即使當你苦苦掙扎、灰心喪氣、感到其他人對你不抱希望時，也不要對你自己喪失信心，因為當你自暴自棄時，你也拋棄了自己的國家。

The story of America isn’t about people who quit when things got tough. It’s about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best.

書寫美國歷史的不是在困難時刻退縮的人，而是堅持不懈、加倍努力的人，他們對國家的愛促使他們全力以赴。

It’s the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and they founded this nation. Young people. Students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcame a Depression and won a world war; who fought for civil rights and put a man on the moon. Students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google and Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other.

書寫美國歷史的是250年前坐在你們的位置上的學生，他們后來進行了獨立戰爭并創建了這個國家。還有75年前坐在你們的位置上的年輕人和學生，他們走出了大蕭條并打贏了一場世界大戰；他們為民權而奮斗并把宇航員送上了月球。至于20年前坐在你們的位置上的學生，他們創辦了谷歌（Google）、嘰喳網（Twitter）和臉譜網（Facebook），改變了我們交流溝通的方式。

So today, I want to ask all of you, what’s your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a President who comes here in 20 or 50 or 100 years say about what all of you did for this country?

而今天，我要問問你們大家，你們將做出什么貢獻？你們將解決什么問題？你們將有什么發現？20年、50年或100年后來到這里講話的總統將會怎樣評價你們大家為這個國家所做的一切？

Now, your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions. I’m working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books and the equipment and the computers you need to learn. But you’ve got to do your part, too. So I expect all of you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. I expect great things from each of you. So don’t let us down. Don’t let your family down or your country down. Most of all, don’t let yourself down. Make us all proud.

你們的家人、你們的老師和我正在竭盡全力保證你們接受必要的教育，以便回答上述問題。我正在努力工作，以便你們的教室得到修繕，你們能夠得到學習所需的課本、設備和電腦。但你們也必須盡自己的努力。因此，我希望你們大家從今年起認真對待這個問題。我希望你們盡最大努力做好每一件事。我希望你們每個人都有出色的表現。不要讓我們失望。不要讓你們的家人或你們的國家失望。而最重要的是，不要辜負你們自己，而要讓我們都能[為你們]感到驕傲。

Thank you very much, everybody. God bless you. God bless America. Thank you. (Applause.)

非常感謝你們大家。愿主保佑你們。愿主保佑美國。謝謝你們。（掌聲）