第一篇：蒂姆-庫(kù)克于2010年5月14日在奧本大學(xué)畢業(yè)典禮上發(fā)表的演講全文：

騰訊科技訊（萬(wàn)學(xué)）北京時(shí)間8月28日消息，據(jù)國(guó)外媒體報(bào)道，在過(guò)去這么多年中，我們已對(duì)蘋(píng)果前任CEO史蒂夫-喬布斯（Steve Jobs）的個(gè)性特點(diǎn)耳熟能詳。但是，我們對(duì)于他的繼任者蒂姆-庫(kù)克（Tim Cook）卻知之不多。這兩個(gè)人都能曾在大學(xué)畢業(yè)典禮上發(fā)表過(guò)演講。也許我們能夠從中管窺庫(kù)克的內(nèi)心世界。

下面是蒂姆-庫(kù)克于2010年5月14日在奧本大學(xué)畢業(yè)典禮上發(fā)表的演講全文：

我很榮幸回到這里與你們見(jiàn)面，很榮幸回到這個(gè)像家一樣的地方，回到這個(gè)帶給我很多溫馨回憶的地方。奧本大學(xué)以前對(duì)我的生活產(chǎn)生過(guò)重大影響，現(xiàn)在對(duì)于我也具有重要的意義。任何人，只要到過(guò)我在蘋(píng)果的辦公室或者我在帕羅奧圖的家，就能立即發(fā)現(xiàn)這一點(diǎn)。我保存有很多奧本大學(xué)的紀(jì)念物。

站在你們面前，我感到非常激動(dòng)，因?yàn)槲抑涝谧暮芏嗳艘约拔覀冎莸钠渌芏嗳硕际艿搅颂鞛?zāi)的影響。我從小在墨西哥灣地區(qū)長(zhǎng)大，我的家人現(xiàn)在還住在那邊，但是我要讓你們知道，我與你們感同身受。

站在你們面前，我感到誠(chéng)惶誠(chéng)恐。我能走到今天，是因?yàn)槲业母改笭奚撕芏嗨麄冊(cè)緫?yīng)該擁有的東西，因?yàn)槲业慕處?、教授、朋友和?dǎo)師給了我超出他們責(zé)任范圍的關(guān)心，因?yàn)槭返俜?喬布斯和蘋(píng)果給我提供了寶貴的工作機(jī)會(huì)，讓我在過(guò)去12年中每天都過(guò)得很有意義。我知道，我的面前還有一群受人尊敬的教職工，他們的思想和研究成果已給我們的生活帶來(lái)了積極的影響。他們的才智加上無(wú)數(shù)父母、祖父母、曾祖父母的生活智慧，是可以讓當(dāng)今畢業(yè)生受益終生的寶貴精神財(cái)富。當(dāng)著他們的面，給你們這些畢業(yè)生們提出忠告，我真的感到誠(chéng)惶誠(chéng)恐。

因此，請(qǐng)記住，我將要給大家分享一些我個(gè)人的心得體會(huì)，這些心得至少對(duì)于我而言非常受用，但愿也能讓你們有所啟發(fā)。

與喬布斯會(huì)面5分鐘決定加盟蘋(píng)果

在我的生命中，我迄今為止最重要的心得體會(huì)來(lái)源于一個(gè)決定：加入蘋(píng)果。在蘋(píng)果工作，從來(lái)沒(méi)有被列入我的人生規(guī)劃中，但是它毫無(wú)疑問(wèn)是我做過(guò)的最英明的決定。當(dāng)然，我們的生命中還有許多其他重要的決定，譬如決定來(lái)奧本。在我念高中的時(shí)候，有些老師建議我讀奧本大學(xué)，有些教師建議我選擇阿拉巴馬大學(xué)。我說(shuō)過(guò)，有些決定是不言而喻的。但是，在1998年初，我選擇進(jìn)入蘋(píng)果的決定卻并沒(méi)有這么順理成章。由于你們中的大多數(shù)人當(dāng)年還只有10歲，因此你們可能不知道，1998年初的蘋(píng)果與今天的蘋(píng)果有著天壤之別。在1998年，還沒(méi)有iPad或iMac或iPhone，甚至也沒(méi)有iPod——我知道，你們很難想象沒(méi)有iPod的生活。盡管蘋(píng)果當(dāng)時(shí)已生產(chǎn)了Mac電腦，但是卻連年虧損，人們普遍認(rèn)為，蘋(píng)果已經(jīng)瀕臨破產(chǎn)了。而就在我接受蘋(píng)果工作的前幾個(gè)月，當(dāng)戴爾公司的創(chuàng)始人兼CEO邁克爾-戴爾（Michael Dell）被問(wèn)及他會(huì)如何來(lái)解決蘋(píng)果的問(wèn)題時(shí)，他回答說(shuō)“我將會(huì)關(guān)閉它，然后把錢(qián)還給股東們?！贝鳡柕倪@一番話實(shí)際上說(shuō)出了很多人的心聲。

因此，蘋(píng)果當(dāng)年的境遇可謂是步履維艱。而在當(dāng)時(shí)，我所在的公司——康柏電腦是全球最大的個(gè)人電腦公司。不僅康柏的業(yè)績(jī)比蘋(píng)果好很多，而且它的總部位于德克薩斯州，因而離奧本大學(xué)很近。任何理智的人權(quán)衡利弊后都會(huì)選擇康柏，當(dāng)時(shí)我周?chē)娜艘步ㄗh我留在康柏。我曾經(jīng)向一位CEO咨詢(xún)此事，他果斷地說(shuō)，如果我離開(kāi)康柏而選擇蘋(píng)果，我就是一個(gè)傻子。

在決定是否進(jìn)入蘋(píng)果時(shí)，我必須運(yùn)用我作為工程師的思維進(jìn)行思考。工程師學(xué)到的方法就是通過(guò)不帶任何感情的客觀分析來(lái)做出決策。當(dāng)我們面對(duì)兩個(gè)選擇的時(shí)候，我們就會(huì)權(quán)衡利弊，選出一個(gè)更好的。但是，在我們的生活中，很多時(shí)候，精細(xì)地權(quán)衡利弊似乎并不是做出決定的正確方法。在我們所有人的生活中，有時(shí)候依靠直覺(jué)做決定似乎更靠譜。有意思的是，我發(fā)現(xiàn)在面對(duì)人生重大決定的時(shí)候，直覺(jué)似乎更能讓你做出正確的選擇。

要把重要的決定權(quán)交給直覺(jué)，你就必須放棄規(guī)劃人生未來(lái)的想法。直覺(jué)決定當(dāng)下發(fā)生的事情。如果你認(rèn)真聆聽(tīng)它，它就有可能把你導(dǎo)向最適合你的人生道路上。在1998年初的那一天，我聽(tīng)從了我的直覺(jué)，而不是我的左腦或最了解我的人。我不知道我為什么會(huì)這樣做，時(shí)至今日我也仍然無(wú)法確定。但是，在我與史蒂夫-喬布斯會(huì)面不到五分鐘，我就把邏輯和謹(jǐn)慎拋到了一邊，加入了蘋(píng)果。我的直覺(jué)告訴我，加入蘋(píng)果是一生僅有一次的機(jī)會(huì)，我能借此機(jī)會(huì)為富有創(chuàng)意的天才工作，加入可能創(chuàng)造偉大公司的管理團(tuán)隊(duì)。如果當(dāng)時(shí)我的直覺(jué)在與我左腦斗爭(zhēng)的過(guò)程中敗下陣來(lái)，我真不知道我現(xiàn)在會(huì)在哪里，但是肯定不會(huì)站在你們面前。

直覺(jué)+準(zhǔn)備=成功

這是一個(gè)深刻的教訓(xùn)。我還記得，在我畢業(yè)的時(shí)候，我也感到茫然，不知道我的生活將會(huì)通往何方。我很想設(shè)定一個(gè)25年的規(guī)劃來(lái)引領(lǐng)我的人生。當(dāng)我念商學(xué)院的時(shí)候，我們甚至練習(xí)做一個(gè)25年的人生規(guī)劃。現(xiàn)在22年過(guò)去了，我已在為你們的畢業(yè)典禮準(zhǔn)備演講稿了。當(dāng)我還是一個(gè)年輕的MBA學(xué)生時(shí)，我并不明白，生活經(jīng)常會(huì)向你投來(lái)曲線球。別誤會(huì)我——我并不是說(shuō)人生不需要規(guī)劃。規(guī)劃人生未來(lái)沒(méi)有錯(cuò)，但是如果你像我一樣，偶爾想去看看籬笆外面的風(fēng)景，你就不要指望按部就班的生活。但是，即使你不規(guī)劃人生，你也能著手準(zhǔn)備。偉大的棒球手并不知道曲線球什么時(shí)候飛過(guò)來(lái)，但是他知道它會(huì)飛過(guò)來(lái)。于是，他就開(kāi)始準(zhǔn)備，等待時(shí)機(jī)給它用力一擊。

人們經(jīng)常把直覺(jué)等同于依靠運(yùn)氣或忠誠(chéng)。真理再向前走一小步就是謬誤。直覺(jué)能夠告訴你哪扇門(mén)是對(duì)你開(kāi)放的，你應(yīng)該從這扇門(mén)里走出去。但是，直覺(jué)不能讓你準(zhǔn)備好迎接門(mén)外面的東西。我經(jīng)常想起阿伯拉罕-林肯說(shuō)過(guò)的一句話：“我將會(huì)認(rèn)真準(zhǔn)備，直到機(jī)會(huì)有一天到來(lái)?！蔽疑钚挪灰?。正是這種信仰引領(lǐng)我到奧本大學(xué)學(xué)習(xí)工業(yè)工程，引領(lǐng)我到杜克大學(xué)學(xué)習(xí)商業(yè)，引領(lǐng)我接受了難以計(jì)數(shù)的工作和任務(wù)。

商場(chǎng)如賽場(chǎng)，絕大多數(shù)成功在比賽開(kāi)始之前就已經(jīng)決定了。我們不能控制機(jī)會(huì)來(lái)臨的時(shí)間，但是我們能夠控制我們的準(zhǔn)備工作。就目前的經(jīng)濟(jì)形勢(shì)以及我們時(shí)常感受到的擔(dān)心而言，林肯的話在今天尤其適用。當(dāng)我在1982年畢業(yè)的時(shí)候，我也有著和你們一樣的擔(dān)心。但是，在座的很多學(xué)生家長(zhǎng)可能還記得，當(dāng)時(shí)的經(jīng)

濟(jì)狀態(tài)與現(xiàn)在實(shí)際上差不了多少。失業(yè)率高達(dá)兩位數(shù)字，盡管沒(méi)有華爾街銀行倒閉，但是我們有著嚴(yán)重的儲(chǔ)蓄和貸款危機(jī)。和我的很多同班同學(xué)一樣，我也很擔(dān)心自己的未來(lái)。

但是，適用于林肯的至理名言，也適用于我們82屆畢業(yè)的學(xué)生，當(dāng)然同樣也適用于今天畢業(yè)的你們。機(jī)會(huì)垂青有準(zhǔn)備的頭腦。就像所有的前輩人一樣，你們將會(huì)站在你們上一代人的肩膀上，也就是我和你們的父母這一代人的肩膀上。你們將會(huì)看得更遠(yuǎn)，取得更大的成就。在這個(gè)偉大的時(shí)刻，你們和你們的家人匯聚在這個(gè)偉大的學(xué)校，這證明你們的準(zhǔn)備已經(jīng)開(kāi)始了。畢業(yè)后，你們還要像你們?cè)趭W本大學(xué)所做的那樣，繼續(xù)用知識(shí)武裝你們自己。只有這樣，當(dāng)你的直覺(jué)告訴你“我的機(jī)會(huì)來(lái)臨”時(shí)，你就能信心百倍地準(zhǔn)備迎接它了。

艱苦努力不可或缺

當(dāng)你已準(zhǔn)備好，而且正確的大門(mén)也已向你敞開(kāi)，你就只需要做一件事了：行動(dòng)起來(lái)。至少對(duì)我而言，奧本大學(xué)校訓(xùn)中的第二句話“我相信工作，艱苦地工作”能讓我產(chǎn)生很大的共鳴，而且一直是我的核心信念之一。這是一句很樸實(shí)的話，但卻蘊(yùn)含著無(wú)窮的智慧和尊嚴(yán)。而且，它們也經(jīng)受住了時(shí)間的檢驗(yàn)。

無(wú)數(shù)事例告訴我們，那些想要不費(fèi)吹灰之力就取得成功的人終究是在欺騙他們自己，甚至是在欺騙別人。我非常幸運(yùn)，我的周?chē)泻芏囝Ｖ堑摹⒙?tīng)從直覺(jué)的思想家，他們創(chuàng)造了全世界最精致、最杰出的產(chǎn)品。對(duì)于我們來(lái)說(shuō)，直覺(jué)不能取代縝密的思維和艱苦的工作，它只能把我們引進(jìn)門(mén)，修行還得靠個(gè)人。我們沒(méi)有捷徑可走。我們必須關(guān)注每一個(gè)細(xì)節(jié)，聽(tīng)從好奇心的指引。我們清楚，整個(gè)過(guò)程可能非常漫長(zhǎng)，但是最終它是值得的。我們敢于冒險(xiǎn)，也知道冒險(xiǎn)有時(shí)候會(huì)導(dǎo)致失敗。但是，沒(méi)有失敗，又何談成功？我們牢記阿爾伯特-愛(ài)因斯坦的話：“瘋狂就是反復(fù)做同一件事情，并期待有不一樣的結(jié)果?！笨偠灾庇X(jué)對(duì)你做的任何事情都很重要。但是，如果沒(méi)有堅(jiān)持不懈地準(zhǔn)備和行動(dòng)，它就會(huì)變得毫無(wú)意義。

這些就是我對(duì)于直覺(jué)、準(zhǔn)備和努力工作重要性的心得體會(huì)。它們給出了一個(gè)簡(jiǎn)單的原則，能夠應(yīng)用到你人生中最重要的決定中：相信你自己的直覺(jué)，然后運(yùn)用你擁有的一切去證明它的正確。

沒(méi)有失敗就沒(méi)有成功

邏輯告訴我，我應(yīng)該就此打住，但是我說(shuō)過(guò)，有時(shí)候邏輯并不占上風(fēng)。因此，我還有最后一個(gè)心得體會(huì)要簡(jiǎn)短地與你們分享一下。我認(rèn)為，只談成功，不提失敗，可能會(huì)產(chǎn)生誤導(dǎo)。任何有所成就的人，在他們自己的生活中，都不可避免地會(huì)經(jīng)歷艱辛、挫折和后悔。所以，不要相信你過(guò)去生活中發(fā)生的事情會(huì)妨礙你在將來(lái)做出偉大的成就。你們擁有的自我懷疑，我也一直有；盡管我今天在大談偉大的決定，但是我也做過(guò)一些糟糕的決定。就像你們中的許多人一樣，我也經(jīng)常遇到自己人生中的挑戰(zhàn)和失敗。但是，這一路走來(lái)，我終于明白，所有這些人生的艱難時(shí)刻都將會(huì)過(guò)去，而且每經(jīng)歷過(guò)一次，我們都會(huì)變得更加堅(jiān)強(qiáng)和睿智。老

話說(shuō)，“這一切也會(huì)過(guò)去?！边@對(duì)于我來(lái)說(shuō)就是至理名言，我相信對(duì)于相信它的人也是如此。

所以，在你的頭腦中描繪你們?nèi)松乃{(lán)圖吧，然后充分準(zhǔn)備，相信自己，并按照你們的直覺(jué)行動(dòng)。不要因?yàn)槿松缆飞系目涌油萃荻稚⒛銈兊淖⒁饬?。祝賀你們，2010年的畢業(yè)班，今天是你們的重大日子。你們?cè)谝涣鞯膶W(xué)府接受了一流的教育。也祝賀一直支持你們的親朋好友。在這個(gè)重大的日子里，請(qǐng)秉承奧本的精神，去迎接未來(lái)的人生。讓你們的快樂(lè)貫徹在你們的奮斗歷程中，而不是建立在一個(gè)遙遠(yuǎn)的目標(biāo)上。無(wú)論你們各自的人生經(jīng)歷將會(huì)把你們帶到何方，我都會(huì)祝福你們，并感謝你們讓我參加了今日的聚會(huì)。

第二篇：畢業(yè)演講蘋(píng)果公司首席執(zhí)行官蒂姆庫(kù)克在喬治華盛頓大學(xué) 2015年畢業(yè)典禮上的演講：改變世界的人可能就是你

畢業(yè)演講蘋(píng)果公司首席執(zhí)行官蒂姆·庫(kù)克在喬治·華盛頓大學(xué) 2015年畢業(yè)典禮上的演講：改變世界的人可能就是你

編者按：?jiǎn)讨巍とA盛頓大學(xué)（The George Washington University, GW）是美國(guó)頂尖的私立大學(xué)之一，位于美國(guó)首都華盛頓哥倫比亞特區(qū)，自1821年創(chuàng)立以來(lái)，經(jīng)歷了近200年的風(fēng)雨洗禮，已發(fā)展成為一所規(guī)模龐大、聲譽(yù)卓著的研究型大學(xué)。2015年5月17日，喬治·華盛頓大學(xué)在國(guó)家廣場(chǎng)舉行了2015屆畢業(yè)生典禮，榮譽(yù)校友蒂姆·庫(kù)克（Tim Cook)以“總會(huì)有人改變世界——這個(gè)人可能就是你”為主題發(fā)表了演講。蒂姆·庫(kù)克生于美國(guó)阿拉巴馬州，1982年畢業(yè)于奧本大學(xué)工業(yè)工程專(zhuān)業(yè)，1988年獲得杜克大學(xué)企業(yè)管理碩士學(xué)位，曾在IBM公司供職多年，負(fù)責(zé)個(gè)人電腦（PC）在北美和拉美地區(qū)的制造和分銷(xiāo)。1998年初，庫(kù)克進(jìn)入蘋(píng)果公司，任副總裁，主管電腦制造業(yè)務(wù)。2011年，接替史蒂夫·喬布斯擔(dān)任蘋(píng)果公司首席執(zhí)行官。今年5月，庫(kù)克先生獲得喬治·華盛頓大學(xué)榮譽(yù)博士學(xué)位。在演講中，庫(kù)克以自己的經(jīng)歷為例反復(fù)強(qiáng)調(diào)只要找到自己的信仰和價(jià)值并付諸實(shí)踐，個(gè)人就有可能改變世界。他鼓勵(lì)畢業(yè)生們走上世界舞臺(tái)，用自己的能量、激情、成功的渴望去改變世界，實(shí)現(xiàn)自身的價(jià)值。文章由本刊特約譯者根據(jù)喬治·華盛頓大學(xué)網(wǎng)站公布的英文演講稿編譯，本刊編輯部審校，標(biāo)題系本刊所加。喬治·華盛頓大學(xué)的各位同學(xué)，你們好！

很感謝克納普（Knapp）校長(zhǎng)熱情地對(duì)我作了介紹，也很感謝學(xué)校理事會(huì)，老師們，院長(zhǎng)們，我的同事們，尤其感謝2015屆畢業(yè)生們！

恭喜你們，也恭喜前來(lái)參加典禮的你們的家人和朋友，你們成功了！作為榮譽(yù)校友，我無(wú)比榮耀地站在這里，和你們共度這一生中最難忘的時(shí)光。

在演講開(kāi)始之前，校方要求我做一個(gè)例行說(shuō)明，想必你們都知道，就是將手機(jī)調(diào)成靜音模式。因此，請(qǐng)你們保持手機(jī)靜音。如果你們用的是蘋(píng)果手機(jī)，請(qǐng)把它調(diào)到靜音模式；如果你們用的不是蘋(píng)果手機(jī)，請(qǐng)把手機(jī)傳到中間的過(guò)道上，參加蘋(píng)果公司的世界級(jí)回收項(xiàng)目。

大家都知道，這里是個(gè)令人驚嘆的地方。我很確信，對(duì)于你們來(lái)說(shuō)，之所以選擇來(lái)華盛頓，是因?yàn)檫@里是美國(guó)民主政治的中心。這個(gè)地方有著強(qiáng)大的吸引力。在這里，馬丁·路德·金曾挑戰(zhàn)美國(guó)人，為真正實(shí)現(xiàn)對(duì)民主的承諾，為每個(gè)上帝的兒女實(shí)現(xiàn)真正的公平。

也是在這里，里根總統(tǒng)號(hào)召我們，要相信自己，相信我們能成就一番事業(yè)。在今天這樣一個(gè)特別的早晨，我想與你們分享我第一次來(lái)這里的經(jīng)歷。1977年的夏天，那年我才16歲，還是個(gè)小男生，剛讀完高中二年級(jí)，住在老家阿拉巴馬州的羅伯茨代爾小鎮(zhèn)。也就在那時(shí)，我在由國(guó)家鄉(xiāng)村電力協(xié)會(huì)（National Rural Electric Association）贊助的作文比賽中獲獎(jiǎng)。至于作文的內(nèi)容，我已經(jīng)很模糊了，唯一讓我記憶猶新的便是那一份份不斷修改的手寫(xiě)稿。那個(gè)年代，打印機(jī)有點(diǎn)貴，我們家買(mǎi)不起。

全國(guó)數(shù)百名獲獎(jiǎng)?wù)咔巴A盛頓，而我則是我們那個(gè)地區(qū)兩名獲獎(jiǎng)?wù)咧械囊幻?。在我們出發(fā)之前，代表團(tuán)先去了州府蒙哥馬利與州長(zhǎng)見(jiàn)面，我們見(jiàn)到的是州長(zhǎng)喬治·華萊士（George C.Wallace）。他便是1963年站在阿拉巴馬州大學(xué)校門(mén)口阻止該校為黑人登記注冊(cè)的那個(gè)人。他支持邪惡的種族隔離制度，支持白人對(duì)抗黑人、南方對(duì)抗北方、工人階層對(duì)抗所謂的精英階層。因此，對(duì)于我來(lái)說(shuō)，與州長(zhǎng)會(huì)面并不是一種榮耀。

我生命中的英雄是強(qiáng)烈反對(duì)華萊士支持種族隔離制度的馬丁·路德·金和羅伯特·肯尼迪（Robert F.Kennedy）。要知道，在我出生和成長(zhǎng)的地方，馬丁·路德·金和羅伯特·肯尼迪都沒(méi)有得到相應(yīng)的尊重。在我小的時(shí)候，美國(guó)南方仍然在篡改歷史，我學(xué)習(xí)的教科書(shū)上甚至說(shuō)美國(guó)內(nèi)戰(zhàn)是一場(chǎng)各州爭(zhēng)取權(quán)利的戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)，課本中很少提及奴隸制度。

因此，我自己必須學(xué)會(huì)明辨是非。當(dāng)然，這也是一種探索，一個(gè)過(guò)程。我從父母和教堂那里獲悉的，以及發(fā)自肺腑的道德觀念都指引我走向?qū)儆谖易约旱奶剿髦贰Ｎ覐墓矆D書(shū)館找到了那些可能連他們自己都不知道會(huì)有的藏書(shū)，而這些藏書(shū)全部都證明華萊士是錯(cuò)的。種族隔離制度在世界上沒(méi)有立足之地。平等是一種權(quán)利。

正如所言，我見(jiàn)到華萊士的時(shí)候只有16歲，所以我按照大家期盼的那樣和他握了手。但是，我覺(jué)得和他握手是對(duì)自己信仰的背叛，更是在出賣(mài)自己的靈魂。

隨后，我們從蒙哥馬利飛到了華盛頓，那是我第一次坐飛機(jī)，事實(shí)上也是我第一次走出美國(guó)南方。1977年6月15號(hào)，新總統(tǒng)吉米·卡特（Jimmy Carter）在白宮南側(cè)的草坪上接待了我和其他900名獲獎(jiǎng)?wù)摺？ㄌ乜偨y(tǒng)站在橢圓桌的另一面。我是這些獲獎(jiǎng)?wù)咧械囊粋€(gè)幸運(yùn)兒，得以和總統(tǒng)握握手?？ㄌ乜偨y(tǒng)在看到我的胸牌（Name Tag）后，關(guān)切地詢(xún)問(wèn)起那年遭受暴風(fēng)雨襲擊后的阿拉巴馬州的人民過(guò)得怎么樣。他是那么友好，那么富有同情心。他雖擁有至高無(wú)上的權(quán)力，但卻沒(méi)有失去人情味。我為我們擁有這樣一位總統(tǒng)而驕傲，也為他來(lái)自美國(guó)南方而驕傲。在那一周里，我見(jiàn)到了兩個(gè)被寫(xiě)進(jìn)歷史的人，他們來(lái)自同一個(gè)地方，同一個(gè)政黨，也曾是相鄰兩個(gè)州的州長(zhǎng)，但他們的世界觀卻截然相反。我很清楚他們誰(shuí)是誰(shuí)非。華萊士的一生都致力于制造分裂，而卡特的一生卻為我們傳達(dá)每一個(gè)美國(guó)公民都是密切相連的理念。每個(gè)人都要走過(guò)一段路途，形成他們賴(lài)以生存的價(jià)值觀念。價(jià)值觀的形成不僅受經(jīng)歷和環(huán)境的影響，也受個(gè)人內(nèi)心的影響。

16歲那年，我的人生歷程才剛剛開(kāi)始，我甚至還沒(méi)開(kāi)始申請(qǐng)大學(xué)。而對(duì)于在座的各位畢業(yè)生來(lái)說(shuō)，畢業(yè)就意味著一段新歷程，發(fā)現(xiàn)自我、塑造自我、重塑自我也都將從此刻開(kāi)始。你必須找到并堅(jiān)守自己的信仰和價(jià)值，找到自己的“北極星”。這意味著選擇，這種選擇有時(shí)很容易，有時(shí)卻很困難，有時(shí)則會(huì)讓你質(zhì)疑一切。華盛頓之旅的20年后，我就遇到一個(gè)讓我質(zhì)疑一切的人，也是這個(gè)人用最好的方式推翻了我所有的假設(shè)，他就是史蒂夫·喬布斯（Steve Jobs）。喬布斯成功創(chuàng)建了一家公司，但在那之后不久，他被驅(qū)逐了出去，后來(lái)又回到這家公司救其于危難之中。當(dāng)時(shí)，喬布斯或許不知道，他將會(huì)把自己的余生奉獻(xiàn)給這家公司，并將其帶到無(wú)法企及的高度。任何人都沒(méi)有想到，除了他自己。大多數(shù)人或許都忘了，在1997年和1998年初的那段時(shí)間，蘋(píng)果公司的業(yè)績(jī)連年下滑，但喬布斯相信蘋(píng)果公司可以重振旗鼓。也就是在那個(gè)時(shí)候，喬布斯找到了我并詢(xún)問(wèn)我是否愿意為蘋(píng)果公司出一份力。

喬布斯對(duì)蘋(píng)果公司的愿景是將強(qiáng)大的科技轉(zhuǎn)化為容易被人們使用的工具，成為幫助人們實(shí)現(xiàn)夢(mèng)想的工具，讓世界更美好的工具。我是工程專(zhuān)業(yè)出身，后來(lái)修讀了工商管理碩士（MBA）。經(jīng)過(guò)學(xué)習(xí)，我被塑造成一個(gè)務(wù)實(shí)的人，一個(gè)解決問(wèn)題的人。然而，當(dāng)我坐在一個(gè)四十幾歲、很有活力的人面前，聽(tīng)他說(shuō)要改變世界的愿景時(shí)，我發(fā)現(xiàn)那并不是我所期待的。你看，我在1998年考慮自己職業(yè)生涯的時(shí)候，也一樣猶豫不決。

我知道生活中的自己是什么樣子，也注視著我自己的北極星，為他人做些好事而非為自己謀利是我的責(zé)任。但在工作上，我總認(rèn)為工作就是工作。價(jià)值實(shí)現(xiàn)有自己的領(lǐng)地，我也想過(guò)要改變世界，但必須放在工作之余，絕不會(huì)在辦公室里。喬布斯卻不這么認(rèn)為，他是一個(gè)理想主義者，他用他的方式讓我回憶起我年幼時(shí)的想法。與他的第一次會(huì)晤就讓我相信，只要我們努力工作，制造好的產(chǎn)品，就可以改變世界。出乎我意料的是，我被他說(shuō)服了，我接受了這份工作，同時(shí)改變了自己的人生?，F(xiàn)今已是我在蘋(píng)果公司工作的第17個(gè)年頭，我從未后悔我的選擇。

蘋(píng)果公司的每一位員工都相信，他們所做的工作不僅是要改善自己的生活，也要改善其他人的生活。我們要做令人驚嘆的產(chǎn)品。就像喬布斯設(shè)想的那樣，他們幫助了全世界的人：盲人需要用語(yǔ)音獲取信息，因?yàn)樗麄兛床灰?jiàn)屏幕；科技為被距離阻隔或身患?xì)埣驳娜藥?lái)不一樣的生命體驗(yàn)；相機(jī)方便人們隨時(shí)曝光他們所目擊到的社會(huì)不公。

蘋(píng)果公司的企業(yè)責(zé)任遠(yuǎn)不止產(chǎn)品本身，還有對(duì)環(huán)境的影響，對(duì)公平的追求，以及對(duì)教育的促進(jìn)。我們堅(jiān)信，一個(gè)擁有核心價(jià)值并誠(chéng)摯付出的公司，一定可以改變世界。對(duì)于我們個(gè)人來(lái)說(shuō)也是一樣的，改變世界的人可以是你，也必須是你。畢業(yè)生們，你們的價(jià)值觀十分重要，它是你們的北極星，會(huì)指引你走上正確的軌道并感受工作的真正意義。否則，你就會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)，工作就是工作，而對(duì)于工作來(lái)說(shuō)，人生太短了。當(dāng)今世界需要你們這代人中最優(yōu)秀的、最有智慧的人來(lái)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)商界、政界、科學(xué)界、藝術(shù)界、新聞界、學(xué)術(shù)界，這些追求都是非常光榮的。你們有機(jī)會(huì)去做充滿(mǎn)道德意義的事，而不用在“把事情做好”和“做好的事情”之間做出選擇。這是一種錯(cuò)誤的選擇，尤其是在當(dāng)今社會(huì)。

你們面臨的挑戰(zhàn)是尋找一份能幫你解決生存問(wèn)題，并且讓你能夠做正確、正義的事情的工作。

因此，去尋找你的北極星，讓它指導(dǎo)你的工作和生活，亦或你一生奉獻(xiàn)的事業(yè)。但我現(xiàn)在懷疑，你們其中的一些人對(duì)此不感興趣，沒(méi)關(guān)系，我不會(huì)往心里去的。有質(zhì)疑精神是正常的，尤其是在華盛頓。在如今這個(gè)年代，你們有充足的理由懷疑。一定數(shù)量的良性的懷疑是好的，但懷疑太過(guò)頻繁，就會(huì)使人變得憤世嫉俗。憤世嫉俗的人會(huì)懷疑任何人說(shuō)的任何事，他們會(huì)懷疑說(shuō)話者的初衷和人格。不過(guò)，如果你努力尋找的話，可以證明他們真的正在說(shuō)謊?；蛟S，這就是我們生活的世界。但是，畢業(yè)生們，這也是你們要改變的世界。

就像我前面提到過(guò)的，我很自豪自己是美國(guó)南方人的兒子，我永遠(yuǎn)熱愛(ài)我的故鄉(xiāng)。但在過(guò)去的17年里，我都生活在硅谷，這是一個(gè)特別的地方。在這里，任何問(wèn)題都能得到解決，不管它有多困難或多復(fù)雜，這就是它的核心本質(zhì)，一種非常誠(chéng)懇的樂(lè)觀主義。上世紀(jì)90年代，蘋(píng)果公司曾做過(guò)一系列名為“不同凡想”（Think Different）的創(chuàng)意廣告。這些廣告設(shè)計(jì)非常簡(jiǎn)單，每個(gè)廣告都是印有某個(gè)英雄人物的照片，他們都是渴望挑戰(zhàn)和改變我們生活的人，如甘地、杰基·羅賓森、瑪莎·格蘭姆、愛(ài)因斯坦、阿梅莉亞·埃爾哈特、邁爾斯·戴維斯。直到現(xiàn)在，那些人仍舊激勵(lì)著我們，提醒我們要為內(nèi)心深處的價(jià)值而活，去實(shí)現(xiàn)我們最崇高的理想。正是這些英雄們讓我們相信萬(wàn)事皆有可能。我在蘋(píng)果公司的一位友人說(shuō)，解決問(wèn)題的最好方法就是走進(jìn)一個(gè)全是蘋(píng)果工程師的房間，然后宣稱(chēng)：“這不可能?！?/p>

我可以告訴你，他們不會(huì)接受這種論調(diào)，你也不應(yīng)該接受。這就是我想從位于加利福尼亞的庫(kù)比蒂諾的蘋(píng)果公司總部帶給你們的理念。不管你選擇了什么樣的生活，想要取得偉大的進(jìn)步皆有可能。這世上總是不乏用批評(píng)和嘲諷將人摧毀的旁觀者，同樣有害的還有那些僅有好意卻碌碌無(wú)為的人。就像馬丁·路德·金在伯明翰監(jiān)獄中所寫(xiě)的一封書(shū)信中提到的，我們的社會(huì)需要改變的不僅是惡人的惡言，也需要改變好人們可怕的沉默。

你不能只做一個(gè)旁觀者，你需要站在世界的舞臺(tái)上，并參與其中，因?yàn)檫@世界還有許多問(wèn)題亟待解決，不公平現(xiàn)象需要被終結(jié)。很多人還在遭受迫害，很多疾病仍需治愈。無(wú)論接下來(lái)你要做什么，這個(gè)世界都需要你的能量，需要你的激情，需要你對(duì)進(jìn)步的迫切追求。不要因?yàn)轱L(fēng)險(xiǎn)而退縮，收起那些批評(píng)和憤世嫉俗。雖然歷史很少屈服于一個(gè)人，但是別忘了，如果它真的發(fā)生會(huì)是什么樣子。這個(gè)人可以是你，應(yīng)該是你，也必須是你。

恭喜你們，2015屆畢業(yè)生們！我想給你們照張相，這將是世界上最美也是最棒的風(fēng)景。

謝謝大家！

第三篇：奧巴馬在美國(guó)一所大學(xué)畢業(yè)典禮上的演講

For Immediate Release May 14, 2012

Remarks by the President at Barnard College Commencement Ceremony

Barnard College Columbia University New York, New York

1:28 P.M.EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you so much.(Applause.)Thank you.Please, please have a seat.Thank you.(Applause.)Thank you, President Spar, trustees, President Bollinger.Hello, Class of 2012!(Applause.)Congratulations on reaching this day.Thank you for the honor of being able to be a part of it.There are so many people who are proud of you--your parents, family, faculty, friends--all who share in this achievement.So please give them a big round of applause.(Applause.)To all the moms who are here today, you could not ask for a better Mother’s Day gift than to see all of these folks graduate.(Applause.)I have to say, though, whenever I come to these things, I start thinking about Malia and Sasha graduating, and I start tearing up and--(laughter)--it's terrible.I don't know how you guys are holding it together.(Laughter.)I will begin by telling a hard truth: I’m a Columbia college graduate.(Laughter and applause.)I know there can be a little bit of a sibling rivalry here.(Laughter.)But I’m honored nevertheless to be your commencement speaker today--although I’ve got to say, you set a pretty high bar given the past three years.(Applause.)Hillary Clinton--(applause)--Meryl Streep--(applause)--Sheryl Sandberg--these are not easy acts to follow.(Applause.)But I will point out Hillary is doing an extraordinary job as one of the finest Secretaries of State America has ever had.(Applause.)We gave Meryl the Presidential Medal of Arts and Humanities.(Applause.)Sheryl is not just a good friend;she’s also one of our economic advisers.So it’s like the old saying goes--keep your friends close, and your Barnard commencement speakers even closer.(Applause.)There's wisdom in that.(Laughter.)

Now, the year I graduated--this area looks familiar--(laughter)--the year I graduated was 1983, the first year women were admitted to Columbia.(Applause.)Sally Ride was the first American woman in space.Music was all about Michael and the Moonwalk.(Laughter.)AUDIENCE MEMBER: Do it!(Laughter.)THE PRESIDENT: No Moonwalking.(Laughter.)No Moonwalking today.(Laughter.)We had the Walkman, not iPods.Some of the streets around here were not quite so inviting.(Laughter.)Times Square was not a family destination.(Laughter.)So I know this is all ancient history.Nothing worse than commencement speakers droning on about bygone days.(Laughter.)But for all the differences, the Class of 1983 actually had a lot in common with all of you.For we, too, were heading out into a world at a moment when our country was still recovering from a particularly severe economic recession.It was a time of change.It was a time of uncertainty.It was a time of passionate political debates.You can relate to this because just as you were starting out finding your way around this campus, an economic crisis struck that would claim more than 5 million jobs before the end of your freshman year.Since then, some of you have probably seen parents put off retirement, friends struggle to find work.And you may be looking toward the future with that same sense of concern that my generation did when we were sitting where you are now.Of course, as young women, you’re also going to grapple with some unique challenges, like whether you’ll be able to earn equal pay for equal work;whether you’ll be able to balance the demands of your job and your family;whether you’ll be able to fully control decisions about your own health.And while opportunities for women have grown exponentially over the last 30 years, as young people, in many ways you have it even tougher than we did.This recession has been more brutal, the job losses steeper.Politics seems nastier.Congress more gridlocked than ever.Some folks in the financial world have not exactly been model corporate citizens.(Laughter.)No wonder that faith in our institutions has never been lower, particularly when good news doesn’t get the same kind of ratings as bad news anymore.Every day you receive a steady stream of sensationalism and scandal and stories with a message that suggest change isn’t possible;that you can’t make a difference;that you won’t be able to close that gap between life as it is and life as you want it to be.My job today is to tell you don’t believe it.Because as tough as things have been, I am convinced you are tougher.I’ve seen your passion and I’ve seen your service.I’ve seen you engage and I’ve seen you turn out in record numbers.I’ve heard your voices amplified by creativity and a digital fluency that those of us in older generations can barely comprehend.I’ve seen a generation eager, impatient even, to step into the rushing waters of history and change its course.And that defiant, can-do spirit is what runs through the veins of American history.It’s the lifeblood of all our progress.And it is that spirit which we need your generation to embrace and rekindle right now.See, the question is not whether things will get better--they always do.The question is not whether we’ve got the solutions to our challenges--we’ve had them within our grasp for quite some time.We know, for example, that this country would be better off if more Americans were able to get the kind of education that you’ve received here at Barnard--(applause)--if more people could get the specific skills and training that employers are looking for today.We know that we’d all be better off if we invest in science and technology that sparks new businesses and medical breakthroughs;if we developed more clean energy so we could use less foreign oil and reduce the carbon pollution that’s threatening our planet.(Applause.)We know that we’re better off when there are rules that stop big banks from making bad bets with other people’s money and--(applause)--when insurance companies aren’t allowed to drop your coverage when you need it most or charge women differently from men.(Applause.)Indeed, we know we are better off when women are treated fairly and equally in every aspect of American life--whether it’s the salary you earn or the health decisions you make.(Applause.)We know these things to be true.We know that our challenges are eminently solvable.The question is whether together, we can muster the will--in our own lives, in our common institutions, in our politics--to bring about the changes we need.And I’m convinced your generation possesses that will.And I believe that the women of this generation--that all of you will help lead the way.(Applause.)Now, I recognize that’s a cheap applause line when you're giving a commencement at Barnard.(Laughter.)It’s the easy thing to say.But it’s true.It is--in part, it is simple math.Today, women are not just half this country;you’re half its workforce.(Applause.)More and more women are out-earning their husbands.You’re more than half of our college graduates, and master’s graduates, and PhDs.(Applause.)So you’ve got us outnumbered.(Laughter.)After decades of slow, steady, extraordinary progress, you are now poised to make this the century where women shape not only their own destiny but the destiny of this nation and of this world.But how far your leadership takes this country, how far it takes this world--well, that will be up to you.You’ve got to want it.It will not be handed to you.And as someone who wants that future--that better future--for you, and for Malia and Sasha, as somebody who’s had the good fortune of being the husband and the father and the son of some strong, remarkable women, allow me to offer just a few pieces of advice.That's obligatory.(Laughter.)Bear with me.My first piece of advice is this: Don’t just get involved.Fight for your seat at the table.Better yet, fight for a seat at the head of the table.(Applause.)It’s been said that the most important role in our democracy is the role of citizen.And indeed, it was 225 years ago today that the Constitutional Convention opened in Philadelphia, and our founders, citizens all, began crafting an extraordinary document.Yes, it had its flaws--flaws that this nation has strived to protect(perfect)over time.Questions of race and gender were unresolved.No woman’s signature graced the original document--although we can assume that there were founding mothers whispering smarter things in the ears of the founding fathers.(Applause.)I mean, that's almost certain.What made this document special was that it provided the space--the possibility--for those who had been left out of our charter to fight their way in.It provided people the language to appeal to principles and ideals that broadened democracy’s reach.It allowed for protest, and movements, and the dissemination of new ideas that would repeatedly, decade after decade, change the world--a constant forward movement that continues to this day.Our founders understood that America does not stand still;we are dynamic, not static.We look forward, not back.And now that new doors have been opened for you, you’ve got an obligation to seize those opportunities.You need to do this not just for yourself but for those who don’t yet enjoy the choices that you’ve had, the choices you will have.And one reason many workplaces still have outdated policies is because women only account for 3 percent of the CEOs at Fortune 500 companies.One reason we’re actually refighting long-settled battles over women’s rights is because women occupy fewer than one in five seats in Congress.Now, I’m not saying that the only way to achieve success is by climbing to the top of the corporate ladder or running for office--although, let’s face it, Congress would get a lot more done if you did.(Laughter and applause.)That I think we’re sure about.But if you decide not to sit yourself at the table, at the very least you’ve got to make sure you have a say in who does.It matters.Before women like Barbara Mikulski and Olympia Snowe and others got to Congress, just to take one example, much of federally-funded research on diseases focused solely on their effects on men.It wasn’t until women like Patsy Mink and Edith Green got to Congress and passed Title IX, 40 years ago this year, that we declared women, too, should be allowed to compete and win on America’s playing fields.(Applause.)Until a woman named Lilly Ledbetter showed up at her office and had the courage to step up and say, you know what, this isn’t right, women weren’t being treated fairly--we lacked some of the tools we needed to uphold the basic principle of equal pay for equal work.So don’t accept somebody else’s construction of the way things ought to be.It’s up to you to right wrongs.It’s up to you to point out injustice.It’s up to you to hold the system accountable and sometimes upend it entirely.It’s up to you to stand up and to be heard, to write and to lobby, to march, to organize, to vote.Don’t be content to just sit back and watch.Those who oppose change, those who benefit from an unjust status quo, have always bet on the public’s cynicism or the public's complacency.Throughout American history, though, they have lost that bet, and I believe they will this time as well.(Applause.)But ultimately, Class of 2012, that will depend on you.Don’t wait for the person next to you to be the first to speak up for what’s right.Because maybe, just maybe, they’re waiting on you.Which brings me to my second piece of advice: Never underestimate the power of your example.The very fact that you are graduating, let alone that more women now graduate from college than men, is only possible because earlier generations of women--your mothers, your grandmothers, your aunts--shattered the myth that you couldn’t or shouldn’t be where you are.(Applause.)

I think of a friend of mine who’s the daughter of immigrants.When she was in high school, her guidance counselor told her, you know what, you’re just not college material.You should think about becoming a secretary.Well, she was stubborn, so she went to college anyway.She got her master’s.She ran for local office, won.She ran for state office, she won.She ran for Congress, she won.And lo and behold, Hilda Solis did end up becoming a secretary--(laughter)--she is America’s Secretary of Labor.(Applause.)So think about what that means to a young Latina girl when she sees a Cabinet secretary that looks like her.(Applause.)Think about what it means to a young girl in Iowa when she sees a presidential candidate who looks like her.Think about what it means to a young girl walking in Harlem right down the street when she sees a U.N.ambassador who looks like her.Do not underestimate the power of your example.This diploma opens up new possibilities, so reach back, convince a young girl to earn one, too.If you earned your degree in areas where we need more women--like computer science or engineering--(applause)--reach back and persuade another student to study it, too.If you're going into fields where we need more women, like construction or computer engineering--reach back, hire someone new.Be a mentor.Be a role model.Until a girl can imagine herself, can picture herself as a computer programmer, or a combatant commander, she won’t become one.Until there are women who tell her, ignore our pop culture obsession over beauty and fashion--(applause)--and focus instead on studying and inventing and competing and leading, she’ll think those are the only things that girls are supposed to care about.Now, Michelle will say, nothing wrong with caring about it a little bit.(Laughter.)You can be stylish and powerful, too.(Applause.)That's Michelle’s advice.(Applause.)And never forget that the most important example a young girl will ever follow is that of a parent.Malia and Sasha are going to be outstanding women because Michelle and Marian Robinson are outstanding women.So understand your power, and use it wisely.My last piece of advice--this is simple, but perhaps most important: Persevere.Persevere.Nothing worthwhile is easy.No one of achievement has avoided failure--sometimes catastrophic failures.But they keep at it.They learn from mistakes.They don’t quit.You know, when I first arrived on this campus, it was with little money, fewer options.But it was here that I tried to find my place in this world.I knew I wanted to make a difference, but it was vague how in fact I’d go about it.(Laughter.)But I wanted to do my part to do my part to shape a better world.So even as I worked after graduation in a few unfulfilling jobs here in New York--I will not list them all--(laughter)--even as I went from motley apartment to motley apartment, I reached out.I started to write letters to community organizations all across the country.And one day, a small group of churches on the South Side of Chicago answered, offering me work with people in neighborhoods hit hard by steel mills that were shutting down and communities where jobs were dying away.The community had been plagued by gang violence, so once I arrived, one of the first things we tried to do was to mobilize a meeting with community leaders to deal with gangs.And I’d worked for weeks on this project.We invited the police;we made phone calls;we went to churches;we passed out flyers.The night of the meeting we arranged rows and rows of chairs in anticipation of this crowd.And we waited, and we waited.And finally, a group of older folks walked in to the hall and they sat down.And this little old lady raised her hand and asked, “Is this where the bingo game is?”(Laughter.)It was a disaster.Nobody showed up.My first big community meeting--nobody showed up.And later, the volunteers I worked with told me, that's it;we’re quitting.They'd been doing this for two years even before I had arrived.They had nothing to show for it.And I’ll be honest, I felt pretty discouraged as well.I didn't know what I was doing.I thought about quitting.And as we were talking, I looked outside and saw some young boys playing in a vacant lot across the street.And they were just throwing rocks up at a boarded building.They had nothing better to do--late at night, just throwing rocks.And I said to the volunteers, “Before you quit, answer one question.What will happen to those boys if you quit? Who will fight for them if we don’t? Who will give them a fair shot if we leave? And one by one, the volunteers decided not to quit.We went back to those neighborhoods and we kept at it.We registered new voters, and we set up after-school programs, and we fought for new jobs, and helped people live lives with some measure of dignity.And we sustained ourselves with those small victories.We didn’t set the world on fire.Some of those communities are still very poor.There are still a lot of gangs out there.But I believe that it was those small victories that helped me win the bigger victories of my last three and a half years as President.And I wish I could say that this perseverance came from some innate toughness in me.But the truth is, it was learned.I got it from watching the people who raised me.More specifically, I got it from watching the women who shaped my life.I grew up as the son of a single mom who struggled to put herself through school and make ends meet.She had marriages that fell apart;even went on food stamps at one point to help us get by.But she didn’t quit.And she earned her degree, and made sure that through scholarships and hard work, my sister and I earned ours.She used to wake me up when we were living overseas--wake me up before dawn to study my English lessons.And when I’d complain, she’d just look at me and say, “This is no picnic for me either, buster.”(Laughter.)And my mom ended up dedicating herself to helping women around the world access the money they needed to start their own businesses--she was an early pioneer in microfinance.And that meant, though, that she was gone a lot, and she had her own struggles trying to figure out balancing motherhood and a career.And when she was gone, my grandmother stepped up to take care of me.She only had a high school education.She got a job at a local bank.She hit the glass ceiling, and watched men she once trained promoted up the ladder ahead of her.But she didn’t quit.Rather than

grow hard or angry each time she got passed over, she kept doing her job as best as she knew how, and ultimately ended up being vice president at the bank.She didn’t quit.And later on, I met a woman who was assigned to advise me on my first summer job at a law firm.And she gave me such good advice that I married her.(Laughter.)And Michelle and I gave everything we had to balance our careers and a young family.But let’s face it, no matter how enlightened I must have thought myself to be, it often fell more on her shoulders when I was traveling, when I was away.I know that when she was with our girls, she’d feel guilty that she wasn’t giving enough time to her work, and when she was at her work, she’d feel guilty she wasn’t giving enough time to our girls.And both of us wished we had some superpower that would let us be in two places at once.But we persisted.We made that marriage work.And the reason Michelle had the strength to juggle everything, and put up with me and eventually the public spotlight, was because she, too, came from a family of folks who didn’t quit--because she saw her dad get up and go to work every day even though he never finished college, even though he had crippling MS.She saw her mother, even though she never finished college, in that school, that urban school, every day making sure Michelle and her brother were getting the education they deserved.Michelle saw how her parents never quit.They never indulged in self-pity, no matter how stacked the odds were against them.They didn't quit.Those are the folks who inspire me.People ask me sometimes, who inspires you, Mr.President? Those quiet heroes all across this country--some of your parents and grandparents who are sitting here--no fanfare, no articles written about them, they just persevere.They just do their jobs.They meet their responsibilities.They don't quit.I'm only here because of them.They may not have set out to change the world, but in small, important ways, they did.They certainly changed mine.So whether it’s starting a business, or running for office, or raising a amazing family, remember that making your mark on the world is hard.It takes patience.It takes commitment.It comes with plenty of setbacks and it comes with plenty of failures.But whenever you feel that creeping cynicism, whenever you hear those voices say you can’t make a difference, whenever somebody tells you to set your sights lower--the trajectory of this country should give you hope.Previous generations should give you hope.What young generations have done before should give you hope.Young folks who marched and mobilized and stood up and sat in, from Seneca Falls to Selma to Stonewall, didn’t just do it for themselves;they did it for other people.(Applause.)That’s how we achieved women’s rights.That's how we achieved voting rights.That's how we achieved workers’ rights.That's how we achieved gay rights.(Applause.)That’s how we’ve made this Union more perfect.(Applause.)And if you’re willing to do your part now, if you're willing to reach up and close that gap between what America is and what America should be, I want you to know that I will be right there with you.(Applause.)If you are ready to fight for that brilliant, radically simple idea of America that no matter who you are or what you look like, no matter who you love or what God you worship, you can still pursue your own happiness, I will join you every step of the way.(Applause.)

Now more than ever--now more than ever, America needs what you, the Class of 2012, has to offer.America needs you to reach high and hope deeply.And if you fight for your seat at the table, and you set a better example, and you persevere in what you decide to do with your life, I have every faith not only that you will succeed, but that, through you, our nation will continue to be a beacon of light for men and women, boys and girls, in every corner of the globe.So thank you.Congratulations.(Applause.)God bless you.God bless the United States of America.(Applause.)

第四篇：羅姆尼在南弗吉尼亞大學(xué)2013屆畢業(yè)典禮上的演講

米特·羅姆尼在南弗吉尼亞大學(xué)2013屆畢業(yè)典禮上的演講

米特·羅姆尼于2013年4月27日在南維吉尼亞大學(xué)發(fā)表演講：每個(gè)人只能活一次，別讓自己永遠(yuǎn)呆在安全的淺灘，應(yīng)該到更深的地方去冒險(xiǎn)，遇到自己愛(ài)的人，就結(jié)婚，對(duì)自己報(bào)以更高的期望，付出更多的努力。

威拉德·米特·羅姆尼（Willard Mitt Romney，1947年3月12日－），美國(guó)政治家、企業(yè)家，馬薩諸塞州第70任州長(zhǎng)。1975年獲得哈佛大學(xué)商學(xué)院和法學(xué)院工商管理碩士和法學(xué)士（JD）學(xué)位。他是一名耶穌基督后期圣徒教會(huì)（摩門(mén)教）信徒。曾擔(dān)任貝恩資本風(fēng)險(xiǎn)投資與杠桿收購(gòu)公司CEO，以及鹽湖城冬奧會(huì)組委會(huì)主席。2012年8月被共和黨提名為四十五任總統(tǒng)候選人，在11月的總統(tǒng)選舉中挑戰(zhàn)現(xiàn)任總統(tǒng)奧巴馬，但最終在和奧巴馬的角斗中落敗，與第45任總統(tǒng)之位失之交臂。

米特.羅姆尼2013南維吉尼亞畢業(yè)典禮英語(yǔ)演講稿：Launch Out into the Deep

Thank you so much.Thank you President Sybrowsky, and thank you also to Chairman Knight.What an inspirational and powerful leader.Well, leaders both of these men are, and I appreciate the support of their wives.Thank you also for our Congressman being here, Bob Goodlatte.I appreciate his service and his leadership at a critical time in our nation?s history.It?s an honor to be with so many distinguished guests here, parents and friends, and of course the graduating seniors here at SVU.To the class of [2013], congratulations on a job well done.Now, to the parents, the years of investment and prayers have added to this joyful achievement, and you are about to enjoy the new American dream.The new American dream is not owning your own home.The new American dream is getting the kids out of the home you own.Now quite a few years ago, at a ceremony not unlike this one, I and my fellow graduates followed a tradition of standing and singing one of our high school hymns.Its words were very impressed upon my mind.And they led me to dream, to imagine what my future would be like.And the words went like this:

“Forty years on, when afar and asunder, Parted are those who are singing today, When we look back and forgetfully wonder

What it was like in our work and our play，How will it seem to us, forty years on?”

And as I sang those words, it was inconceivable to me that I would ever someday be forty years older.How would my life seem to me, forty years on? What would I have achieved? What would I have accomplished? Would my life be a success, or would I look back with regret?

Now up until now, almost all of your life has been about education, about preparation, about getting ready for the course of your life.To a significant degree the course of your life, the story of your life, begins today—that?s why they call this your “commencement.”

And so the time is finally here for you to write the story of your life.Now over the last forty years or so I have written numerous chapters in the story of my life.And I?ve watched the story of the lives of my fellow graduates and friends throughout my life.And of course we see the stories of the lives of people who are in the public arena, of various kinds.And all this has led me to a conclusion that you may find somewhat surprising: Every one of you here today, as a graduate, can live an abundant life.Every single one of you.You will not all be rich and famous and powerful, but each of you can live an eminently successful, rewarding, abundant life.Now I?m going to draw on a familiar account from the life of the Savior to help me describe what I believe is a secret to abundant living.You recall that Peter and the other fishermen had been unsuccessful in catching fish, and the Master directed them to return to their boats, to go out deeper and to let down their nets again.Which they did, and when they did so, they were met with enormous success.These were the words that Luke records that the Master spoke.He said this, “Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets.”

“Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets.” In some ways these words are a metaphor for life.Launch out into the deep.Don?t live in the shallows;live in the deep waters.Grasp every ennobling experience that?s available to you.Embrace every dimension of living that challenges you, that educates you, that elevates you.Live for purposes greater than yourself.Lose yourself in the service of others.Reach beyond the shallowness of selfishness and complacency, and mindless conformity and of indulgence.This is the promise: launch out into the deep and your nets will be filled.Now how do you that?

Well getting married is one way of launching into the deep.I?m so glad I found Ann when I was still so young.Combining your life with another person, particularly someone, when man and woman are as different as we are, this combination is extraordinarily challenging, and enormously rewarding.Some people could marry but choose to take more time they say, “for themselves.” Others plan to wait until they?re well into their 30s or 40s before they think about getting married.They?re going to miss so much of living I?m afraid.From the beginning of recorded time, the prophet Adam told us this life secret: “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife.” Marriage is a gift from God.Now some may dismiss the counsel coming from the Bible because it comes from a book which they?ve discarded.But the Bible is one of two things.Either it?s the word of God, as I believe, or it?s the product of brilliant philosophers and sages who?ve observed lives and nations and civilizations and history over thousands upon thousands of years.Either way, the Bible is a pearl of wisdom, the distillation of lessons of life.And so when it says to marry, listen.Now bringing children into the world is also launching into the deep.I had friends who weren?t sure whether they wanted to have kids.They told me they were going to buy a dog first to see how that went.A dog!I guess I shouldn?t be too critical, cause as a teenager I used to look at little kids, and wonder what it would be like to have one.They cried all the time, they were intrusive, and they always seemed to have something coming out of their nose.It is a challenge to raise and nurture a child.Some years ago, Ann and I were invited to speak to students at Harvard Business School to describe our choice of careers.We would be joining two other couples doing that, and in the other couples both spouses, husband and wife, had professional careers.Ann was the only one who was a mother full time.Her career was one that made her reluctant to address this body.She wondered how she would defend her choice to an audience at Harvard.And she was the last of the six of us to speak.She described the requirements of her profession.Being a mother, she said, required the utmost skills of persuasion, psychology, instruction, tutoring, organization, management, healthcare and compassion.Hers, she concluded, was the most important, most demanding, most difficult and most rewarding profession she could imagine.Now for a moment this class of ambitious MBAs was silent.Then they rose to their feet in applause.The feelings of a parent for a child, the depth of life experience that one has, being part of nurturing a child, teaching a child, is beyond description.For me, there?s an event from the Mormon pioneer exodus, recounted by President Boyd K.Packer in 1974, that captures some of what having a child means, how it pulls at your heart, how much experience we have by having a child, and how much we revere those who have children, who raise children, who teach children, who mentor children, or who rescue them.This is how the account goes:

Among the pioneers who pushed handcarts to Salt Lake City was one Archer Walters.On July 2, 1856, his diary records this:

“’Brother Parker?s little boy, age six, was lost, and the father went back to hunt him.?”

“The boy, Arthur, was next youngest of four children of Robert and Ann Parker.Three days earlier the company had hurriedly made camp in the face of a…thunderstorm.It was then the boy was missed.The parents had thought him to be playing along… with the other children.“Someone remembered [that] earlier in the day, when they had stopped, they had seen the little boy settle down to rest under the shade of some brush.“Now [those] of you who have [a little six-year-old] know how [tiredly a child can be, and falling] asleep on a… summer day, and how [deeply] he could [fall asleep], so that even the noise of a camp moving might not wake him.“For two days the company remained, and all of the men searched for him.Then on July 2, with no alternative, the company was ordered west.“Robert Parker, as the diary records, went back alone to search once more for his little son.As he was leaving camp, his wife pinned a bright shawl about his shoulders with words such as these:

“’[Robert,] if you find him dead, wrap him in the shawl to bury him.If you find him alive, you could use this as a flag to signal us.?

“[And] she, with the other little children, took the handcart and struggled along with the company.“Out on the trail each night Ann Parker kept watch.At sundown on July 5, as they were watching, they saw a figure approach from the east!Then, in the rays of the setting sun, she saw the glimmer of the bright red shawl.“One of the diaries records: ?Ann Parker fell in a pitiful heap upon the sand, and that night, for the first time in six nights, she slept.?

“Under July 5, Brother Walters records: “‘Brother Parker came into camp with a little boy that had been lost.Great joy throughout the camp.The mother?s joy I cannot describe.?”

Again from the Bible: “Children are an heritage of the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is his reward...Happy is the man who hath his quiver full of them.” Now as much as embracing marriage and children, and finding God… finding God launches our lives into the deep and abundantly fills our nets.For me, serving God first meant going on a mission to France.I learned a new language, came to appreciate a new culture and explored the reaches of my faith.Almost every returned missionary says that those were the most difficult years of his life.And they were also the best years of his life, or her life.Now think about that.It may sound like a paradox.But it actually follows one from the other.Mission years are the best years in part because they are the hardest years.When you are living to the fullest, beyond yourself, beyond comfort, life is most full and exhilarating.Serving God takes us into the deepest waters of life.Last week I spoke with an old friend from Salt Lake City.She said that she was driving home early one morning, and she saw a man who was shoveling snow for one of the widows in the neighborhood.Later she noticed that he had actually shoveled walks for several people in the neighborhood.And then she saw who it was, Elder Russell M.Nelson.Now he?s in his 80s or 90s and an apostle of my church.You see serving God doesn?t depend on the position you have.Serving God and His children is something any one of us can do, and we will be blessed for doing it.God is “no respecter of persons,” nor is He a respecter of positions.Now your occupation is also a part of abundant living, and living into the deepest waters.It?s not by happenstance or chance that we earn our daily bread “by the sweat of our brow.” The Creator gave us work for our benefit.Your job will expand your skills, it will demand your ability, your energy and your time.Hard work, ennobling work.Dive into your profession with passion and heart.Go beyond what?s expected or required.And in doing so, by the way, you will learn the secret to advancement.And that is doing your present job well.Now on this topic of your career, I have some news that you may find disappointing.I don?t think God cares whether you get rich.I don?t think He hopes that your business will make a huge profit.I know a lot of religious people who think God will intervene to make their investments grow, or to get them a promotion, or make their business a success.But life on this earth is about learning to live and work in a place where God does not make everything work out for good people.We learn through our study, our effort, our choices, and yes, by our failures as well as by our successes.Your worldly success will partly be a function of your choices and capabilities, but it will also be subject to the vagaries of life, and to chance.Fortunately, our relationship with God depends on none of that.It?s entirely in our control, for He is always at the door and knocks for us.Our worldly success can?t be guaranteed, but our ability to achieve spiritual success is entirely up to us, thanks to the grace of God.The best advice I know is to give those worldly things your best, but never your all, reserving the ultimate hope for the only One who can grant it.Now in addition to your marriage, and children, and your occupation, and serving God and becoming closer to Him, you may have some other unique opportunities to jump into the deep waters of life.I was presented with the opportunity for public service.Ann, who?s the mother of five boys, has been able to help shape the lives of many many dozens of young women.My son, Josh, is a real estate developer, and yet he?s able to go around the world and help bring life-changing surgeries to children.And, quite literally, hundreds from this campus gave up vacation time to help a candidate?s presidential campaign, for which I owe you deeply.Thank you so much.And so you?re about to write new chapters of your life story.Give yourself a lot to write about.You only live one life.Don?t spend it in safe, shallow water.Launch out into the deep.If you meet a person you love, get married.Have a quiver full of kids if you can.Give more to your occupation than is expected.Serve God by serving His children.Seize any opportunity that might come along that will expand your mind and challenge your abilities.Living life to the fullest, venturing into the deep waters of life, promises an abundance of experience and joy.Forty years on, you?ll smile with satisfaction, anxious for the next chapter in your life story.God bless each of you, and God bless this great country.Thank you.En8848原版英語(yǔ)

第五篇：蘋(píng)果CEO庫(kù)克在華盛頓大學(xué)2015年畢業(yè)典禮演講 中英雙語(yǔ)

蘋(píng)果CEO庫(kù)克在華盛頓大學(xué)2015年畢業(yè)典禮演

（2015-05-20）

5月18日，蘋(píng)果首席執(zhí)行官蒂姆·庫(kù)克（Tim Cook）參加了美國(guó)喬治華盛頓大學(xué)畢業(yè)典禮，并發(fā)表了題為《總會(huì)有人改變世界的——這個(gè)人可能就是你》（someone has to change the world — it might as well be you）的主題演講。

與十年前喬布斯的“求知若饑，虛心若愚”遙相呼應(yīng)，庫(kù)克這次面對(duì)喬治華盛頓大學(xué)即將走向社會(huì)的畢業(yè)生講出的“金句”也是頻頻發(fā)人深省。

公平是一種權(quán)利！畢業(yè)生要與不公平抗?fàn)?/p>

庫(kù)克發(fā)表演講的地方是在華盛頓國(guó)家廣場(chǎng)，那里距離華盛頓紀(jì)念碑不遠(yuǎn)。華盛頓大學(xué)宣稱(chēng)，當(dāng)時(shí)有2.5萬(wàn)人參加此次畢業(yè)典禮，包括6000名畢業(yè)生。庫(kù)克稱(chēng)：“正是在這里，金挑戰(zhàn)所有美國(guó)人，讓民主的觀念深入人心。正是在這里，里根總統(tǒng)號(hào)召我們相信自己，相信我們能夠做出偉業(yè)。大學(xué)畢業(yè)生應(yīng)該堅(jiān)守自己的信念，他還說(shuō)自己一路奮斗走來(lái)，讓他愈發(fā)覺(jué)得，公平是一種權(quán)利，而作為畢業(yè)生要勇于與不公平做抗?fàn)?。?/p>

·與州長(zhǎng)見(jiàn)面不是我的榮譽(yù)，握著他的手就像是對(duì)我信仰的背叛

演講剛開(kāi)始，庫(kù)克就講述了美國(guó)近代史的一些故事。他說(shuō)，他心中的英雄是馬丁路德金和總統(tǒng)肯尼迪，因?yàn)樗麄儗⒄x和民主帶到現(xiàn)實(shí)中來(lái)。16 歲時(shí)庫(kù)克因?yàn)楂@得一次論文大賽的獎(jiǎng)項(xiàng)，時(shí)任阿拉巴馬州州長(zhǎng) George Wallace 親自接待了庫(kù)克以及其他獲獎(jiǎng)的小伙伴。而庫(kù)克為 Wallace 的“接見(jiàn)”感到恥辱，因?yàn)楹笳咴七M(jìn)種族隔離，并禁止黑人上大學(xué)。他說(shuō)：”與州長(zhǎng)見(jiàn)面不是我的榮譽(yù)，握著他的手就像是對(duì)我信仰的背叛?！?/p>

·畢業(yè)生們不光要吃飽飯 也要堅(jiān)持夢(mèng)想 你不必在“做正確的事”和“好的生活”中作抉擇。若說(shuō)喬布斯的那次演講代表著一往無(wú)前的勇氣，庫(kù)克的理念則更接地氣，他希望同學(xué)們?cè)诔燥柖亲拥那疤嵯聢?jiān)持夢(mèng)想。

·總會(huì)有人改變世界，可能就是你

他還鼓勵(lì)學(xué)生：“不要害怕挑戰(zhàn)，也不要一味憤世嫉俗或批評(píng)別人，歷史從來(lái)都不是由一個(gè)人寫(xiě)下的，但也從來(lái)不會(huì)忘記一個(gè)人的貢獻(xiàn)，這個(gè)寫(xiě)下歷史的人可能就是你，那個(gè)人應(yīng)該就是你，那個(gè)人必須就是你?！?/p>

·我遇到的第一個(gè)讓我開(kāi)始質(zhì)疑一切的人就是史蒂夫·喬布斯

庫(kù)克談到，當(dāng)時(shí)他年近40，渾渾噩噩，正如當(dāng)時(shí)的蘋(píng)果公司。直到喬布斯邀請(qǐng)他去改變世界，讓他所有關(guān)于未來(lái)的假設(shè)被顛覆。當(dāng)時(shí)的庫(kù)克覺(jué)得改變世界很好，但是與工作無(wú)關(guān)，而喬布斯認(rèn)為這就應(yīng)該是同一件事。

·你必須找到你的北斗星（價(jià)值觀），那意味著你必須做出選擇

“我們認(rèn)為一個(gè)具有價(jià)值觀并真心為其付出的公司真的可以改變世界。個(gè)人也是一樣。這可能是你，也一定是你。畢業(yè)生們，你們的價(jià)值觀十分重要。它們是你的北極星。否則，它就只是一個(gè)工作，對(duì)于工作來(lái)說(shuō)人生太短了……尋找你的北極星。讓它指導(dǎo)你在生活和工作，或者說(shuō)你一生奉獻(xiàn)的工作……”庫(kù)克說(shuō)。

·將強(qiáng)大的技術(shù)轉(zhuǎn)變成容易使用的工具。這些工具可幫助人們實(shí)現(xiàn)自己的夢(mèng)想，更好地改變世界

史蒂夫創(chuàng)造了一個(gè)成功的公司，然后被趕走。當(dāng)他再回來(lái)時(shí)，公司已是一座廢墟。他正打算把一生奉獻(xiàn)給公司，盡管當(dāng)時(shí)并不知道蘋(píng)果將達(dá)到無(wú)人能想象的高度。很多人不記得，當(dāng)時(shí)的蘋(píng)果放任自流、群龍無(wú)首，但史蒂夫相信蘋(píng)果能再次變得偉大。他問(wèn)我是否愿意加入。他對(duì)蘋(píng)果的愿景是把強(qiáng)大的科技變成好用的工具，用這些工具幫助人們實(shí)現(xiàn)夢(mèng)想，并把世界變的更好?！な澜缧枰愕哪芰?、熱情，和你躁動(dòng)的努力

你們不用從“做對(duì)的事情”和“過(guò)好的生活”中抉擇，這根本不是一個(gè)抉擇，尤其在今天。工作應(yīng)該是：讓你付起房租，吃飽肚子，然后做正確、正當(dāng)?shù)暮檬?。無(wú)論你從事什么工作，都會(huì)有批評(píng)者和憤世者打擊你，同時(shí)也有很多沉默的好心人。仍有人在被迫害，仍有疾病需要治療，世界需要你的能量、熱情，和你躁動(dòng)的努力。

·在硅谷，人們相信任何問(wèn)題都能被解決，無(wú)論它有多么困難

在演講結(jié)束前，庫(kù)克還提及蘋(píng)果和硅谷的價(jià)值觀。庫(kù)克說(shuō)，在硅谷，人們相信任何問(wèn)題都能被解決，無(wú)論它有多么困難。這是非常真誠(chéng)的樂(lè)觀精神。蘋(píng)果也信奉類(lèi)似價(jià)值觀。他說(shuō)：“我在蘋(píng)果的一個(gè)朋友喜歡這樣說(shuō)：解決問(wèn)題的最好方式就是走出滿(mǎn)是蘋(píng)果工程師的房間，遠(yuǎn)離‘這不可能’的論調(diào)。取得重大進(jìn)展是可能的，無(wú)論你做出何種選擇，總是有冷眼旁觀者和批評(píng)者，同時(shí)好心卻無(wú)貢獻(xiàn)者也對(duì)實(shí)現(xiàn)目標(biāo)毫無(wú)意義。”

·加入蘋(píng)果17年來(lái)，我從未后悔過(guò)

庫(kù)克表示，他當(dāng)時(shí)依然忠于自己的價(jià)值觀，但只在工作中堅(jiān)持它們。他說(shuō)：“我覺(jué)得工作就是工作。在工作中保持專(zhuān)業(yè)性和謙遜態(tài)度非常重要。但喬布斯是個(gè)理想主義者，他讓我相信：如果我們努力工作，制作出更好產(chǎn)品，我們也能改變世界。我接受了他的邀請(qǐng)，這改變了我的生活。17年來(lái)，我從未后悔過(guò)?！?/p>

離開(kāi)講臺(tái)前，庫(kù)克還拿出自己的iPhone 6，拍攝了一張眾多畢業(yè)生的照片。這種至今為止只有蘋(píng)果才會(huì)締造出的社會(huì)價(jià)值在即將畢業(yè)的莘莘學(xué)子面前講述是再適合不過(guò)的了。

這是一種最好的廣告，也是一份最平常的“炫耀”。

Thank you very much President Knapp for that kind intro.Alex, trustees, faculty and deans of the university, my fellow honorees, and especially you the class of 2015.Yes.Congratulations to you, to your family, to your friends that are attending today's ceremony.You made it.It's a privilege, a rare privilege of a lifetime to be with you today.And I think thank you enough for making me an honorary Colonial.Before I begin today, they asked me to make a standard announcement.You’ve heard this before.About silencing your phones.Those of you with an iPhone, just place it in silent mode.If you don't have an iPhone, please pass it to the center aisle.Apple has a world-class recycling program.You know, this is really an amazing place.And for a lot of you, I’m sure that being here in Washington, the very center of our democracy, was a big draw when you were choosing which school to go to.This place has a powerful pull.It was here that Dr.Martin Luther King challenged Americans to make real the promises of democracy, to make justice a reality for all of God's children.And it was here that President Ronald Reagan called on us to believe in ourselves and to believe in our capacity to perform great deeds.I'd like to start this morning by telling you about my first visit here.In the summer of 1977--yes, I’m a little old--I was 16 years old and living in Robertsdale, the small town in southern Alabama that I grew up in.At the end of my junior year of high school I’d won an essay contest sponsored by the National Rural Electric Association.I can't remember what the essay was about, what I do remember very clearly is writing it by hand, draft after draft after draft.Typewriters were very expensive and my family could not afford one.I was one of two kids from Baldwin County that was chosen to go to Washington along with hundreds of other kids across the country.Before we left, the Alabama delegation took a trip to our state capitol in Montgomery for a meeting with the governor.The governor's name was George C.Wallace.The same George Wallace who in 1963 stood in the schoolhouse door at the University of Alabama to block African Americans from enrolling.Wallace embraced the evils of segregation.He pitted whites against blacks, the South against the North, the working class against the so-called elites.Meeting my governor was not an honor for me.My heroes in life were Dr.Martin Luther King, and Robert F.Kennedy, who had fought against the very things that Wallace stood for.Keep in mind, that I grew up, or, when I grew up, I grew up in a place where King and Kennedy were not exactly held in high esteem.When I was a kid, the South was still coming to grips with its history.My textbooks even said the Civil War was about states’ rights.They barely mentioned slavery.So I had to figure out for myself what was right and true.It was a search.It was a process.It drew on the moral sense that I’d learned from my parents, and in church, and in my own heart, and led me on my own journey of discovery.I found books in thepublic library that they probably didn't know they had.They all pointed to the fact that Wallace was wrong.That injustices like segregation had no place in our world.That equality is a right.As I said, I was only 16 when I met Governor Wallace, so I shook his hand as we were expected to do.But shaking his hand felt like a betrayal of my own beliefs.It felt wrong.Like I was selling a piece of my soul.From Montgomery we flew to Washington.It was the first time I had ever been on an airplane.In fact it was the first time that I traveled out of the South.On June 15, 1977, I was one of 900 high schoolers greeted by the new president, President Jimmy Carter, on the south lawn of the White House, right there on the other side of the ellipse.I was one of the lucky ones, who got to shake his hand.Carter saw Baldwin County on my name tag that day and stopped to speak with me.He wanted to know how people were doing after the rash of storms that struck Alabama that year.Carter was kind and compassionate;he held the most powerful job in the world but he had not sacrificed any of his humanity.I felt proud that he was president.And I felt proud that he was from the South.In the space of a week, I had come face to face with two men whoguaranteed themselves a place in history.They came from the same region.They were from the same political party.They were both governors of adjoining states.But they looked at the world in very different ways.It was clear to me, that one was right, and one was wrong.Wallace had built his political career by exploiting divisions between us.Carter's message on the other hand, was that we are all bound together, every one of us.Each had made a journey that led them to the values that they lived by, but it wasn't just about their experiences or their circumstances, it had to come from within.My own journey in life was just beginning.I hadn't even applied for college yet at that point.For you graduates, the process of discovering yourself, of inventing yourself, of reinventing yourself is about to begin in earnest.It's about finding your values and committing to live by them.You have to find your North Star.And that means choices.Some are easy.Some are hard.And some will make you question everything.Twenty years after my visit to Washington, I met someone who made me question everything.Who upended all of my assumptions in the very best way.That was Steve Jobs.Steve had built a successful company.He had been sent away and he returned to find it in ruins.He didn't know it at the time, but he was about to dedicate the rest of his life to rescuing it, and leading it to heights greater than anyone could ever imagine.Anyone, that is, except for Steve.Most people have forgotten, but in 1997 and early 1998, Apple had been adrift for years.Rudderless.But Steve thought Apple could be great again.And he wanted to know if I’d like to help.His vision for Apple was a company that turned powerful technology into tools that were easy to use, tools that would help people realize their dreams.And change the world for the better.I had studied to be an engineer and earned an M.B.A.I was trained to be pragmatic, a problem solver.Now I found myself sitting before and listening to this veryanimated 40-something guy with visions of changing the world.It was not what I had expected.You see, when it came to my career, in 1998, I was also adrift.Rudderless.I knew who I was in my personal life, and I kept my eye on my North Star, myresponsibility to do good for someone else, other than myself.But at work, well I always figured that work was work.Values had their place and, yes, there were things that I wanted to change about the world, but I thought I had to do that on my own time.Not in the office.Steve didn't see it that way.He was an idealist.And in that way he reminded me of how I felt as a teenager.In that first meeting he convinced me if we worked hard and made great products, we too could help change the world.And to mysurprise, I was hooked.I took the job and changed my life.It's been 17 years and I have never once looked back.At Apple we believe the work should be more than just about improving your own self.It's about improving the lives of others as well.Our products do amazing things.And just as Steve envisioned, they empower people all over the world.People who are blind, and need information read to them because they can't see the screen.People for whom technology is a lifeline because they are isolated by distance or disability.People whowitness target=_blank class=infotextkey>witness injustice and want to expose it, and now they can because they have a camera in their pocket all the time.Our commitment goes beyond the products themselves to how they’re made.To our impact on the environment.To the role we play in demanding and promoting equality.And in improving education.We believe that a company that has values and acts on them can really change the world.And an individual can too.That can be you.That must be you.Graduates, your values matter.They are your North Star.And work takes on new meaning when you feel you are pointed in the right direction.Otherwise, it's just a job, and life is too short for that.We need the best and brightest of your generation to lead in government and in business.In the science and in the arts.In journalism and in academia.There is honor in all of these pursuits.And there is opportunity to do work that is infused with moral purpose.You don't have to choose between doing good and doing well.It's a false choice, today more than ever.Your challenge is to find work that pays the rent, puts food on the table, and lets you do what is right and good and just.So find your North Star.Let it guide you in life, and work, and in your life's work.Now, I suspect some of you aren't buying this.I won't take it personally.It's no surprise that people are skeptical, especially here in Washington.Where these days you’ve got plenty of reason to be.And a healthy amount of skepticism is fine.Though too often in this town, it turns to cynicism.To the idea that no matter who’s talking or what they’re saying, that their motives are questionable, their character is suspect, and if you search hard enough, you can prove that they are lying.Maybe that's just the world we live in.But graduates, this is your world to change.As I said, I am a proud son of the South.It's my home, and I will always love it.But for the last 17 years I’ve built a life in Silicon Valley;it's a special place.The kind of place where there’s no problem that can't be solved.No matter how difficult or complex, that's part of its essential quality.A very sincere sort of optimism.Back in the 90s, Apple ran an advertising campaign we called “Think Different.” It was pretty simple.Every ad was a photograph of one of our heroes.People who had the audacity to challenge and change the way we all live.People like Gandhi and Jackie Robinson, Martha Graham and Albert Einstein, Amelia Earhart and Miles Davis.These people still inspire us.They remind us to live by our deepest values and reach for our highest aspirations.They make us believe that anything is possible.A friend of mine at Apple likes to say the best way to solve aproblem is to walk into a room full of Apple engineers and proclaim, “this is impossible.”

I can tell you, they will not accept that.And neither should you.So that's the one thing I’d like to bring to you all the way from Cupertino, California.The idea that greatprogress is possible, whatever line of work you choose.There will always be cynics and critics on the sidelines tearing people down, and just as harmful are those people with good intentions who make no contribution at all.In his letter from the Birmingham jail, Dr.King wrote that our society needed to repent, not merely for the hateful words of the bad people, but for the appalling silence of the good people.The sidelines are not where you want to live your life.The world needs you in the arena.There are problems that need to be solved.Injustices that need to be ended.People that are still being persecuted, diseases still in need of cure.No matter what you do next, the world needs your energy.Your passion.Your impatience with progress.Don'tshrink from risk.And tune out those critics and cynics.History rarely yields to one person, but think, and never forget, what happens when it does.That can be you.That should be you.That must be you.Congratulations Class of 2015.I’d like to take one photo of you, because this is the bestview in the world.And it's a great one.Thank you very much.