世界十大著名演讲

“Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never — in nothing, great or small, large or petty — never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense.”

No leader in history, perhaps, matched Churchill’s capacity for blurring the lines between speech and battle cry. This is one of his best. It’s an urban legend that the “Never give in” exhortation comprised the totality of his address; Churchill went on for several more paragraphs. But there’s no question that this, far and away, was what Harrow’s students remembered。

Winston Churchill，英国前首相。

#FormatImgID_0# George Marshall, Harvard, 1947 Words of Wisdom:

“It is logical that the United States should do whatever it is able to do to assist in the return of normal economic health in the world, without which there can be no political stability and no assured peace. Our policy is directed not against any country or doctrine but against hunger, poverty, desperation and chaos. Its purpose should be the revival of a working economy in the world so as to permit the emergence of political and social conditions in which free institutions can exist.”

Marshall’s addreat Harvard was pretty dry stuff, but give the guy a break. Instead of following the conventional blueprint for a commencement speech — a poignant metaphor here, some poetic turns of phrase there, wrapped up in a neat life lesson — Marshall did nothing lethan outline the plan to rebuild postwar Europe and curb the spread of communism that would eventually bear his name. Since this speech was step one toward saving a continent, Marshall gets a pafor failing to meet today’s quota for snappy one-liners。

George Marshall，1880-1959，美国将军、政治家，出任国务卿期间，推出欧洲复兴计划。

John F. Kennedy, American University, 1963

Words of Wisdom:

“Let us examine our attitude toward peace itself. Too many of us think it is impossible. Too many think it unreal. But that is a dangerous, defeatist belief. It leads to the conclusion that war is inevitable, that mankind is doomed, that we are gripped by forces we cannot control。

“We need not accept that view. Our problems are man-made — therefore, they can be solved by man. And man can be as big as he wants. No problem of human destiny is beyond human beings. Man’s reason and spirit have often solved the seemingly unsolvable — and we believe they can do it again.”

Consider the last time you witnessed an exchange about the thorny issues on today’s agenda — pork-barrel spending, say, or instituting universal health care. Chances are the discussion was conducted in weary, whispered tones. Pragmatism is in, and talk of grand solutions is the kiof death for many a politician. Reading ‘s 1963 addreto American University graduates on the need for world peace is a reminder of how much our political discourse has changed — and, in many ways, diminished. Say this for the President: he made no small plans。

John F. Kennedy，美国前总统。

Bradley Whitford, Wisconsin, 2006

Words of Wisdom:

“Take action. Every story you’ve ever connected with, every leader you’ve ever admired, every puny little thing that you’ve ever accomplished is the result of taking action. You have a choice. You can either be a passive victim of circumstance or you can be the active hero of your own life. Action is the antidote to apathy and cynicism and despair. You will inevitably make mistakes. Learn what you can and move on. At the end of your days, you will be judged by your gallop, not by your stumble.”

As an actor, Whitford’s most famous character was The West Wing’s Josh Lyman, a pragmatic political wonk with a drive to win and no compunction about kneecapping his foes. So it’s a little strange to read Whitford’s earnest advice for overcoming adversity. But there’s no denying that his addremakes a heartfelt, inspiring read。

Bradley Whitford，美国著名电影演员。

Barbara Kingsolver, Duke, 2008

Words of Wisdom:

“If somebody says ‘Your money or your life,’ you could say, ‘Life.’ And mean it. You’ll see things collapse in your time, the big houses, the empires of glass. The new green things that sprout up through the wreck — those will be yours。

“The arc of history is longer than human vision. It bends. We abolished slavery, we granted universal suffrage. We have done hard things before. And every time it took a terrible fight between people who could not imagine changing the rules, and those who said, ‘We already did. We have made the world new.’ The hardest part will be to convince yourself of the possibilities, and hang on.”

At Duke in 2008, Kingsolver, the author of a dozen books (including The Poisonwood Bible)， didn’t shy away from weighty matters. Without being preachy, she enumerated the perils of climate change, of the all-consuming need to accumulate wealth and of, in this age of digital connectedness, our increasing isolation from one another. But this beautifully written speech ends on a hopeful note. “The ridiculously earnest are known to travel in groups,” she said. “And they are known to change the world.”

Barbara Kingsolver，美国作家。

Stephen Colbert, Knox College, 2006

Words of Wisdom:

“I have two last pieces of advice. First, being pre-approved for a credit card does not mean you have to apply for it. And lastly, the best career advice I can give you is to get your own TV show. It pays well, the hours are good, and you are famous. And eventually some very nice people will give you a doctorate in fine arts for doing jack squat.”

Did Knox College invite as its 2006 commencement speaker Stephen Colbert the comedian or Stephen Colbert the invented TV personality? When the political satirist and host of Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report took the podium in Galesburg, Ill., no one knew which version of Colbert they would get — not even the man himself. “I’m not sure which one of us you invited to speak here today,” he said. “I’m just going to talk and I’m going to let you figure it out.”

Colbert rambled about everything from overdue library books to the Dred Scott case, but ended with one piece of earnest advice. “Cynicism is a self-imposed blindness, a rejection of the world because we are afraid it will hurt us or be disappointed in us,” he told the claof 2006. “Cynics always say no ... for as long as you have the strength to, say yes.”