-
各位先生女士,歡迎畢業演講嘉賓Tim Cook博士。(歡呼聲)(掌聲)
哈囉,喬治華盛頓大學。十分感謝Knapp校長的精彩介紹。Alex、校董會委員、全體教職員、學院院長、榮譽學位得主,尤其是你們-2015年畢業生。恭喜各位,恭喜所有參加典禮的家人朋友們,你們做到了!今天能與大家共聚一堂是我畢生的榮幸,十分感謝學校頒給我榮譽博士學位。演講開始前,學校要求我發表一個制式聲明,你們以前應該聽過。請把手機調成靜音模式,因此擁有iPhone的人請調成靜音模式,如果你用的不是iPhone,請把手機傳到中間走道,Apple擁有世界級的手機回收計畫。(笑聲)(掌聲)
你知道,這是一個令人驚奇的地方。對大多數人而言,我確定身處華盛頓這個民主中心是吸引你們選擇學校的要素之一。這個地方擁有強大的吸引力,馬丁.路德.金恩博士在這裡挑戰美國人實現民主的承諾,讓所有上帝的子民擁有公平正義。這也是雷根總統呼籲大家相信自己的地方,相信我們擁有成就偉業的能力。我想以第一次拜訪此地的經歷做為開場。
展開英文
收合英文
-
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.
-
1977年夏天-是的,我有點年紀了-當時我16歲,住在羅柏達爾,一個位於阿拉巴馬州南部的小鎮。我在那裡長大,高三結束前,我贏得一項論文比賽,贊助者是全國偏鄉電器合作協會。我已記不得論文內容,但我清楚記得論文是手寫的,一版又一版地撰寫修改。當時打字機十分昂貴,我家買不起。在全國數百位獲選至華盛頓的孩子中,我是鮑德溫郡的兩位代表之一。我們離開之前,阿拉巴馬州代表團前往位於蒙哥馬利的議會大廈與州長見面。當時的州長名叫喬治.華萊士,這位州長曾於1963年擋住阿拉巴馬大學校門以阻止非裔美國人入學。華萊士擁護邪惡的種族隔離政策,他加深白人與黑人的藩籬,加深南方與北方的隔閡,加深勞工階級與所謂菁英階級的鴻溝,與州長見面對我而言並非榮耀之事。我心目中的英雄是馬丁.路德.金恩博士以及羅伯.甘迺迪,他們與華萊士代表的價值觀抗爭。請記住,我成長於一個多數人對金恩和甘迺迪都不太敬重的地方。我年幼時,南方各州仍意圖掌控屬於它們的歷史,我的教科書甚至寫著南北戰爭起因是各州權益,幾乎不曾提及奴隸制度,因此我必須自行發掘正確價值觀與真相。這是一段探索的過程,其中的概念來自父母教導的道德觀,來自宗教信仰和我內心的想法,帶領我進行這趟探索之旅。我在公共圖書館找到一些書,或許他們都不知道自己收藏了這些書,書中全都指出華萊士錯誤的事實。種族隔離這種不公無法見容於世,平等是一種權利。(歡呼聲)(掌聲)
如我所言,我見到華萊士州長時僅有十六歲,因此我按照慣例與他握手。但與他握手感覺就像背叛了我的信仰,感覺很差,彷彿出賣了靈魂的一部分。拜訪蒙哥馬利後,我們前往華盛頓。這是我第一次搭飛機,事實上也是我第一次離開南方。1977年6月15日,我是900位獲得新總統接見的高中生之一,吉米.卡特總統,地點是白宮南方草坪,就在這座廣場的另一側。我是其中一位幸運兒,獲得與他握手的機會。卡特看見我的名牌寫著鮑德溫郡,於是停下來跟我說話,他想知道阿拉巴馬州人民在當年的暴風雨襲擊後如何應對。卡特仁慈且富有同情心,他擔任世上最有權力的職位,卻不曾失去人性。我很自豪他是美國總統,也很自豪他來自南方。短短一星期當中,我親眼見到兩位在歷史中佔有一席之地的人物,他們來自同一個地區,他們來自同一個政黨,他們都擔任過州長,但他們看待世界的方式截然不同。對我來說,顯然一個是對的、一個是錯的。華萊士藉由分裂國人建立自己的政治事業,卡特則相反,他認為所有人都是一體的,每個人都應進行探索自我價值的旅程。這不僅與個人經歷或成長背景有關,也與內心深處的領悟有關,那正是我探索之旅的開始,當時我甚至還沒申請大學。
展開英文
收合英文
-
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 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 that 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 the public 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 who guaranteed 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.
-
對各位畢業生來說,探索自我、創造自我、重新發現自我的旅程即將展開,重點在於尋找屬於你的價值觀,並忠於它們。你必須找到你的北極星,這意味著做出選擇。有些容易、有些難,有些會讓你質疑一切。拜訪華盛頓20年後,我遇見讓我質疑一切的人,他用最佳方式顛覆了我所有的假設,他就是史蒂夫.賈伯斯。(歡呼聲)(掌聲)
史蒂夫創立了一個成功的公司,他曾被逐出公司,當他返回後,發現公司陷入困境。當時他一無所知,但他用餘生來拯救蘋果公司,帶領公司抵達任何人都難以想像的高峰。任何人,除了史蒂夫。大部分人都忘了,1997年至1998年初,蘋果歷經長期毫無頭緒的情況,找不到目標,但史蒂夫認為蘋果可以東山再起,他想知道我是否願意伸出援手。他對蘋果的願景是:一個將強大的技術轉變成容易使用之工具的公司,能讓人們美夢成真的工具,使世界變得更美好。我曾經的夢想是當工程師並取得MBA學位,我受的訓練是成為一個務實的人,一個問題解決者,但我發現自己坐在這個40多歲、精力旺盛的人面前,聆聽他談論改變世界的理想,這並非我預料中的情形。你知道,談到我的職業生涯,1998年的我同樣茫然、毫無頭緒。我知道自己想要什麼,我專注地尋找我的北極星。我的責任是做有益眾人之事,但以工作來說,我總是認為工作就是工作。價值有其應存在之處,是的,我有改變世界的想法,但我認為應該用私人時間做這件事,而不是在辦公室裡。史蒂夫不這麼認為。他是理想主義者,他藉此喚起我青少年時期的感覺。在第一次面談中,他說服我,努力工作、製造優良產品也有助於改變世界。令我驚訝的是,我上鉤了。我接受了這份工作,我的人生因此改變。17年來,我不曾後悔。在蘋果,我們相信工作的目的不僅在於改善自己的生活,也在於改善他人的生活。我們的產品能達成驚人的效果,如史蒂夫所料,它們使世上所有人受益。眼盲者需要閱讀資訊的工具,因為他們看不見螢幕。對某些人來說科技是生命線,因為他們因距離或本身缺陷而無法獲得資訊。對目睹不公、想揭露事實的人來說,現在他們可以如願以償,因為他們口袋裡隨時都有相機。(歡呼聲)(掌聲)
我們的承諾超越產品本身,除了產品的製造,也包括對環境的影響,亦包括我們在品質的要求與提升和改善教育中扮演的角色。我們相信一家擁有這種價值觀並付諸實行的公司可以真正改變世界,擁有這種價值觀的個人也能做到。那或許是你,那必定是你。各位畢業生,你們的價值觀相當重要,它是你們的北極星。當你感受到自己前往正確的方向,工作將擁有全新的意義,否則它就只是一份工作。人生沒有如此多的時間可以浪費,我們需要你們這一代最優秀、最傑出的人領導政治和商業界,領導科學和藝術界,領導新聞和學術界。這些都是充滿榮耀的領域,你也有機會從事道德方面的工作,你不需要在「做好事」和「做好工作」之間做選擇,這是錯誤的選擇,現今更是如此。你們的挑戰是找到能支付租金、足以維生的工作,然後讓自己做正確、有益、適當的事。因此找到你的北極星,讓它指引你的人生,工作及你的人生志業。
展開英文
收合英文
-
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 very animated 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, my responsibility 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 my surprise, 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 who 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.
-
現在我懷疑有些人不接受這種看法,我不介意。心存懷疑並不令人驚訝,尤其在華盛頓這種地方。在現今社會中,你們有足夠理由這麼想,適當懷疑無傷大雅。但在這座城市,懷疑很容易變成憤世嫉俗,這個現象是無論人們談論或說了什麼,他們的動機和人格都令人懷疑。如果你仔細觀察,就能證明他們在說謊,也許這就是我們生活的世界。各位畢業生,這正是你們必須改變的世界。如我所言,我是以出身南方為榮的孩子,那是我的家鄉,我一直深愛著它。但過去17年,我在矽谷展開一段人生。那是個特別的地方,一個能解決任何問題的地方,無論多麼困難或複雜,那是它本質的一部分,相當純粹的樂觀精神。回顧90年代,蘋果正執行一項名為「不同思維」的廣告專案,形式非常簡單:每一則廣告都由著名偉人的照片組成。這些人勇於挑戰,並改變了所有人的生活方式,例如甘地和傑基.羅賓森、瑪莎.葛蘭姆和亞伯特.愛因斯坦、愛蜜莉亞.厄爾哈特和邁爾士.戴維斯。這些偉人依舊激勵著我們,他們提醒我們發掘最深層的價值,追求最遠大的目標,他們讓我們相信一切皆有可能。
我在蘋果的一位朋友總喜歡說:解決問題最好的方法就是走進一間擠滿蘋果工程師的辦公室,並宣稱「這是不可能的」。(笑聲)我可以告訴各位,他們不接受這種說法,你也應該如此。因此這就是我遠從加州庫比蒂諾前來此處想告訴你們的事。「取得飛躍性進展」的想法是可行的。無論你選擇什麼樣的工作,世上總是存在落井下石的憤世嫉俗者和批評者,如同擁有良好意圖卻無貢獻的人一樣毫無幫助。在《來自伯明翰監獄的信》中金恩博士提到,我們的社會需要懺悔,不僅是那些口出歧視的惡人,還有那些保持沉默的好人。(掌聲)旁觀並非你想要的生活,世界需要你站上舞台。仍有需要解決的問題,不公不義需要被終結,人們依然遭受迫害,疾病依然需要治療。無論你接下來要做什麼,世界需要你的能量、你的熱情、你對進步的渴望。別逃避冒險,遠離那些憤世嫉俗者和批評者。歷史很少由一個人造就,但思考一下,永遠不要忘記當歷史創造者出現時是什麼情形。那可能是你,那應該是你,那必定是你。(掌聲)
恭喜2015年畢業生,我想替大家拍張照片,因為這是世上最美麗的風景,也是最棒的風景。十分感謝。(歡呼聲)(掌聲)
展開英文
收合英文
-
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 a problem 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 great progress 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’t shrink 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 best view in the world. And it’s a great one. Thank you very much.