亲爱的公民同胞们：
今天我站在这里，面对眼前的任务，深感责任重大。感谢你们给予我的信任，我也清楚前辈们为这个国家所作的牺牲。我要感谢布什总统对国家的服务，感谢他在两届政府过渡期间给予的慷慨协作。
时至今日，已有44位美国总统宣誓就职。总统的宣誓有时面对的是国家的和平繁荣，有时面临的是狂风骤雨的紧张形势。在这种时刻，支持美国前进的不仅仅是领导人的能力和远见，更是美国人民对先驱者理想的坚定信仰，以及对美国建国宣言的忠诚。
过去是这样，我们这一代美国人也要如此。
我 们都很清楚，我们正处于危机之中。我们的国家正在对触角广泛的暴力和仇恨网络宣战。国家的经济也受到了严重的削弱，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。家园失去了；工作丢掉了；商业萧条了。我们的医疗卫生耗资巨大；我们的学校让许多人失望；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。
这些，是从数据和统计中可以看到的危机信号。而更难以衡量但同样意义深远的是美国人自信心的丧失──现在一种认为美国衰落不可避免，我们的下一代必须降低期待的恐惧正在吞噬着我们的自信。
今天我要向你们说的是，我们面临的挑战是真实存在的。这些挑战很多，也很严重，它们不会轻易地或者在短时间内就得以克服。但记住这一点：美国终将渡过难关。
今天，我们聚集在这里，是因为我们选择了希望而不是恐惧，团结而不是冲突与争执。
今天，我们在这里宣布要为无谓的抱怨、不实的承诺和指责画上句号，我们要打破牵制美国政治发展的陈旧教条。
我们仍是一个年轻的国家，但借用《圣经》的话说，摒弃幼稚的时代已经来临。是时候重树我们坚韧的精神；选择我们更好的历史；弘扬那些珍贵的天赋和高尚的理念，并代代传承下去，即上帝赋予的信念：天下众生皆平等，众生皆自由，且均应有追求最大幸福的机会。
在 重申我们国家伟大之处的同时，我们深知伟大从来不是上天赐予的，而是要靠我们努力争取。我们从不抄捷径，也不会退而求其次。我们的历程不属于那些胆怯懦 弱、享受安逸或追逐名利之人。这条历程属于勇于承担风险者，属于实干家和创造者，他们中的一些人名留青史，但更多的人却在默默无闻地工作着。正是这些人带 领我们走过了漫长崎岖的旅途，带领我们走向富强和自由。
为了我们，他们背起简单的行囊漂洋过海寻找新的生活；为了我们，先辈们忍辱负重，用血汗浇铸工厂；为了我们，他们在诸如（独立战争时的)康科德、（南北战争时的)葛底斯堡、(二战时的）诺曼底和（越南战争时的）溪山等地作战并献出生命。
一次又一次，我们的先辈们战斗着、牺牲着、操劳着，只为了给我们带来更美好的生活。在他们眼中，美国的强盛与伟大超越了个人雄心，也超越了个人的出身、贫富和派别差异。
我 们仍在继续着这一历程。美国仍是世界上最繁荣、最强大的国家。危机的发生并未削弱我们工人的生产力，我们仍拥有善于创造发明的头脑，我们的商品和服务仍像 上一周、一个月乃至一年前那样受到青睐。我们的能力并未被削弱。但是墨守成规、着眼小利、不肯做艰难决定的时代已经过去了。从今天开始，我们必须振奋起 来，扫去心头阴霾，再次投入到重整国家的工作中来。
放眼望去，到处都有工作要做。国家的经济状况需要我们采取大胆迅速的行动，不光是为了 创造新的就业，也是为增长奠定新的基础。我们将修建路桥、电网、数据线路，不仅仅是为了促进商业也是为了将我们紧密相连。我们将恢复科学应有的地位、并用 科技的魔力提高医疗卫生水平、降低就医成本。我们将利用太阳、风以及大地所提供的能源来驱动汽车、开动工厂。我们将改造各级学校，让它们能适应新时代的要 求。所有这一切我们都能做到。所有这一切我们都将做到。
现在，有人质疑我们的目标是不是太大了，他们说我们的系统无法承受过多的宏大计划。他们太健忘了。因为他们忘了这个国家曾经取得过怎样的成绩，他们已经忘了当想象力与共同目标以及必要的勇气结合到一起时，自由的人民所能发挥的能量。
这 些怀疑论者不能理解美国正在发生的改变，曾长期耗费我们精力的陈腐政治争议已不被接受。如今我们提出的问题不是美国政府规模是太大还是太小，而是它是否发 挥应用的作用、是否能帮助美国家庭找到收入理想的工作、可以担负得起的医疗服务和足够安度晚年的退休储蓄。如果答案是肯定的，那么我们要继续执行这些政 策，如果答案是否定的，那么我们就结束这些政策。我们当中所有管理公共资金的人要负起责任，要精打细算、革除陋习，并确保我们的工作受到公众监督，唯有这 样，人民与政府之间至关重要的信任才能得以恢复。
现在摆在我们面前的问题也并非市场究竟是股好的还是坏的力量。市场创造财富、提高自由度 的力量无与伦比，然而当前危机提醒了我们，没有监管，市场可能成为脱缰之马，而且一个只追求繁荣的国家注定不能永葆荣华。一直以来，美国经济的成功并不仅 仅依赖于国内生产总值的规模，还有我们经济繁荣所惠及的范围以及我们赋予每一个心怀渴望的人以机会的能力──这一点并非发自谁的慈悲之心，这是我们实现共 同利益的最可靠途径。
至于共同防卫领域，我们拒绝在自身的安全与理想之间做出取舍的错误选择。我们的国父在面临着我们难以想像的困难之时 还起草了宪法以保障法制与人权，世世代代的美国人用鲜血捍卫并丰富了这份宪法。它里面蕴含的信念至今仍光照世界，我们不能出于一时之便将它放弃。我想对今 天正在观看这个仪式的百姓和官员说--不论他们身处最繁华的都市还是像我父亲出生地那样的小村落--他们应该知道，无论男女老幼，只要他们致力于寻求和平 和有尊严的未来，美国就是他们的朋友，而且我们已准备好再次在这条道路上担当领导。
我们在此回忆先辈，他们战胜了法西斯主义和共产主义， 靠的不只是导弹和坦克，更是靠坚定的盟友和不移的信念。他们明白仅凭武力不足以保护我们，也不能让我们为所欲为。相反，他们知道我们国家实力的增长源于我 们对自己力量的谨慎使用，我们的安全源于所开展事业的正义、我们的榜样力量以及谦卑与克己品质的融合。
我们将信守这一传统。在这些原则的 指导下，我们能够应对这些需要投入更多努力、更多国与国的合作及理解的崭新挑战。我们将开始负责任地从伊拉克撤军，并在阿富汗打造来之不易的和平。我们将 与老友与宿敌一道竭力化解核武威胁，并遏制地球变暖趋势。我们不会为自己的生活方式道歉，我们会坚定不移地捍卫它，对于那些想靠恐怖主义和滥杀无辜来达到 目的的人，我们会对他们说：现在我们的精神力量更加强大，坚不可摧，你们不可能战胜我们，我们注定会打败你们。
这是因为我们知道，大杂烩 的传统是美国的力量所在，而非我们的弱点。我们国家是由基督徒、穆斯林、犹太人、印度教徒和无神论者组成。地球各个角落的语言和文化汇聚成了美国，正是因 为我们曾品尝过南北战争和种族隔离的苦酒，并且在经历了这些黑色的篇章之后变得更加强大更加团结，因此我们毫不犹豫地相信旧日的仇恨终有一天会成为过去， 种族的界线不久就会消失，而且随着世界变得越来越小，人类的共有品性将会自动显现。在引领一个和平新时代的到来方面，美国必须发挥自己的作用。
对 穆斯林世界，我们正在共同利益和彼此尊重的基础上寻求一条新的前行道路。对全球那些想要播种冲突、将自己国家的问题怪罪于西方社会的领导人，你们应该知道 你们的人民将根据你们建设什么而不是摧毁了什么来评价你们。对于那些通过腐败、欺骗、压制异见来统治的人，你们应该知道你们站在了历史的对立面。但是如果 你们愿意放开紧攥的拳头，美国会向你们伸出手。
对贫困国家的人民，我们保证将和你们合作，让你们的农场丰收，让水源清洁，滋补饿坏的身体，滋养饥饿的心灵。对那些与我们一样相对富裕的国家，我们说，不能再对外界的苦难漠不关心，更不能毫无顾忌地消耗世界的资源。世界已经改变，我们也必须随之改变。
当 我们审视前方的道路时，我们以谦卑感激的心想起那些勇敢的美国同胞，他们正在遥远的沙漠和偏僻的山岭上巡逻。今天，我们应该聆听他们的声音，这也是长眠于 阿灵顿国家公墓的先烈们每时每刻都在提醒我们的。我们尊敬他们,不仅是因为他们捍卫了我们的自由，更因为他们代表着奉献精神；他们致力于寻找超越自身的生 命真谛。而此时，在这个将界定一个时代的时刻，我们更需让这种精神长住我们心间。
因为即使政府尽最大努力，尽最大义务，这个国家最终仍得 依靠每个美国人的信念和决心。这种力量是洪灾泛滥时，陌生人间的温情善举；是人们宁可裁减工时也要保全朋友工作共同度过经济最困难时期的无私忘我；这是消 防员们毅然冲入浓烟火海的无畏勇气，也是父母培养孩子的无私之心，孩子最终决定我们的命运。
或许，我们今日面临着全新的挑战，我们迎接挑 战的工具完全陌生。但是，我们赖以走向成功的价值观──勤劳、诚实、勇敢、公正、宽容、好奇、忠诚和爱国──从未改变。这些价值观是真实的。它们是推动我 们历史进步的沉默的力量。我们所需的就是回归这些真实的价值。如今我们需要的是一个勇于负责的新时代。人人都需要认识到，我们对自己，对国家乃至整个世 界，都负有责任。我们不会抱怨，而会欣然接受这份责任，坚信没有什么能比承担艰巨的任务更让人的精神充实，更能塑造我们的性格。
这是公民应尽的义务，应做的承诺。
这是我们信心的源泉──认识到上帝召唤我们对难以琢磨的命运进行塑造。
这是我们所崇尚的自由与信念的真谛──这就是为什么今天，不同肤色，不同信仰的男女老幼在这个大草坪上汇聚一堂；这就是为什么六十年前，一位黑人父亲走入餐厅甚至无人理睬，而今天他的儿子可以站在这里，在你们面前许下最庄严的誓言。
所以让我们铭记这一天，铭记我们的身份和我们走过的道路。在我们的国家诞生那一年，先辈们在最寒冷的日子里，围聚在结冰的河边靠微弱的篝火取暖。首都失守，敌军不断挺近，鲜血染红了白雪。就在革命的成果倍受质疑之时，我们的国父下令向人民宣读这样几句话：
“让这段话流传后世……当一切陷入寒冬，万物俱灭，只有希望和勇气可以长存……这座城市和这个国家，在共同的危机下团结起来，共同面对前方的艰难。”
这 就是美国。面对我们共同的危机，在这艰难的寒冬，让我们牢记那些不朽的字句。怀着希望和勇气，让我们再一次冲破结冰的逆流，迎接任何可能来临的狂风骤雨。 让我们的子孙传唱，当我们面对考验时，我们拒绝结束我们的旅程，我们没有回头，没有踟蹰不前。我们在上帝的关爱下眺望远方，我们带着自由这个伟大的礼物， 将它安全地传递给未来的世世代代。
Barack Obama
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Barack Obama’s Inaugural Address
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 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 moments, 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 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 age. 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. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land - a nagging fear that America’s 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 met 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.
On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.
We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.
In reaffirming the greatness 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 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 new 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 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 productive 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 - that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.
For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act - not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology’s wonders to raise health care’s quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.
Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions - who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.
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 apply. 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 will end. And those of us who manage the public’s 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 a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control - and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart - not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.
As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience’s sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.
Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism 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 knew 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 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 warming 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.
Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions - who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.
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 apply. 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 will end. And those of us who manage the public’s 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 a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control - and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart - not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.
As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience’s sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.
Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism 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 knew 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 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 warming 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 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 segregation, 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 grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.
To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society’s 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 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 plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world’s 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 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 service; 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 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 firefighter’s courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent’s 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 and 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 duties 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 citizenship.
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 father 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.
So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America’s birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:
"Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]."
America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children’s children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God’s grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.
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