評(píng)論
打印
Some seem to believe that our politics can afford to be petty because, in a time of peace, the stakes of our debates appear small.
一些人似乎認(rèn)為我們的政治制度微不足道，因?yàn)樵诤推綍r(shí)期，我們所爭(zhēng)論的話題都是無(wú)關(guān)緊要的。
But the stakes for America are never small. If our country does not lead the cause of freedom, it will not be led. If we do not turn the hearts of children toward knowledge and character, we will lose their gifts and undermine their idealism. If we permit our economy to drift and decline, the vulnerable will suffer most.
但對(duì)于我們美國(guó)來(lái)說(shuō)，我們所討論的問(wèn)題從來(lái)都不是什么小事。如果我們不領(lǐng)導(dǎo)自由事業(yè)，那么自由將無(wú)人來(lái)引領(lǐng)；如果我們不能使孩子熱愛(ài)知識(shí)、發(fā)揮個(gè)性，他們的天分將會(huì)消失，理想將難以實(shí)現(xiàn)。如果我們?nèi)螒{經(jīng)濟(jì)衰退，那么社會(huì)的弱勢(shì)群體受到的傷害將會(huì)最大。
We must live up to the calling we share. Civility is not a tactic or a sentiment. It is the determined choice of trust over cynicism, of community over chaos. And this commitment, if we keep it, is a way to shared accomplishment.
我們必須聽(tīng)取時(shí)代的召喚。謙遜有禮不是策略也不是感情用事。而是我們最堅(jiān)定的選擇，在冷嘲熱諷中贏得信任；在雜亂無(wú)序中尋求統(tǒng)一。如果我們能遵循這樣的承諾，我們將會(huì)享有共同的成就。
America, at its best, is also courageous.
美國(guó)有強(qiáng)大的國(guó)力作后盾，將會(huì)勇往直前。
Our national courage has been clear in times of depression and war, when defending common dangers defined our common good. Now we must choose if the example of our fathers and mothers will inspire us or condemn us. We must show courage in a time of blessing by confronting problems instead of passing them on to future generations.
我們的人民在大蕭條和戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)時(shí)期表現(xiàn)得英勇無(wú)比，在抵御共同的危險(xiǎn)時(shí)，體現(xiàn)了我們共同的優(yōu)秀品質(zhì)。現(xiàn)在，我們必須做出選擇，如果我們作出正確的選擇，祖輩一定會(huì)激勵(lì)我們；如果我們的選擇是錯(cuò)誤的，祖輩就會(huì)譴責(zé)我們。在這個(gè)繁榮昌盛的時(shí)期，我們必須展示出我們的勇氣，敢于面對(duì)問(wèn)題，而不是將它們遺留給我們的后代。
