奥巴马就职演讲下载.docx

1、奥巴马就职演讲下载inaugural address of barack obama january 20,2009 my fellow citizens: i stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. i thank president bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity

2、 and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition. forty-four americans have now taken the presidential oath. the words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. at these m

3、oments, america has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because we the people have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents. so it has been. so it must be with this generation of americans. that we are in the

4、midst of crisis is now well understood. our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new a

5、ge. homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet. these are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics

6、. less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land - a nagging fear that americas decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights. today i say to you that the challenges we face are real. they are serious and they are many. they will not be me

7、t easily or in a short span of time. but know this, america - they will be met. on this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord. recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics. in reaffirming the greatnes

8、s of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. it must be earned. our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. it has not been the path for the faint-hearted - for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. rather, it has

9、 been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things - some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom. for us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a ne

10、w life. for us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the west; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth. for us, they fought and died, in places like concord and gettysburg; normandy and khe sanh. time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands

11、were raw so that we might live a better life. they saw america as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction. this is the journey we continue today. we remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on earth. our workers are no less p

12、roductive than when this crisis began. our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. our capacity remains undiminished. but our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions - th

13、at time has surely passed. starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking america. what the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer appl

14、y. the question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. where the answer is no, programs

15、will end. and those of us who manage the publics dollars will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government. nor is the question before us whether the market is

16、 a force for good or ill. its power to generate recall that earlier generations faced down fascism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. they understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. instead, they kn

17、ew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint. we are the keepers of this legacy. guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even

18、greater effort - even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. we will begin to responsibly leave iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in afghanistan. with old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a war

19、ming planet. we will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you. for

20、 we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. we are a nation of christians and muslims, jews and hindus - and non-believers. we are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregatio

21、n, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world to the muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. to those lea

22、ders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their societys ills on the west - know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. to those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of

23、history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist. to the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. and to those nations like ours that enjoy relative

24、plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the worlds resources without regard to effect. for the world has changed, and we must change with it. as we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave

25、 americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. they have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in arlington whisper through the ages. we honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of serv

26、ice; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. and yet, at this moment - a moment that will define a generation - it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all. for as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the american

27、 people upon which this nation relies. it is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. it is the firefighters courage to storm a stairway filled with

28、 smoke, but also a parents willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate. our challenges may be new. the instruments with which we meet them may be new. but those values upon which our success depends - hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty an

29、d patriotism - these things are old. these things are true. they have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. what is demanded then is a return to these truths. what is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every american, that we have dut

30、ies to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task. this is the price and the promise of citizensh

31、ip. this is the source of our confidence - the knowledge that god calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny. this is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose fathe

32、r less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath. 同胞们： 我今天站在这里，因为面前的任务而感到谦卑，因为你们的信任而心存感激，同时铭记先辈们做所出的巨大牺牲。感谢布什总统为这个国家做出的贡献，同时也谢谢他在整个政权交接期间表现出的慷慨与合作。 迄今已经有44名美国人宣誓就任总统。这些誓词曾出现在繁荣的上升趋势和如水般平静的和平中，当然，也经常会出现在乌云密布和狂风暴雨之时。在这各种时刻，美国一直在继续前行，这不仅仅是因为执政的技巧或者有先见之明，而是因为我们的人民一直在坚守先辈们的理想，忠实履行我们的建国宣言。过去是这样，这一代的美国人仍将会坚持这样做。 众所周知，我们目前正处在危机之中。我们的国家正在对暴力和仇恨宣战。我们的经济也被严重削弱，这是一些人贪婪和不负责任的后果，但在做出艰难选择和准备迎接新时代方面，我们出现了集体性的失误。房屋失去了；工作丢掉了；商业萧条了；我们的卫生保健耗资巨大；我们太多的学校不合格；每天都能找到更多的证据表明我们利用能源的方式使得对手更加强大，并且威胁到了我们整个星球。