从政坛铁腕到商界巨贾,从文学名家到娱乐新秀,年代变迁、行当不同、风格各异,却都在毕业演说的讲台上道出了自己的人生真谛。对毕业生们来说,这是离开校园前的最后一次听讲,也是初涉社会的第一次受洗。来吧,听一听睿智多思的声音,想一想充满挑战的未来,带上智慧和自信——出发!
David Foster Wallace, Kenyon, 2005
戴维·福斯特·华莱士,凯尼恩学院,2005
David Foster Wallace (1962~2008): an American author of novels, essays, and short stories
Words of Wisdom:
“Learning how to think” really means learning how to exercise some control over how and what you think. It means being conscious and aware enough to choose what you pay attention to and to choose how you construct meaning from experience. Because if you cannot exercise this kind of choice in adult life, you will be totally hosed1).
戴维·福斯特·华莱士(1962～2008):美国小说家、散文家
睿言智语:
“学会思考”的实际意义是学会控制自己思考的方式和内容。这就意味着要保持足够清醒的头脑来选择自己关注的目标,并判断如何从经验中获得教益。作为成年人,如果不能作出这种选择,将会一事无成。
Steve Jobs, Stanford, 2005
史蒂夫·乔布斯,斯坦福大学,2005
Steve Jobs (1955~): an American business magnate, the co-founder and chief executive officer of Apple
Words of Wisdom:
No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to Heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because death is very likely the single best invention of life. It is life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.
Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma2)—which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.... Stay hungry, Stay foolish.
史蒂夫·乔布斯(1955~):美国商业巨头,苹果公司的创始人之一及首席执行官
睿言智语:
谁也不想死去。即使人们想上天堂,也不愿为了上天堂而死去。然而死亡又是我们每个人共同的终点,谁也无法逃脱。这一切都是十分正常的,因为死亡也许是生命唯一最好的发明。它是生命变化的动因,最擅除旧迎新。现在的“新”就是你们,但在不久的将来,你们也会慢慢变成“旧”,然后被“除去”。很抱歉我说得有点过分,但事实确实如此。
既然生命如此短暂,那么就不要去过别人的生活,而让自己的生命被荒废。不要为教条所左右——所谓教条,就是生活在他人的思想之中。不要让他人喧嚣的主张淹没了自己内心的声音。最重要的是,要有勇气跟着自己的心灵和感觉走。永不满足,保持谦逊。
Conan O’Brien, Harvard, 2000
柯南·奥布赖恩,哈佛大学,2000
Conan O’Brien (1963~): an American television host and comedian
Words of Wisdom:
I’ve dwelled on my failures today because, as graduates of Harvard, your biggest liability is your need to succeed. You need to always find yourself on the sweet side of the bell curve3). Because success is a lot like a bright, white tuxedo. You feel terrific when you get it, but then you’re desperately afraid of getting it dirty, of spoiling it in any way.
I left the cocoon of Harvard, I left the cocoon of Saturday Night Live4), I left the cocoon of The Simpsons5). And each time it was bruising and tumultuous6). And yet, every failure was freeing, and today I’m as nostalgic for the bad as I am for the good.
So, that’s what I wish for all of you: the bad as well as the good. Fall down, make a mess, break something occasionally. And remember that the story is never over.
柯南·奥布赖恩(1963~):美国电视节目主持人,喜剧演员
睿言智语:
今天我谈了很多自己失败的经历,因为作为哈佛的毕业生,你们最大的责任就是要取得成功。你需要永远占据钟形曲线的最佳位置。成功颇像是一件光彩照人的白色礼服。有了它,你会感到自己棒极了,但紧接着会提心吊胆,唯恐一不小心把它弄脏了,弄坏了。
我离开了哈佛,离开了《星期六夜现场》,离开了《辛普森一家》,离开了一切像茧一样包裹着我的安乐窝。每一次蜕变都是伤痕累累,都引发了轩然大波。然而,每一次失败都是解脱。今天,我怀念那些成功的日子,也同样怀念那些失败的日子。
因此,这就是我对你们所有人的希望:成功和失败都各得其所。跌倒了,弄砸了,时不时地可能还会把东西打破。但是要记住,故事永远没有结束。
Russell Baker, Connecticut College, 1995
拉塞尔·贝克,康乃迪克学院,1995
Russell Baker (1925~): an American Pulitzer Prize-winning writer known for his satirical commentary and self-critical prose, as well as for his autobiography, Growing Up.
Words of Wisdom:
Listen once in a while. It’s amazing what you can hear. On a hot summer day in the country you can hear the corn growing, the crack of a tin roof buckling7) under the power of the sun. In a real old-fashioned parlor silence so deep you can hear the dust settling on the velveteen settee, you might hear the footsteps of something sinister gaining on8) you, or a heart-stoppingly beautiful phrase from Mozart you haven’t heard since childhood, or the voice of somebody—now gone—whom you loved. Or sometime when you’re talking up a storm9) so brilliant, so charming that you can hardly believe how wonderful you are, pause just a moment and listen to yourself. It’s good for the soul to hear yourself as others hear you, and next time maybe, just maybe, you will not talk so much, so loudly, so brilliantly, so charmingly, so utterly shamelessly foolishly.
拉塞尔·贝克(1925~):美国作家,普利策奖获得者,以讽刺评论和自我批判的散文而著称,著有自传《成长》。
睿言智语:
有时注意倾听一下,你会惊讶于自己听到的声音。在乡下酷热的夏日,你会听到玉米生长的声音,锡铁屋顶在阳光暴晒的淫威下发出的破裂声。在老式的客厅里,万籁俱寂之中,你会听到灰尘落在棉绒沙发上的声音,也可能会听到某种邪恶的脚步声在向你逼近,或者一节只是在小时候听过的美得令人窒息的莫扎特的乐曲,或者某个已经逝去、但你却深爱着的人的声音。有时,当你口若悬河、滔滔不绝、自我感觉超好的时候,停下来片刻,听听你自己的声音。听听自己的声音,就像他人听你说话时那样,这对于心灵的修养是有好处的。这样,你以后也许——只是也许——就不会这样口若悬河、滔滔不绝、卖弄聪明、自以为美,就不会如此厚颜无耻、蠢不可及了。
Winston Churchill, Harrow School, 1941 
温斯顿·丘吉尔,哈罗公学,1941
Winston Churchill (1874~1965): Prime Minister of Britain (1940~1945; 1951~1955)
Words of Wisdom:
Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense.
温斯顿·丘吉尔(1874~1965):英国首相(1940~1945;1951~1955)
睿言智语:
永远不要放弃。永远不要放弃。永远、永远、永远、永远——不放弃任何事情,不管大事还是小事,要事还是琐事——永远不要放弃,除非是向荣誉和理性低头。
John F. Kennedy, American University, 1963
约翰·F·肯尼迪,美国大学,1963
John F. Kennedy (1917~1963): the 35th President of the United States
Words of Wisdom:
Let us examine our attitude toward peace itself. Too many of us think it is impossible. Too many think it unreal. But that is a dangerous, defeatist belief. It leads to the conclusion that war is inevitable, that mankind is doomed, that we are gripped by forces we cannot control.
We need not accept that view. Our problems are man-made—therefore, they can be solved by man. And man can be as big as he wants. No problem of human destiny is beyond human beings. Man’s reason and spirit have often solved the seemingly unsolvable—and we believe they can do it again.
约翰·F·肯尼迪(1917~1963):美国第35任总统
睿言智语:
让我们来审视一下我们对待和平本身的态度。我们中有太多的人认为和平是不可能的,太多的人认为和平是不切实际的。但这其实是一种危险的、失败主义者的观点。它会引导出这么一种结论:战争是不可避免的,人类注定是要灭亡的,我们正在为自己无法左右的力量所控制。
我们无需接受这一观点。问题都是人为的,因此也能够由人来解决。心有多广大,人就有多强大。没有什么有关人类命运的问题是人类无法解决的。人类的理性和精神已经解决了许多看似无法解决的问题——我们相信这一次也同样能解决。
Bradley Whitford, Wisconsin, 2006
布兰德利·惠特福德,威斯康星大学,2006
Bradley Whitford (1959~): an American film and television actor. Best known for his role as Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman on the NBC television drama The West Wing.
Words of Wisdom:
Take action. Every story you’ve ever connected with, every leader you’ve ever admired, every puny little thing that you’ve ever accomplished is the result of taking action. You have a choice. You can either be a passive victim of circumstance or you can be the active hero of your own life. Action is the antidote10) to apathy and cynicism and despair. You will inevitably make mistakes. Learn what you can and move on. At the end of your days, you will be judged by your gallop, not by your stumble.
布兰德利·惠特福德(1959~):美国影视剧演员,以扮演NBC电视剧《白宫风云》中的副参谋长乔希·莱曼的角色而著称。
睿言智语:
行动起来吧。和你有关的每一则故事,你所仰慕的每一位领袖,你所取得的每一个小小的成就,都是因为采取了行动。选择权在于你自己。你可以做一个被动等待境遇安排的奴隶,也可以做一个主宰自己生活的英雄。行动是治愈生活冷漠、愤世嫉俗、悲观绝望的一剂良药。人不可避免要犯错误,但要吸取教训,继续前行。那么,在你最后的日子里,人们用以评价你的,将会是你迈出了多少步,而不是摔了多少跤。
Barbara Kingsolver, Duke, 2008
芭芭拉·金索沃,杜克大学,2008
Barbara Kingsolver (1955~): an American novelist, essayist, poet and activist
Words of Wisdom:
If somebody says “Your money or your life,” you could say, “Life.” And mean it. You’ll see things collapse in your time, the big houses, the empires of glass. The new green things that sprout up through the wreck—those will be yours.
The arc of history is longer than human vision. It bends. We abolished slavery, we granted universal suffrage11). We have done hard things before. And every time it took a terrible fight between people who could not imagine changing the rules, and those who said, “We already did. We have made the world new.” The hardest part will be to convince yourself of the possibilities, and hang on.
芭芭拉·金索沃(1955~):美国小说家、散文家、诗人、社会活动家
睿言智语:
如果有人问你:“要钱还是要命?”你会回答:“要命。”这无疑是发自内心的回答。在你一生中,你会目睹许多事物的倾覆,高楼大厦、玻璃帝国都难逃此运。那从废墟上生长出来的小小嫩芽,才是属于你的东西。
历史的脉络远远超过人类的视线,它是曲折的。我们废除奴隶制,给人民普选权。我们克服无数磨难,每一次都要掀起可怕的战争才能解决问题,因为一方无法接受规则的改变,另一方则说:“规则已经改变,我们创造了一个新世界。”最难的就是要让自己坚信世界的无限可能,并且坚持下去。
1. hose [hEuz] vt.〈美俚〉痛打;打垮
2. dogma [5dC^mE] n. 教条
3. bell curve:钟形曲线,又称正态曲线,是一根两端低中间高的曲线。首先被应用在数学领域,后被推广到社会学、心理学领域,用来描述人的特质量值的理论分布。
4. Saturday Night Live:《周六夜现场》,美国全国广播公司(NBC)的一档娱乐喜剧节目,包括商业广告的滑稽模仿、现场乐队表演、明星嘉宾访谈等。柯南·奥布赖恩曾在其中担任编剧,并参与了一些即兴表演。
5. The Simpsons:《辛普森一家》,美国福克斯广播公司(FOX)的一部动画情景喜剧。柯南·奥布赖恩曾在其中担任一角色的配音演员。
6. tumultuous [tju5mQltjuEs] adj. 喧嚣的,吵闹的,骚乱的
7. buckle [5bQkl] vi. 由于受压或受热而弯曲、起皱
8. gain on:逼近;超过
9. talk up a storm:侃侃而谈,费尽口舌
10. antidote [5AntIdEut] n. 解毒剂,解药;矫正方法
11. universal suffrage:普选权