Henceforth,I will consider each day‘s effort as but one blow of my blade against a mighty oak. The first blow may cause not a tremor in the wood,nor the second,nor the third. Each blow,of itself,may be trifling,and seem of no consequence. Yet from childish swipes the oak will eventually tumble. So it will be with my efforts of today. I will be likened to the rain drop which washes away the mountain;the ant who devours a tiger;the star which brightens the earth;the slave who builds a pyramid. I will build my castle one brick at a time for I know that small attempts,repeated,will complete any undertaking.
I will never consider defeat and I will remove from my vocabulary such words and phrases as quit,cannot,unable,impossible,out of the question,improbable,failure,unworkable,hopeless,and retreat;for they are the words of fools. I will avoid despair but if this disease of the mind should infect me then I will work on in despair. I will toil and I will endure. I will ignore the obstacles at my feet and keep mine eyes on the goals above my head,for I know that where dry desert ends,green grass grows.
I will remember the ancient law of averages and I will bend it to my good. I will persist with knowledge that each failure will increase my chance for success at the next attempt. Each nay I hear will bring me closer to the sound of yea. Each frown I meet only prepares me for the smile to come. Each misfortune I encounter will carry in it the seed of tomorrow’s good luck. I must have the night to appreciate the day. I must fail often to succeed only once.
I will try,and try,and try again. Each obstacle I will consider as a mere detour to my goal and a challenge to my profession. I will persist and develop my skills as the mariner develops his,by learning to ride out the wrath of each storm.
I will not allow yesterday‘s success to lull me into today’s complacency,for this is the great foundation of failure. I will forget the happenings of the day that is gone,whether they were good or bad,and greet the new sun with confidence that this will be the best day of my life. So long as there is breath in me,that long will I persist. For now I know one of the greatest principles of success:if I persist long enough I will win.
I will persist. I will win.
再长的路,一步步也能走完;再短的路,不迈开双脚也无法到达。
参考翻译(李定纹)
小公牛在奥瑞特竞技场上通过特殊方式进行搏斗考验。每头小公牛都被带到圈内,并任由它们被拿着长矛的斗牛士攻击。然后,每头小公牛的勇猛度将根据它们所表现出的斗志慎重地进行评定,而非根据被刺的次数。当我得知此事后,我意识到每天我都会以类似的方式接受生活的考验。如果我努力坚持、继续尝试、不顾一切向前冲的话,我就会成功。
我来到这个世界上并非败笔,在我的血管里也并没有失败的必然因素。我不是一只等待牧羊人宰杀的羊。我是一只狮子,我拒绝像羊一样说话、走路、睡觉。我不愿听到哭泣、抱怨,因为它们这些“疾病”是会传染的。让它们与羊群为伍吧,失败的屠宰场绝非我的命运。
生命的恩赐都在每段旅途的结尾,而不是出现在起始的地方。我并不知道需要迈出多少步才能实现我的目标,也许在走到第一千步时,我依然会遇到失败,然而成功正躲在这条路的下一个拐角处。
如果我不试着去拐角处转弯,我就永远不会知道成功离我有多近。所以我一定会一路坚持走下去。如果多走一步没有用,我会再走另一步,再另一步。事实上,一次走一步并不是件难事。
今后,我每天都要加倍努力。就像是要砍断一棵参天大树,砍第一斧绝对不会让它颤动,甚至第二斧、第三斧都不会。每一斧,它的力量或许是微不足道的,也看不到什么效果。但是,累积起来,大树终会被砍断。这也是我每天付出努力所希望得到的结果。我会把这种努力看做洗刷高山的雨滴、吞噬老虎的蚂蚁、照亮地球的星星、修建金字塔的奴隶。我要一块砖一块砖地堆积,建造属于自己的城堡,因为我知道,只要我不懈努力,最终一定可以达成任何目标。
我不会承认失败。我要把诸如“放弃”、“没有办法”、“没有可能”、“不可能”、“毫无可能”、“不会发生的”、“失败”、“没有用的”、“绝望”和“撤退”这样的词汇从我的词典里去掉。因为这些都是愚蠢之人才会用到的词汇。我会尽量避免绝望,但如果这种心理疾病影响到我,我也会在绝望中继续努力。我会苦干、会忍耐。我会忽略脚下的障碍,把眼光放在前方的目的地,因为我知道戈壁的尽头就是绿洲。
我会谨记远古的概率法则,并用它来激励自己。我相信每次失败都会为我下一次的尝试增加成功的概率。我得到的每一次否决都会拉近我跟赞许的距离。我的每次皱眉都是为了迎接下一个要到来的微笑。我遇到的每一个逆境都是在酝酿明天的好运。经过黑夜才能看到光明,所以我一定要不怕失败,这样才能够获得成功。
我会尝试、尝试、再尝试。每一次遇到障碍,我都会认为这仅仅是到达目的地之前的一段小插曲、对信仰的一次小挑战。我会坚持,就像水手们那样锻炼自己,承受住每一次暴风雨的咆哮,让自己变得更强。
我不因昨日的成功而满足,因为这是失败的先兆。我会忘记过去发生的所有事情,不管是好事还是坏事,并带着今天将是我人生中最美好的一天的信心,去迎接每个新的一天。只要我还活着,我就会坚持到我人生的最后一口气。我现在才真正明白关于成功最伟大的一条定律:坚持就是胜利。
我要坚持。我要胜利。
I Believe 我相信
For my part,in the 25 years since my Harvard graduation,I have come to believe in hope over despair,striving over resignation,faith over cynicism.
I believe in the power of knowledge to make the world a better place. Cynics may say:Human beings have never learned anything from history. All that is truly useful about knowledge is that it can provide you with advantages over the pack. But the cynics are wrong:we have the capacity to learn from our mistakes and transcend our past. Indeed,in this very place we have been taught that truth - Veritas- can set us free.
I believe in finding fulfillment in family,for the family is the true center of a meaningful life. Cynics may say:All families are confining and ultimately dysfunctional. The very idea of family is outdated and unworkable. But the cynics are wrong:it is in our families that we learn to love.
I believe in working to achieve social justice and freedom for all.
Cynics may scorn this notion as naive,claiming that all our efforts for equal opportunity,for justice,for freedom have created only a wasteland of failed hopes. But the cynics are wrong:freedom is our destiny;justice is our guide;we shall overcome.
I believe in protecting the Earth‘s environment against an unprecedented onslaught. Cynics may laugh out loud and say there is no utility in a stand of thousand year old trees,a fresh breeze,or a mountain stream. But the cynics are wrong:we are part of God’s earth not separate from it.
I believe in you,all of you here,individually and as a group. The cynics say you are motivated principally by greed and that ultimately you will care for nothing other than yourselves. But the cynics are wrong. You are care about each other,you cherish freedom,you treasure justice,you seek truth.
In the end we face a fundamental choice,cynicism or faith,each equally capable of taking root in our souls and shaping our lives as self fulfilling prophecies. I believe we must open our hearts to each other and build on all the vast and creative possibilities. This is a task for a confident people,which is what we have been throughout our history and what we still are in our deepest character.
I believe in our future.
信任是可以交换的,我用对你的信任换取你对我的信任,同样的,我用对未来的信任换取未来我的信任。
参考翻译(胡尊艳)
对我来说,从哈佛毕业后的25年里,我懂得了坚信希望而不陷入绝望,努力奋斗而不听天由命,坚定信念而不愤世嫉俗。
我相信知识的力量会使世界更美好。愤世嫉俗者可能会说:人类从未在历史中学到什么。知识的真正作用只是使人类优于其他物种。但他们错了,我们能够从错误中吸取教训,并超越过去。的确,在哈佛,我们知道了--真理能让我们自由。
我相信履行家庭义务是我们的职责,因为有意义的生活真正的核心是家。愤世嫉俗者可能说:所有的家庭都很狭隘且毫无价值。家庭观念已经过时,不切实际。但是他们错了,让我们学会爱的正是家庭。