to make a decision, and then make a decision. That’s the only way, when that day comes, you’ll even have a decision to make.
女性几乎从来不会主动做出离职的决定。但事实并非如此。他们一路上做出了很多看似微不足道的`、引起她们最终离职的决定……所以，我对你们各位的衷心建议，现在就开始思考这个问题，不要在离开前才去想。不要退缩，要前进。把脚踩在油门上，在你不得不做出决定的那天踩紧它，然后作出决定。这是那天到来时唯一的方法，你甚至将有决定可以做。
9. Angela Ahrendts – Ball State University, 2010
安吉拉-阿伦德茨——鲍尔州立大学，2010
So with the world at your fingertips, have you learned to listen to your heart, your intuition and your instincts?…Your heart is your guiding force, teach yourself to listen to it, nurture it, and let it guide as you start this next exciting chapter of life.
现在，你们即将踏入社会，你学会倾听你们的内心、直觉和天性了吗？……你的内心是引导你们前行的力量，学会自己去倾听它、滋养它，并在你解开生命中下一个激动人心的篇章时，让它引导你的前行。
10. Hillary Clinton — New York University, 2009
希拉里-克林顿——纽约大学，2009
There is no way to stop change; change will come. Go out and give us a future worthy of the world we all wish to create together.
变革势不可挡，变革必将来临。去开创我们的未来吧，让我们无愧于将共同建立的世界。
Let me say a couple things briefly and then ask Hillary to join in these remarks.
I don't want us to forget that there's a woman in there: not a symbol—not a symbol—a real woman who lived and breathed and got angry and got hurt and had dreams and disappointments. And I don't want us to forget that.
You know, I'm sitting here thinking, I wish I knew what her kids were thinking about now. I wonder if they were thinking about what I was thinking about at my mother's funeral—said all this grand stuff.
I wonder if they're thinking about when she used to read books to them, or when she told them Bible stories, or what she said to them when their daddy got killed.
We're here to honor a person.
Fifty-four years ago, her about-to-be husband said that he was looking for a woman with character, intelligence, personality and beauty, and she sure fit the bill. And I have to say, when she was over 75, I thought she still fit the bill pretty good with all those categories.
But I think that's important: this is a woman, as well as a symbol, as well as the embodiment of her husband's legacy and the developer of her own.
The second point I want to make is the most important day in her life for everyone of us here at this moment in this church except when she embraced her faith, the next most important day was April 5, 1968, the day after her husband was killed. She had to decide, "What am I going to do with the rest of my life?"
We would have all forgiven her, even honored her if she said, "I have stumbled on enough stony roads. I have been beaten by enough bitter rods. I have endured enough dangers, toils and snares. I'm going home and raising my kids. I wish you all well."
None of us, nobody could have condemned that decision. But instead, she went to Memphis—the scene of the worst nightmare of her life—and led that march for those poor hard-working garbage workers that her husband...
Now, that's the most important thing for us. Because what really matters if you believe all this stuff we've been saying is what are we going to do with the rest of our lives?
So her children, they know they've got to carry the legacy of their father and their mother now. We all clap for that; they've got to go home and live with it. That's a terrible burden.
That is a terrible burden. You should pray for them and support them and help them. That is a burden to bear. It's a lot harder to be them than it was for us to be us growing up. Don't you think it wasn't. It may have been a glory, it may have been wonderful, but it's not easy.
So what will happen to the legacy of Martin Luther King and Coretta King? Will it continue to stand for peace and nonviolence and anti-poverty and civil rights and human rights?
What will be the meaning of the King holiday every year? And even more important, Atlanta, what's your responsibility for the future of the King Center?
What are you going to do to make sure that this thing goes on?
I read in the newspaper today, I read in the newspaper coming down here that there's more rich black folks in this county than anyone in America except Montgomery County, Maryland.
What are we going to do?
This is the first day of the rest of our lives. And we haven't finished our long journey home.
The one thing I always admired about Dr. King and about Coretta when I got to know her, especially, is how they embraced causes that were almost surely lost right alongside causes that they knew if they worked at hard enough, they could actually win.
They understood that the difficulty of success does not relieve one of the obligation to try. So all of us have to remember that.
What are we going to do with the rest of our lives? You want to treat our friend Coretta like a role model? Then model her behavior.
And you know we're always going to have our political differences. We're always going to have things we can do. And this has been, I must say, a brilliantly executed and enormously both moving and entertaining moment.
But we're in the house of the Lord. And most of us are too afraid to live the lives we ought to live because we have forgotten the promise that was made to Martin Luther King, to Coretta Scott King and to all of us, most beautifully for me stated in Isaiah.
"Fear not, I have redeemed thee. I have called thee by thy name. Thou art mine."
We don't have to be afraid. We can follow in her steps. We can honor Dr. King's sacrifice. We can help his children fulfill their legacy.
Everybody who believes that the promise of America is for every American, everybody who believes that all people in the world are caught up in what he so eloquently called the inescapable web of mutuality, everyone of us in a way are all the children of Martin Luther and Coretta Scott King. And I for one am grateful for her life and her friendship.
Thank you.