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Remarks by the President in Commencement Address Yale University
New Haven, Connecticut
Listen to the President's Remarks
12:05 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: President Levin, thank you very much. Dean Brodhead, fellows of
the Yale Corporation, fellow Yale parents, families, and graduates: It's a
special privilege to receive this honorary degree. I was proud 33 years ago to
receive my first Yale degree. I'm even prouder that in your eyes I've earned
this one.
I congratulate my fellow honorees. I'm pleased to share this honor with such a
distinguished group. I'm particularly pleased to be here with my friend, the
former of Mexico. Senor Presidente, usted es un verdadero lider, y un gran
amigo. (Applause.)
I congratulate all the parents who are here. It's a glorious day when your
child graduates from college. It's a great day for you; it's a great day for
your wallet. (Laughter.)
Most important, congratulations to the class of 2001. (Applause.) To those of
you who received honors, awards, and distinctions, I say, well done. And to the
C students -- (applause) -- I say, you, too, can be President of the United
States. (Laughter and applause.) A Yale degree is worth a lot, as I often
remind Dick Cheney -- (laughter) -- who studied here, but left a little early.
So now we know -- if you graduate from Yale, you become President. If you drop
out, you get to be Vice President. (Laughter.)
I appreciate so very much the chance to say a few words on this occasion. I
know Yale has a tradition of having no commencement speaker. I also know that
you've carved out a single exception. Most people think that to speak at Yale's
commencement, you have to be President. But over the years, the specifications
have become far more demanding. Now you have to be a Yale graduate, you have to
be President, and you have had to have lost the Yale vote to Ralph Nader. (
Applause.)
This is my first time back here in quite a while. I'm sure that each of you
will make your own journey back at least a few times in your life. If you're
like me, you won't remember everything you did here. (Laughter.) That can be a
good thing. (Laughter.) But there will be some people, and some moments, you
will never forget.
Take, for example, my old classmate, Dick Brodhead, the accomplished dean of
this great university. (Applause.) I remember him as a young scholar, a bright
lad -- (laughter) -- a hard worker. We both put a lot of time in at the
Sterling Library, in the reading room, where they have those big leather
couches. (Laughter.) We had a mutual understanding -- Dick wouldn't read aloud,
and I wouldn't snore. (Laughter.)
Our course selections were different, as we followed our own path to academic
discovery. Dick was an English major, and loved the classics. I loved history,
and pursued a diversified course of study. I like to think of it as the
academic road less traveled. (Laughter.)
For example, I took a class that studied Japanese Haiku. Haiku, for the
uninitiated, is a 15th century form of poetry, each poem having 17 syllables.
Haiku is fully understood only by the Zen masters. As I recall, one of my
academic advisers was worried about my selection of such a specialized course.
He said I should focus on English. (Laughter.) I still hear that quite often. (
Laughter.) But my critics don't realize I don't make verbal gaffes. I'm
speaking in the perfect forms and rhythms of ancient Haiku. (Applause.)
I did take English here, and I took a class called "The History and Practice of
American Oratory," taught by Rollin G. Osterweis. (Applause.) And, President
Levin, I want to give credit where credit is due. I want the entire world to
know this -- everything I know about the spoken word, I learned right here at
Yale. (Laughter.)
As a student, I tried to keep a low profile. It worked. Last year the New York
Times interviewed John Morton Blum because the record showed I had taken one of
his courses. Casting his mind's eye over the parade of young faces down through
the years, Professor Blum said, and I quote, "I don't have the foggiest
recollection of him." (Laughter.)
But I remember Professor Blum. And I still recall his dedication and high
standards of learning. In my time there were many great professors at Yale. And
there still are. They're the ones who keep Yale going after the commencements,
after we have all gone our separate ways. I'm not sure I remembered to thank
them the last time I was here, but now that I have a second chance, I thank the
professors of Yale University. (Applause.)
That's how I've come to feel about the Yale experience -- grateful. I studied
hard, I played hard, and I made a lot of lifelong friends. What stays with you
from college is the part of your education you hardly ever notice at the time.
It's the expectations and examples around you, the ideals you believe in, and
the friends you make.
In my time, they spoke of the "Yale man." I was really never sure what that was.
But I do think that I'm a better man because of Yale. All universities, at
their best, teach that degrees and honors are far from the full measure of life.
Nor is that measure taken in wealth or in titles. What matters most are the
standards you live by, the consideration you show others, and the way you use
the gifts you are given.
Now you leave Yale behind, carrying the written proof of your success here, at
a college older than America. When I left here, I didn't have much in the way
of a life plan. I knew some people who thought they did. But it turned out that
we were all in for ups and downs, most of them unexpected. Life takes its own
turns, makes its own demands, writes its own story. And along the way, we start
to realize we are not the author.
We begin to understand that life is ours to live, but not to waste, and that
the greatest rewards are found in the commitments we make with our whole hearts
-- to the people we love and to the causes that earn our sacrifice. I hope that
each of you will know these rewards. I hope you will find them in your own way
and your own time.
For some, that might mean some time in public service. And if you hear that
calling, I hope you answer. Each of you has unique gifts and you were given
them for a reason. Use them and share them. Public service is one way -- an
honorable way -- to mark your life with meaning.
Today I visit not only my alma mater, but the city of my birth. My life began
just a few blocks from here, but I was raised in West Texas. From there, Yale
always seemed a world away, maybe a part of my future. Now it's part of my past,
and Yale for me is a source of great pride.
I hope that there will come a time for you to return to Yale to say that, and
feel as I do today. And I hope you won't wait as long. Congratulations and God
bless. (Applause.)
END
人人都可能当总统——布什在耶鲁大学的演讲
我很荣幸能在这个场合发表演讲。
我知道，耶鲁向来不邀请毕业典礼演讲人，但近几年来却有例外。虽然破了例，但条件却更
加严格――演讲人必须同时具备两种身份：耶鲁校友、美国总统。我很骄傲在３３年前领取
到第一个耶鲁大学的学位。此次，我又荣获耶鲁荣誉学位感到光荣。
今天是诸位学友毕业的日子，在这里我首先要恭喜家长们：恭喜你们的子女修完学业顺利毕
业，这是你们辛勤栽培后享受收获的日子，也是你们钱包解放的大好日子！最重要的是，我
要恭喜耶鲁毕业生们：对于那些表现杰出的同学，我要说，你真棒！对于那些丙等生，我要
说，你们将来也可以当美国总统！
耶鲁学位价值不菲。我时常这么提醒切尼(现任美国副总统),他在早年也短暂就读于此.所以
,我想提醒正就读于耶鲁的莘莘学子，如果你们从耶鲁顺利毕业，你们也许可以当上总统；
如果你们中途辍学，那么你们只能当副总统了。
这是我毕业以来第二次回到这里。不过，一些人，一些事至今让我念念不忘。举例来说，我
记得我的老同学狄克.布洛德翰，如今他是伟大学校的杰出校长，他读书时的聪明与刻苦至
今让我记忆犹新。那时，我们经常泡在校图书馆那个有着大皮沙发的阅读室里。我们有个默
契：他不大声朗读课文，我睡觉不打呼噜。
后来，随着学术探索的领域不同，我们选修的课程也各不相同，狄克主修英语，我主修历史
。有趣的是，我选修过15世纪的日本俳句——每首诗只有17个音节，我想其意义只有禅学大
师才能明了。我记得一位学科顾问对我选修如此专精的课程表示担忧，他说我应该选修英语
。现在，我仍然时常听到这类建议。我在其他场合演讲时，在语言表达上曾被人误解过，我
的批评者不明白：我不是说错了字，我是在复诵古代俳句的完美格式与声韵呢。
我很感激耶鲁大学给我们提供了这么好的读书环境。读书期间，我坚持“用功读书，努力玩
乐”的思想，虽然不是很出色地完成了学业，但结交了许多让我终生受益的朋友。也许有的
同学会认为，大学只是人生受教育的重要部分，殊不知，“大学生活”这四个字的内涵十分
深厚，它既包含丰富的学科知识和学术氛围，也蕴涵着许多支撑人生成败的观念，还有那丰
富多彩的生活以及读多值得结交的朋友┄┄
大家常说，“耶鲁人”，我从不确定那是什么意思。但是我想，这一定是含着无限肯定与景
仰的褒义词。是的，因为耶鲁，因为有了在耶鲁深造的经历，你、我、他变成了一个个更加
优秀的人！你们离开耶鲁后，我希望你们牢记“我的知识源自耶鲁”，并以你们自己的方式
、自己的时间、自己的奋斗来体现对母校的热爱，听从时代的召唤，用信心与行动予以积极
响应。
你们每个人都有独特的天赋，你们拥有的这些天赋就是你们参与 竞争、实现人生价值的资
本，好好利用它们，与人分享它们，将它们转化为推进时代前进的动力吧！人生是要让我们
去生活、而不是用来浪费的，只要肯争上游，人人都可当总统！
这次我不仅回到母校，也是回到我的出生地，我就是在几条街之外出生的。在那时，耶鲁与
无知的我仿佛要隔了一个世界之遥，而现在，她是我过去的一部分。对我而言，耶鲁是我知
识的源泉，力量的源泉，令我极度骄傲的源泉。我希望，将来你们以另外一种身份回到耶鲁
时，能有与我一样的感受并说出相同的话。我希望你们不要等太久，我也坚信耶鲁邀请你回
校演讲的日子也不会等太久。 |
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发表于 2008-11-20 13:55:11
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