【英文演讲】芭芭拉演讲.docx

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1、【英文演讲】芭芭拉演讲Choices and Change: Commencement AddressbyBarbara BushFirst Lady of the United StatesAddress was given at Severance Green,Wellesley College,Wellesley, Massachusetts for Commencement on June 1, 1990.Thank you President Keohane, Mrs. Gorbachev, Trustees, faculty, parents, Julie Porter, Chri

2、stine Bicknell and the Class of 1990. I am thrilled to be with you today, and very excited, as I know you must all be, that Mrs. Gorbachev could join us.More than ten years ago when I was invited here to talk about our experiences in the peoples republic of china, I was struck by both the natural be

3、auty of your campus . . . and the spirit of this place.Wellesley, you see, is not just a place . . . but an idea . . . an experiment in excellence in which diversity is not just tolerated, but is embraced.The essence of this spirit was captured in a moving speech about tolerance given last year by t

4、he student body President of one of your sister colleges. She related the story by Robert Fulghum about a young pastor who, finding himself in charge of some very energetic children, hit upon a game called Giants, Wizards and Dwarfs. You have to decide now, the pastor instructed the children, which

5、you are . . . a giant, a wizard or a dwarf? At that, a small girl tugging on his pants leg, asked, But where do the mermaids stand?.The pastor told her there arenomermaids. Oh yes there are, she said. I am a mermaid.This little girl knew what she was and she was not about to give up on either her id

6、entityorthe game. She intended to take place wherever mermaids fit into the scheme of things. Where do the mermaids stand . . . all those who are different, those who do not fit the boxes and the pigeonholes? Answer that question, wrote Fulghum, and you can build a school, a nation, or a whole world

7、 on it.As that very wise young woman said . . . diversity . . . like anything worth having . . . requireseffort. Effort to learn about and respect difference, to be compassionate with one another, to cherish our own identity . . . and to accept unconditionally the same in all others.You should all b

8、e very proud that this is the Wellesley spirit. Now I know your first choice for today was Alice Walker, known forThe Color Purple. Instead you got me - known for . . . the color of my hair! Of course, Alice Walkers book has a special resonance here. At Wellesley, each class is known by a special co

9、lor . . . and for four years the Class of 90 has worn the color purple. Today you meet on Severance Green to say goodbye to all that . . . to begin a new and very personal journey . . . a search for your own true colors.In the world that awaits you beyond the shores of Lake Waban, no one can say wha

10、t your true colors will be. But this I know: You have a first class education from a first class school. And so you need not, probably cannot, live a paint-by numbers life. Decisions are not irrevocable. Choices do come bacK. As you set off from Wellesley, I hope that many of you will consider makin

11、g three very special choices.The first is to believe in something larger than yourself . . . to get involved in some of the big ideas of your time. I chose literacy because I honestly believe that if more people could read, write and comprehend, we would be that much closer to solving so many of the

12、 problems plaguing our society.Early on I made another choice which I hope you will make as well. Whether you are talking about education, career or service, you are talking about life . . . and life must have joy. Its supposed to be fun.One of the reasons I made the most important decision of my li

13、fe . . . to marry George Bush . . . is because he made me laugh. Its true, sometimes weve laughed through our tears . . . but that shared laughter has been one of our strongest bonds. Find the joy in life, because as Ferris Bueller said on his day off . . . Life moves pretty fast. Ya dont stop and l

14、ook around once in a while, ya gonna miss it!The third choice that must not be missed is to cherish your human connections: your relationships with friends and family. For several years, youve had impressed upon you the importance to your career of dedication and hard work. This is true, but as impo

15、rtant as your obligations as a doctor, lawyer or business leader will be, you are a human being first and those human connections - with spouses, with children, with friends - are the most important investments you will ever make.At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one m

16、ore test, not winning one more verdict or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a friend, a child or a parent.We are are in a transitional period right now . . . fascinating and exhilarating times . . . learning to adjust to the changes and the choices we . . . me

17、n and women . . . are facing. I remember what a friend said, on hearing her husband lament to his buddies that he had to babysit. Quickly setting him straight my friend told her husband that when its your own kids its not called babysitting!Maybe we should adjust faster, maybe slower, but whatever t

18、he era . . . whatever the times, one thing will never change: fathers and mothers, if you have children they must come first. Your success as a family . . . our success as a society dependsnoton what happens at the White House, but on what happens inside your house.For over 50 years, it was said tha

19、t the winner of Wellesleys Annual Hoop Race would be the first to get married. Now they say the winner will be the first to become a C.E.O. Both of these stereotypes show too little tolerance for those who want to know where mermaids stand. So I offer you today a new legend: the winner of the Hoop R

20、ace will be the first to realize her dream . . . not societys dream . . . her own personal dream. And who knows? Somewhere out in this audience may even be someone who will one day follow my footsteps, and preside over the White House as the Presidents spouse. I wish him well!The controversy ends he

21、re. But our conversation is only beginning. And a worthwhile conversation it is. So as you leave Wellesley today, take with you deep thanks for the courtesy and honor you have shared with Mrs. Gorbachev and me. Thank you. God bless you. And may your future be worthy of your dreams.Sources: A paper c

22、opy of this speech was mailed to Gifts of Speech from Mrs. Bushs office.Mrs. Bush was First Lady of the U.S. from January 20, 1989 through January 20, 1993.Barbara Bushs Commencement Address - Choices and ChangeFirst Lady of the United StatesAddress was given at Severance Green,Wellesley College,Wel

23、lesley, Massachusetts for Commencement on June 1, 1990.Thank you President Keohane, Mrs. Gorbachev, Trustees, faculty, parents, Julie Porter, Christine Bicknell and the Class of 1990. I am thrilled to be with you today, and very excited, as I know you must all be, that Mrs. Gorbachev could join us.M

24、ore than ten years ago when I was invited here to talk about our experiences in the peoples republic of china, I was struck by both the natural beauty of your campus . . . and the spirit of this place.Wellesley, you see, is not just a place . . . but an idea . . . an experiment in excellence in whic

25、h diversity is not just tolerated, but is embraced.The essence of this spirit was captured in a moving speech about tolerance given last year by the student body President of one of your sister colleges. She related the story by Robert Fulghum about a young pastor who, finding himself in charge of s

26、ome very energetic children, hit upon a game called Giants, Wizards and Dwarfs. You have to decide now, the pastor instructed the children, which you are . . . a giant, a wizard or a dwarf? At that, a small girl tugging on his pants leg, asked, But where do the mermaids stand?.The pastor told her th

27、ere are no mermaids. Oh yes there are, she said. I am a mermaid.This little girl knew what she was and she was not about to give up on either her identity or the game. She intended to take place wherever mermaids fit into the scheme of things. Where do the mermaids stand . . . all those who are diff

28、erent, those who do not fit the boxes and the pigeonholes? Answer that question, wrote Fulghum, and you can build a school, a nation, or a whole world on it.As that very wise young woman said . . . diversity . . . like anything worth having . . . requires effort. Effort to learn about and respect di

29、fference, to be compassionate with one another, to cherish our own identity . . . and to accept unconditionally the same in all others.You should all be very proud that this is the Wellesley spirit. Now I know your first choice for today was Alice Walker, known for The Color Purple. Instead you got

30、me - known for . . . the color of my hair! Of course, Alice Walkers book has a special resonance here. At Wellesley, each class is known by a special color . . . and for four years the Class of 90 has worn the color purple. Today you meet on Severance Green to say goodbye to all that . . . to begin

31、a new and very personal journey . . . a search for your own true colors.In the world that awaits you beyond the shores of Lake Waban, no one can say what your true colors will be. But this I know: You have a first class education from a first class school. And so you need not, probably cannot, live

32、a paint-by numbers life. Decisions are not irrevocable. Choices do come bacK. As you set off from Wellesley, I hope that many of you will consider making three very special choices.The first is to believe in something larger than yourself . . . to get involved in some of the big ideas of your time.

33、I chose literacy because I honestly believe that if more people could read, write and comprehend, we would be that much closer to solving so many of the problems plaguing our society.Early on I made another choice which I hope you will make as well. Whether you are talking about education, career or

34、 service, you are talking about life . . . and life must have joy. Its supposed to be fun.One of the reasons I made the most important decision of my life . . . to marry George Bush . . . is because he made me laugh. Its true, sometimes weve laughed through our tears . . . but that shared laughter h

35、as been one of our strongest bonds. Find the joy in life, because as Ferris Bueller said on his day off . . . Life moves pretty fast. Ya dont stop and look around once in a while, ya gonna miss it!The third choice that must not be missed is to cherish your human connections: your relationships with

36、friends and family. For several years, youve had impressed upon you the importance to your career of dedication and hard work. This is true, but as important as your obligations as a doctor, lawyer or business leader will be, you are a human being first and those human connections - with spouses, wi

37、th children, with friends - are the most important investments you will ever make.At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a friend, a child or a parent.We

38、 are are in a transitional period right now . . . fascinating and exhilarating times . . . learning to adjust to the changes and the choices we . . . men and women . . . are facing. I remember what a friend said, on hearing her husband lament to his buddies that he had to babysit. Quickly setting hi

39、m straight my friend told her husband that when its your own kids its not called babysitting!Maybe we should adjust faster, maybe slower, but whatever the era . . . whatever the times, one thing will never change: fathers and mothers, if you have children they must come first. Your success as a fami

40、ly . . . our success as a society depends not on what happens at the White House, but on what happens inside your house.For over 50 years, it was said that the winner of Wellesleys Annual Hoop Race would be the first to get married. Now they say the winner will be the first to become a C.E.O. Both o

41、f these stereotypes show too little tolerance for those who want to know where mermaids stand. So I offer you today a new legend: the winner of the Hoop Race will be the first to realize her dream . . . not societys dream . . . her own personal dream. And who knows? Somewhere out in this audience ma

42、y even be someone who will one day follow my footsteps, and preside over the White House as the Presidents spouse. I wish him well!The controversy ends here. But our conversation is only beginning. And a worthwhile conversation it is. So as you leave Wellesley today, take with you deep thanks for the courtesy and honor you have shared with Mrs. Gorbachev and me. Thank you. God bless you. And may your future be worthy of your dreams.