奥普拉哈佛毕业典礼演讲

"Oh my goodness! I'm at Haaaaaarvard!" That's how Oprah Winfrey began her speech at Harvard University graduation ceremony—in her spirited, signature way. Winfrey also received an honorary Doctor of Law degree from the university before taking to the podium。“OMG，我竟然在哈……佛！”奥普拉·温弗瑞以这样富有激情的标志性方式开始了自己在哈佛大学毕业典礼上的演讲。上台前，她还获得了哈佛大学授予的荣誉法学博士学位。

Winfrey had plenty of inspiring words for the Class of 2013, and also touched on political issues like gun control, immigration, and public education. But the media mogul spent most of her 30-minute speech advising the new graduates on how best to navigate the next chapter of their lives. "My one hope today is that I can be a source of some inspiration," she said. "I'm going to address my remarks to anybody who's ever felt inferior, disadvantaged or screwed by life."温弗瑞用了许多励志的话语鼓励这批2013年毕业的学生，偶尔也谈到枪支管制、移民（微博）、公共教育等一些政治话题。但是在30分钟左右的演讲里，这位传媒大亨大部分时间都在告诉刚刚毕业的学生们如何走好人生的下一段征程。“我今天有个心愿，就是能带给你们一些鼓舞，”她说，“我将要说的这些话献给所有曾感到卑微、弱势或生活一片狼藉的人。”

Four most inspiring quotes from Winfrey's speech温弗瑞演讲中4条最励志的语录

1. On the good that came come from failure。谈失败的好处

"It doesn't matter how far you might rise. At some point, you are bound to stumble. If you're constantly pushing yourself higher and higher, the law of averages predicts that you will at some point fall. And when you do, I want you to remember this: There is no such thing as failure. Failure is just life trying to move us in another direction. Now, when you're down there in the hole, it looks like failure. When that moment comes, it's okay to feel bad for a little while. Give yourself time to mourn what you think you may have lost. But then, here's the key: Learn from every mistake, because every experience, particularly your mistakes, are there to teach you and force you into being more who you are."

There is no such thing as failure. Failure is just life trying to move us in another direction。世间并不存在“失败”，那不过是生活想让我们换条道走走罢了。

Learn from every mistake, because every experience, particularly your mistakes, are there to teach you and force you into being more who you are。要从错误中吸取教训，因为你的每一次经历、尤其是你犯下的错误，都将帮助你、推动你更好地做自己。

2. On her own biggest personal failure。谈自身最大的失败

"The Oprah Winfrey Show was number one in our spot for 21 years, and I have to tell you, I became pretty comfortable with that level of success. But a couple of years ago, I decided, as you will at some point, that it was time to recalculate, find new territory, and break new ground. So I ended the show and launched OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network. One year later, after launching OWN, nearly every media outlet had proclaimed that my new venture was a flop ... I can still remember the day I opened up USA Today and read the headline, 'Oprah: Not Quite Standing On Her OWN' ... It really was the worst period in my professional life. I was stressed and I was frustrated, and quite frankly, I was embarrassed ... Then the words came to me, 'trouble don't last always,' from an old hymn. This too shall pass. And I thought, I am going to turn this thing around and I will be better for it. And I am here to tell you that I have turned that network around."

Then the words came to me, 'trouble don't last always,' from an old hymn. This too shall pass. And I thought, I am going to turn this thing around and I will be better for it。我突然想到某首古老赞美诗中的一句话：“困难只是暂时的”，我遇到的麻烦同样会有结束的一天。然后我想，我会将这一页翻过去，我会好起来的。

3. On the common thread of all the interviews she's conducted during her career。谈职业生涯所做访谈的共同性

"The single most important lesson I learned in 25 years talking every single day to people, was that there's a common denominator in our human experience. The common denominator I found in every single interview is we want to be validated. We want to be understood. I've done over 35,000 interviews in my career. And as soon as that camera shuts off, and inevitably in their own way, everyone asks this question: 'Was that okay?' I heard it from President Bush, I heard it from President Obama, I've heard it from heroes and from housewives, I've heard it from victims and perpetrators of crimes. I even heard it from Beyonce in all her Beyonce-ness ... They all want to know: 'Was that okay? Did you hear me? Did you see me? Did what I said mean anything to you?'"

The common denominator I found in every single interview is we want to be validated. We want to be understood。我发现，我所有的访谈有一个共同性，那就是人人都希望自己被认可、被理解。

They all want to know: 'Was that okay? Did you hear me? Did you see me? Did what I said mean anything to you?'我的采访对象都想知道：“我的表现OK吗？你听到我看到我吗？我说的话对你有价值吗？”

4. On the key to success and happiness。谈成功和快乐的关键

"You will find true success and happiness if you have only one goal. There really is only one, and that is this: To fulfill the highest, most truthful expression of yourself as a human being. You want to max out your humanity by using your energy to lift yourself up, your family, and the people around you. Theologian Howard Thurman said it best. He said, 'Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.'"

You will find true success and happiness if you have only one goal. There really is only one, and that is this: To fulfill the highest, most truthful expression of yourself as a human being。如果你只认准一个目标，那你就能获得真正的成功和快乐。人生确实只有一个目标，那就是：最大程度地、最真实地展现自己。

'Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.'“不要问自己世界需要什么，问问是什么让你充满活力地活着，然后就去做，因为世界所需要的就是一个个朝气蓬勃的人。”

本文来源：沪江英语