朱棣文：在哈佛大学毕业典礼上的演讲(中英对照)
英文演讲： 未来并非在劫难逃
我的哥哥是麻省理工的医学博士和哈佛的哲学博士；我的弟弟是哈佛大学的法律博士。
我本人得到诺贝尔奖的时候，我想我妈妈会高兴。
但是，我错了……朱棣文2009年哈佛大学演讲：未来并非在劫难逃来源：荣浩♥Economics的日志朱棣文2009年哈佛大学演讲：未来并非在劫难逃朱棣文（Steven Chu，1948年2月28日－），美国物理学家，生于美国圣路易斯；华人血统，祖籍中国江苏太仓，曾获得诺贝尔物理学奖（1997年）。
现任美国能源部部长。
1970年，获罗彻斯特大学数学学士和物理学学士。
1976年，获加州大学伯克利分校物理学博士。
1987年，任斯坦福大学物理学教授，是该校第一位华裔教授。
1993年，当选美国国家科学院院士。
1997年，获诺贝尔物理学奖。
2004年，任劳伦斯·伯克利国家实验室主任，是首位掌管这个美国能源部下属国家实验室的亚裔人士。
2009年，出任奥巴马政府能源部长。
【正文】Madam President Faust, members of the Harvard Corporation and the Board of Overseers, faculty, family, friends, and, most importantly, today's graduates,尊敬的Faust校长，哈佛集团的各位成员，监管理事会的各位理事，各位老师，各位家长，各位朋友，以及最重要的各位毕业生同学，Thank you for letting me share this wonderful day with you.感谢你们，让我有机会同你们一起分享这个美妙的日子。
I am not sure I can live up to the high standards of Harvard Commencement s peakers. Last year, J.K. Rowling, the billionaire novelist, who started as a classics st udent, graced this podium. The year before, Bill Gates, the mega-billionaire philanth ropist and computer nerd stood here. Today, sadly, you have me. I am not a billio naire, but at least I am a nerd.我不太肯定，自己够得上哈佛大学毕业典礼演讲人这样的殊荣。
中国学生哈佛大学毕业典礼演讲The Spider's Bite(中英对照)
The Spider’s BiteWhen I was in middle school, a poisonous spider bit my right hand. I ran to my mom for help—but instead of taking me to a doctor, my mom set my hand on fire.After wrapping my hand with several layers of cotton, then soaking it in wine, she put a chopstick into my mouth,and ignited the cotton.在我上中学的时候，一只有毒蜘蛛咬伤了我的右手，我去找母亲帮忙，但是她没有找医生，却把我的手放在火上面。
她用酒浸过的棉纱绕着我的手缠了好几层之后，在我的嘴里放了一根筷子，然后点燃了棉纱。
【语言点解析】Poisonous表示有毒的；恶毒的；讨厌的。
例句：A lot of poisonous waste water comes from that chemical factory. 那个化工厂排出大量有毒的废水。
Heat quickly penetrated the cotton and began to roast my hand. The searing pain made me want to scream, but the chopstick prevented it. All I could do was watch my hand burn - one minute, then two minutes –until mom put out the fire.棉纱上的温度很快上来了，我的手也开始发烫。
这股灼痛让我想要大叫，不过我嘴里含着的筷子让我叫不出来。
我唯一能做的就是看着我的手骨，一分钟过去了，两分钟过去了，直到母亲熄灭火。
朱棣文2009年哈佛大学演讲
朱棣文2009年哈佛大学演讲：未来并非在劫难逃 (中英文对照)【正文】Madam President Faust, members of the Harvard Corporation and the Board of Overseers, faculty, family, friends, and, most importantly, today's graduates,Thank you for letting me share this wonderful day with you.I am not sure I can live up to the high standards of Harvard Commencement speakers. Last year, J.K. Rowling, the billionaire novelist, who started as a classics student, graced this podium. The year before, Bill Gates, the mega-billionaire philanthropist and computer nerd stood here. Today, sadly, you have me. I am not a billionaire, but at least I am a nerd.I am grateful to receive an honorary degree from Harvard, an honor that means more to me than you might care to imagine. You see, I was the academic black sheep of my family. My older brother has an M.D./Ph.D. from MIT and Harvard while my younger brother has a law degree from Harvard. When I was awarded a Nobel Prize, I thought my mother would be pleased. Not so. When I called her on the morning of the announcement, she replied, "That's nice, but when are you going to visit me next." Now, as the last brother with a degree from Harvard, maybe, at last, she will be satisfied.Another difficulty with giving a Harvard commencement address is that some of you may disapprove of the fact that I have borrowed material from previous speeches. I ask that you forgive me for two reasons.First, in order to have impact, it is important to deliver the same message more than once. In science, it is important to be the first person to make a discovery, but it is even more important to be the last person to make that discovery.Second, authors who borrow from others are following in the footsteps of the best. Ralph Waldo Emerson, who graduated from Harvard at the age of 18, noted "All my best thoughts were stolen by the ancients." Picasso declared "Good artists borrow. Great artists steal." Why should commencement speakers be held to a higher standard?I also want to point out the irony of speaking to graduates of an institution that would have rejected me, had I the chutzpah to apply. I am married to "Dean Jean," the former dean of admissions at Stanford. She assures me that she would have rejected me, if given the chance. When I showed her a draft of this speech, she objected strongly to my use of the word "rejected." She never rejected applicants; her letters stated that "we are unable to offer youadmission." I have difficulty understanding the difference. After all, deans of admissions of highly selective schools are in reality, "deans of rejection." Clearly, I have a lot to learn about marketing.My address will follow the classical sonata form of commencement addresses. The first movement, just presented, were light-hearted remarks. This next movement consists of unsolicited advice, which is rarely valued, seldom remembered, never followed. As Oscar Wilde said, "The only thing to do with good advice is to pass it on. It is never of any use to oneself." So, here comes the advice. First, every time you celebrate an achievement, be thankful to those who made it possible. Thank your parents and friends who supported you, thank your professors who were inspirational, and especially thank the other professors whose less-than-brilliant lectures forced you to teach yourself. Going forward, the ability to teach yourself is the hallmark of a great liberal arts education and will be the key to your success. To your fellow students who have added immeasurably to your education during those late night discussions, hug them. Also, of course, thank Harvard. Should you forget, there's an alumni association to remind you. Second, in your future life, cultivate a generous spirit. In all negotiations, don't bargain for the last, little advantage. Leave the change on the table. In your collaborations, always remember that "credit" is not a conserved quantity. In a successful collaboration, everybody gets 90 percent of the credit.Jimmy Stewart, as Elwood P. Dowd in the movie "Harvey" got it exactly right. He said: "Years ago my mother used to say to me, 'In this world, Elwood, you must be ... she always used to call me Elwood ... in this world, Elwood, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant.'" Well, for years I was smart. (I)recommend pleasant. You may quote me on that.My third piece of advice is as follows: As you begin this new stage of your lives, follow your passion. If you don't have a passion, don't be satisfied until you find one. Life is too short to go through it without caring deeply about something. When I was your age, I was incredibly single-minded in my goal to be a physicist. After college, I spent eight years as a graduate student and postdoc at Berkeley, and then nine years at Bell Labs. During that my time, my central focus and professional joy was physics.Here is my final piece of advice. Pursuing a personal passion is important, but it should not be your only goal. When you are old and gray, and look back on your life, you will want to be proud of what you have done. The source of that pride won't be the things you have acquired or the recognition you have received. It will be the lives you have touched and the difference you have made.After nine years at Bell labs, I decided to leave that warm, cozy ivory tower for what I considered to be the "real world," a university. Bell Labs, to quote what was said about Mary Poppins, was "practically perfect in every way," but I wanted to leave behind something more than scientific articles. I wanted to teach and give birth to my own set of scientific children.Ted Geballe, a friend and distinguished colleague of mine at Stanford, who also went from Berkeley to Bell Labs to Stanford years earlier, described our motives best:"The best part of working at a university is the students. They come in fresh, enthusiastic, open to ideas, unscarred by the battles of life. They don't realize it, but they're the recipients of the best our society can offer. If a mind is ever free to be creative, that's the time. They come in believing textbooks are authoritative, but eventually they figure out that textbooks and professors don't know everything, and then they start to think on their own. Then, I begin learning from them."My students, post doctoral fellows, and the young researchers who worked with me at Bell Labs, Stanford, and Berkeley have been extraordinary. Over 30 former group members are now professors, many at the best research institutions in the world, including Harvard. I have learned much from them. Even now, in rare moments on weekends, the remaining members of my biophysics group meet with me in the ether world of cyberspace.I began teaching with the idea of giving back; I received more than I gave. This brings me to the final movement of this speech. It begins with a story about an extraordinary scientific discovery and a new dilemma that it poses. It's a call to arms and about making a difference.In the last several decades, our climate has been changing. Climate change is not new: the Earth went through six ice ages in the past 600,000 years. However, recent measurements show that the climate has begun to change rapidly. The size of the North Polar Ice Cap in the month of September is only half the size it was a mere 50 years ago. The sea level which been rising since direct measurements began in 1870 at a rate that is now five times faster than it was at the beginning of recorded measurements. Here's the remarkable scientific discovery. For the first time in human history, science is now making predictions of how our actions will affect the world 50 and 100 years from now. These changes are due to an increase in carbon dioxide put into the atmosphere since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. The Earth has warmed up by roughly 0.8 degrees Celsius since the beginning of the Revolution. There is already approximately a 1 degree rise built into the system, even if we stop all greenhouse gas emissions today. Why? It will takedecades to warm up the deep oceans before the temperature reaches a new equilibrium.If the world continues on a business-as-usual path, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts that there is a fifty-fifty chance the temperature will exceed 5 degrees by the end of this century. This increase may not sound like much, but let me remind you that during the last ice age, the world was only 6 degrees colder. During this time, most of Canada and the United States down to Ohio and Pennsylvania were covered year round by a glacier. A world 5 degrees warmer will be very different. The change will be so rapid that many species, including Humans, will have a hard time adapting. I've been told for example, that, in a much warmer world, insects were bigger. I wonder if this thing buzzing around is a precursor.We also face the specter of nonlinear "tipping points" that may cause much more severe changes. An example of a tipping point is the thawing of the permafrost. The permafrost contains immense amounts of frozen organic matter that have been accumulating for millennia. If the soil melts, microbes will spring to life and cause this debris to rot. The difference in biological activity below freezing and above freezing is something we are all familiar with. Frozen food remains edible for a very long time in the freezer, but once thawed, it spoils quickly. How much methane and carbon dioxide might be released from the rotting permafrost? If even a fraction of the carbon is released, it could be greater than all the greenhouse gases we have released to since the beginning of the industrial revolution. Once started, a runaway effect could occur.The climate problem is the unintended consequence of our success. We depend on fossil energy to keep our homes warm in the winter, cool in the summer, and lit at night; we use it to travel across town and across continents. Energy is a fundamental reason for the prosperity we enjoy, and we will not surrender this prosperity. The United States has 3 percent of the world population, and yet, we consume 25 percent of the energy. By contrast, there are 1.6 billion people who don't have access to electricity. Hundreds of millions of people still cook with twigs or dung. The life we enjoy may not be within the reach of the developing world, but it is within sight, and they want what we have.Here is the dilemma. How much are we willing to invest, as a world society, to mitigate the consequences of climate change that will not be realized for at least 100 years? Deeply rooted in all cultures, is the notion of generational responsibility. Parents work hard so that their children will have a better life. Climate change will affect the entire world, but our natural focus is on the welfare of our immediate families. Can we, as a world society, meet ourresponsibility to future generations?While I am worried, I am hopeful we will solve this problem. I became the director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, in part because I wanted to enlist some of the best scientific minds to help battle against climate change. I was there only four and a half years, the shortest serving director in the 78-year history of the Lab, but when I left, a number of very exciting energy institutes at the Berkeley Lab and UC Berkeley had been established.I am extremely privileged to be part of the Obama administration. If there ever was a time to help steer America and the world towards a path of sustainable energy, now is the time. The message the President is delivering is not one of doom and gloom, but of optimism and opportunity. I share this optimism. The task ahead is daunting, but we can and will succeed.We know some of the answers already. There are immediate and significant savings in energy efficiency and conservation. Energy efficiency is not just low-hanging fruit; it is fruit lying on the ground. For example, we have the potential to make buildings 80 percent more efficient with investments that will pay for themselves in less than 15 years. Buildings consume 40 percent of the energy we use, and a transition to energy efficient buildings will cut our carbon emissions by one-third.We are revving up the remarkable American innovation machine that will be the basis of a new American prosperity. We will invent much improved methods to harness the sun, the wind, nuclear power, and capture and sequester the carbon dioxide emitted from our power plants. Advanced bio-fuels and the electrification of personal vehicles make us less dependent on foreign oil.In the coming decades, we will almost certainly face higher oil prices and be in a carbon-constrained economy. We have the opportunity to lead in development of a new, industrial revolution. The great hockey player, Wayne Gretzky, when asked, how he positions himself on the ice, he replied," I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it's been." America should do the same.The Obama administration is laying a new foundation for a prosperous and sustainable energy future, but we don't have all of the answers. That's where you come in. In this address, I am asking you, the Harvard graduates, to join us. As our future intellectual leaders, take the time to learn more about what's at stake, and then act on that knowledge. As future scientists and engineers, I ask you to give us better technology solutions. As future economists and political scientists, I ask you to create better policy options. Asfuture business leaders, I ask that you make sustainability an integral part of your business.Finally, as humanists, I ask that you speak to our common humanity. One of the cruelest ironies about climate change is that the ones who will be hurt the most are the most innocent: the worlds poorest and those yet to be born.The coda to this last movement is borrowed from two humanists.The first quote is from Martin Luther King. He spoke on ending the war in Vietnam in 1967, but his message seems so fitting for today's climate crisis:"This call for a worldwide fellowship that lifts neighborly concern beyond one's tribe, race, class, and nation is in reality a call for an all-embracing and unconditional love for all mankind. This oft misunderstood, this oft misinterpreted concept, so readily dismissed by the Nietzsches of the world as a weak and cowardly force, has now become an absolute necessity for the survival of man ... We are now faced with the fact, my friends, that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such a thing as being too late."The final message is from William Faulkner. On December 10th, 1950, his Nobel Prize banquet speech was about the role of humanists in a world facing potential nuclear holocaust."I believe that man will not merely endure: he will prevail. He is immortal, not because he alone among creatures has an inexhaustible voice, but because he has a soul, a spirit capable of compassion and sacrifice and endurance. The poet's, the writer's, duty is to write about these things. It is his privilege to help man endure by lifting his heart, by reminding him of the courage and honor and hope and pride and compassion and pity and sacrifice which have been the glory of his past."Graduates, you have an extraordinary role to play in our future. As you pursue your private passions, I hope you will also develop a passion and a voice to help the world in ways both large and small. Nothing will give you greater satisfaction.Please accept my warmest congratulations. May you prosper, may you help preserve and save our planet for your children, and all future children of the world.尊敬的Faust校长，哈佛集团的各位成员，监管理事会的各位理事，各位老师，各位家长，各位朋友，以及最重要的各位毕业生同学，感谢你们，让我有机会同你们一起分享这个美妙的日子。
名人演讲词
哈佛大学Advice For Graduates给大学毕业生的几个忠告——美国能源部部长朱棣文（>>查看此篇演讲稿中英双语对照）As you begin this new stage of your lives, follow your passion. If you don’t have a passion, don’t be satis?ed until you?nd one. Life is too short to go through it without caring deeply about something. 当你开始生活的新阶段时，请追随你的爱好。
如果你没有爱好，就去找，找不到绝不罢休。
生命太短暂，所以不能空手走过，你必须对某样东西倾注你的深情。
The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination失败的额外收益和想象力的重要性——英国作家JK罗琳(>>查看此篇演讲的视频及英文演讲稿)As is a tale, so is life: not how long it is, but how good it is, is what matters. 生活就像故事一样，不在于长短，而在于品质，这才是最重要的。
How to Tackle the World’s Worst Inequities?如何解决这个世界最严重的不平等？——微软创始人比尔·盖茨（>>点击试听此篇演讲及查看其英文演讲稿）Humanity’s greate st advances are not in its discoveries— but in how those discoveries are applied to reduce inequity.人类最大的进步并不在于其发现，而在于如何用这些发现来减少不平等斯坦福大学Three Stories from My Life我人生中的三个故事——苹果公司创始人史蒂夫·乔布斯（>>点击试听此篇演讲及查看其英文演讲稿）Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart. 记住自己随时都会死去，这是我所知道的防止患得患失的最好方法。
朱棣文2009年哈佛大学演讲：未来并非在劫难逃
首先，为了产生影响力，很重要的方法就是重复传递同样的信息。在科学中，第一个发现者是重要的，但是在得到公认前，最后一个将这个发现重复做出来的人也许更重要。
Second, authors who borrow from others are following in the footsteps of the best. Ralph Waldo Emerson, who graduated from Harvard at the age of 18, noted "All my best thoughts were stolen by the ancients." Picasso declared "Good artists borrow. Great artists steal." Why should commencement speakers be held to a hig，还有一个难处，那就是你们中有些人可能有意见，不喜欢我重复前人演讲中说过的话。我要求你们谅解我，因为两个理由。
First, in order to have impact, it is important to deliver the same message more than once. In science, it is important to be the first person to make a discovery, but it is even more important to be the last person to make that discovery.
1987年，任斯坦福大学物理学教授，是该校第一位华裔教授。
1993年，当选美国国家科学院院士。
1997年，获诺贝尔物理学奖。
生命太短暂,不能空手走过——哈佛大学毕业典礼演讲
个 时机 可 以引 导美 国和全 世 界 走
上 可 持 续 能源 的道 路 ，那 么这 个
息。 在科学 中， 第一个发现者是重
要的 ， 怛是 在 得到 公认 前 ， 后 一 最
个做 出论证 的人 也 许 更 重要 。 其 次 ， 一个 借 鉴 前人 的人 正
中心 和 职 业上 的全 部 乐趣 都 来 自物
理学。
自学 。 整体 来 看 ， 从 自学 能 力 是优 秀 的教 育 中必 不 可少 的 ，将 成 为 你成 功 的关键 。你 还 要 去 拥 抱 你 的 同 学 ，感 谢 他们 同你 进 行 过 许 多次 彻夜 长 谈 ，这 为你 的成 长 带
在 你们这 个年 龄 时是超 级 的一根
筋 ， 我 的 目标 就是 非成 为物 理 学 家 不可。 科毕业后， 本 我在 加州 大 学 伯
克 利 分校 又待 了 ８ ，读 完 了研 究 年 生 ， 完 了博 士 后 ， 做 然后 去贝 尔 实验 室 待 了 ９年 。 这 些 年 中， 关 注 的 在 我
复 前 人说 过 的话 。 我请 你 们 谅 解
我， 因为 两个 理 由。 首 先 ， 了产 生 影 响 力 ， 重 为 很
持 你 的朋 友 ，要 感 谢 那 些 启发 过
你 的教授 ， 尤其 要 感 谢 那 些课 教 得 不 好 的 教授 ， 因 为他 们 迫使 你
要 的 方 法就 是 重 复传 递 同样 的 信
Ｉ堂垦 里 ：
目目
２０ ０ ９年 ６月 ４日， 国能源部部长 朱棣 文获得哈佛 大学荣誉博士学位 ， 美 应邀在哈佛
朱棣文哈佛演讲
1987年，任斯坦福大学物理学教授，是该校第一位华裔教授。
1993年，当选美国国家科学院院士。
1997年，获诺贝尔物理学奖。
2004年，任劳伦斯·伯克利国家实验室主任，是首位掌管这个美国能源部下属国家实验室的亚裔人士。
2009年，出任奥巴马政府能源部长。
【正文】
Madam President Faust, members of the Harvard Corporation and the Board of Overseers, faculty, family, friends, and, most importantly, today's graduates,
尊敬的Faust校长，哈佛集团的各位成员，监管理事会的各位理事，各位老师，各位家长，各位朋友，以及最重要的各位毕业生同学，
朱棣文2009年哈佛，1948年2月28日－），
美国物理学家，生于美国圣路易斯；华人血统，祖籍中国江苏太仓，曾获得诺贝尔物理学奖（1997年）。现任美国能源部部长。
1970年，获罗彻斯特大学数学学士和物理学学士。
1976年，获加州大学伯克利分校物理学博士。
哈佛大学毕业典礼校长演讲稿
哈佛大学毕业典礼校长演讲稿冬去春来，转眼间就到了一年一度的毕业典礼。
六月初的天气清冷的反常，人们不得不穿薄毛衣或夹克。
今年波士顿的天气变化无常，4月份有一两天气温高达32摄氏度以上，人们热得要开空调。
随后的一个多月又冷得至少要穿两件衣服，但天气并不妨碍一系列的庆祝活动。
校园里照例彩旗飘飘，成群结队，欢声笑语，赠送鲜花，合影留念。
主要庆祝活动集中在6月2日校长对毕业生的告别讲演(Baccalaureate Address)，3日大学本科毕业生自己组织的告别活动(class day),和4日哈佛毕业生联谊会(Harvard Alumni Association) 组织的毕业典礼(commencement)。
这是哈佛大学第358届毕业典礼。
第一届毕业典礼是在1642年，由于战争或瘟疫等原因，有9年的毕业典礼被跳过去了。
6月份第一周举行毕业典礼，今年会是最后一次。
从下学年开始，开学时间从9月中旬提前到9月初，毕业典礼也会随之提前到5月下旬。
校长告别讲演学生几年来日夜奋战，大好时光用在学习与消化老师讲的苦涩难懂的技术性问题上，到底会对今后的事业和生活有什么帮助呢光阴似箭，无论他们心理准备好了没有，他们必须走出校门，面对变幻莫测的大千世界。
在成百上千的毕业生即将离开校园，忐忑不安地走向社会的时候，校长能给他们什么带有人生哲理的启示呢?6月2日下午的校长告别讲演照例在校园中心的纪念教堂(Memorial Church)举行。
虽然是大庭广众之下的书面发言，但并不完全是冠冕堂皇的做秀，其中不乏肺腑之言。
校长福斯特(Drew Gilpin Faust)首先回忆了这批毕业生在过去四年的经历。
她说，你们进入校园时正好是卡特里亚娜(Katrina)台风肆虐的时候，你们离开校园时正好是经济风暴席卷全球，改变这个国家和世界的时候。
你们也目睹了哈佛的变化。
你们在四年中经历了三位校长(萨默斯，代校长巴克( Derek Bok),和福斯特本人)，你们经历了旧的教学大纲(Core Curriculum)的退出和新的教学大纲的引入(General Education)，和一些校舍的变化。
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朱棣文：在哈佛大学毕业典礼上的演讲（中英对照）作者：朱棣文译者：阮一峰阅读1463次更新时间：2009-7-2【演讲人介绍】朱棣文（Steven Chu，1948年2月28日－），美国物理学家，生于美国圣路易斯；华人血统，祖籍中国江苏太仓，曾获得诺贝尔物理学奖（1997年）。
现任美国能源部部长。
1970年，获罗彻斯特大学数学学士和物理学学士。
1976年，获加州大学伯克利分校物理学博士。
1987年，任斯坦福大学物理学教授，是该校第一位华裔教授。
1993年，当选美国国家科学院院士。
1997年，获诺贝尔物理学奖。
2004年，任劳伦斯·伯克利国家实验室主任，是首位掌管这个美国能源部下属国家实验室的亚裔人士。
2009年，出任奥巴马政府能源部长。
【正文】Madam President Faust, members of the Harvard Corporation and the Board of Overseers, faculty, family, friends, and, most importantly, today’s graduates,尊敬的Faust校长，哈佛集团的各位成员，监管理事会的各位理事，各位老师，各位家长，各位朋友，以及最重要的各位毕业生同学，Thank you for letting me share this wonderful day with you.感谢你们，让我有机会同你们一起分享这个美妙的日子。
I am not sure I can live up to the high standards of Harvard Commencement speakers. Last year, J.K. Rowling, the billionaire novelist, who started as a classics student, graced this podium. The year before, Bill Gates, the mega-billionaire philanthropist and computer nerd stood here. Today, sadly, you have me. I am not wealthy, but at least I am a nerd.我不太肯定，自己够得上哈佛大学毕业典礼演讲人这样的殊荣。
去年登上这个讲台的是，英国亿万身家的小说家J.K. Rowling女士，她最早是一个古典文学的学生。
前年站在这里的是比尔·盖茨先生，他是一个超级富翁、一个慈善家和电脑天才。
今年很遗憾，你们的演讲人是我，虽然我不是很有钱，但是至少我是一个书呆子。
I am grateful to receive an honorary degree from Harvard, an honor that means more to me than you might care to imagine. You see, I was the academic black sheep of my family. My older brother has an M.D./Ph.D. from MIT and Harvard while my younger brother has a law degree from Harvard. When I was awarded a Nobel Prize, I thought my mother would be pleased. Not so. When I called her on the morning of the announcement, she replied, “That’s nice, but when are you going to visit me next.” Now, as the last brother with a degree from Harvard, maybe, at last, she will be satisfied.我很感激哈佛大学给我荣誉学位，这对我很重要，也许比你们会想到的还要重要。
要知道，在学术上，我是我们家的异类。
我的哥哥在麻省理工学院得到医学博士，在哈佛大学得到哲学博士；我的弟弟在哈佛大学得到一个法律学位。
我本人得到诺贝尔奖的时候，我想我的妈妈会高兴。
但是，我错了。
消息公布的那天早上，我给她打电话，她听了只说：“这是好消息，不过我想知道，你下次什么时候来看我？”如今在我们兄弟当中，我最终也拿到了哈佛学位，我想这一次，她会感到满意。
Another difficulty with giving a Harvard commencement address is that some of you may disapprove of the fact that I have borrowed material from previous speeches. I ask thatyou forgive me for two reasons.在哈佛大学毕业典礼上发表演说，还有一个难处，那就是你们中有些人可能有意见，不喜欢我重复前人演讲中说过的话。
我要求你们谅解我，因为两个理由。
First, in order to have impact, it is important to deliver the same message more than once. In science, it is important to be the first person to make a discovery, but it is even more important to be the last person to make that discovery.首先，为了产生影响力，很重要的方法就是重复传递同样的信息。
在科学中，第一个发现者是重要的，但是在得到公认前，最后一个做出这个发现的人也许更重要。
Second, authors who borrow from others are following in the footsteps of the best. Ralph Waldo Emerson, who graduated from Harvard at the age of 18, noted “All my best thoughts were stolen by the ancients.” Picasso declared “Good artists borrow. Great artists steal.” Why should commencement speakers be held to a higher standard?其次，一个借鉴他人的作者，正走在一条前人开辟的最佳道路上。
哈佛大学毕业生、诗人爱默生曾经写下：“我最好的一些思想，都是从古人那里偷来的。
”画家毕加索宣称“优秀的艺术家借鉴，伟大的艺术家偷窃。
”那么为什么毕业典礼的演说者，就不适用同样的标准呢？I also want to point out the irony of speaking to graduates of an institution that would have rejected me, had I the chutzpah to apply. I am married to “Dean Jean,” the former dean of admissions at Stanford. She assures me that she would have rejected me, if giventhe chance. When I showed her a draft of this speech, she objected strongly to my use of the word “rejected.” She never rejected applicants; her letters stated that “we are unable to offer you admission.” I have difficulty understanding the difference. After all, deans of admissions of highly selective schools are in reality, “deans of rejection.” Clearly, I have a lot to learn about marketing.我还要指出一点，向哈佛毕业生发表演说，对我来说是有讽刺意味的，因为如果当年我斗胆向哈佛大学递交入学申请，一定会被拒绝。
我的妻子Jean当过斯坦福大学的招生主任，她向我保证，如果当年我申请斯坦福大学，她会拒绝我。
我把这篇演讲的草稿给她过目，她强烈反对我使用“拒绝”这个词，她从来不拒绝任何申请者。
在拒绝信中，她总是写：“我们无法提供你入学机会。
”我分不清两者到底有何差别。
不过，那些大热门学校的招生主任总是很现实的，堪称“拒绝他人的主任”。
很显然，我需要好好学学怎么来推销自己。
My address will follow the classical sonata form of commencement addresses. The first movement, just presented, were light-hearted remarks. This next movement consists of unsolicited advice, which is rarely valued, seldom remembered, never followed. As Oscar Wilde said, “The only thing to do with good advice is to pass it on. It is never of any use to oneself.” So, here comes the advice. First, every time you celebrate an achievement, be thankful to those who made it possible. Thank your parents and friends who supported you, thank your professors who were inspirational, and especially thank the other professors whose less-than-brilliant lectures forced you to teach yourself. Going forward, the ability to teach yourself is the hallmark of a great liberal arts education and will be the key to your success. To your fellow students who have added immeasurably to your education during those late night discussions, hug them. Also, of course, thank Harvard. Should you forget, there’s an alumni association to remind you. Second, in your future life, cultivate a generous spirit. In all negotiations, don’t bargain for the last, little advantage. Leave the change on the table. In yourcollaborations, always remember that “credit” is not a conserved quantity. In a successful collaboration, everybody gets 90 percent of the credit.毕业典礼演讲都遵循古典奏鸣曲的结构，我的演讲也不例外。