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, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are the 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—honesty and hard work, 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.”
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.
Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America.
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同胞们：
今天，我站在这里，肩上的重任令我感到自己非常渺小，而你们的信任令我心怀感激，我要把先辈们曾作出的巨大牺牲铭记于心。我要感谢布什总统为这个国家作出的贡献，同时感谢他在政权交接过程中表现出的风度与合作。
迄今，已经有44位美国人宣誓就任总统。在喧闹的繁荣时期与宁静的和平时期，当然更多的还是在乌云密布或狂风暴雨之时，前辈们都曾立下这些誓言。无论何时，美国从未停下前进的步伐，这不仅是因为执政者的技巧和远见卓识，还因为我们的人民一直坚守先辈们的理想，忠诚地履行我们建国时的誓言。
以前是这样，我们这一代美国人仍要这样。
大家都知道，我们现在陷入危机，我们国家正处于激战中，而我们的敌人就是暴力和仇恨。某些人的贪婪和不负责任，令我们的经济受到了重创，当然，这也是因为在面对困境，需要作出抉择，为新世纪做准备时，我们出现了集体性失误。我们失去了房屋、丢掉了工作，商业陷入了萧条。我们在卫生保健方面花费过大，在建设学校方面也很失败，而每过一天，我们都能发现更多的证据，证明我们使用能源的策略不当，从而使我们的敌人更加强大，并威胁到了我们的地球。
这些数据和统计资料都表明我们危机四伏，尽管不是很明显，但其所产生的深远影响却在不断地蚕食全国人民的信心——担心美国的衰退会成为必然，担心美国的下一代会降低他们对未来的期望。
今天，我要告诉大家，我们面临的挑战是真实存在的，而且挑战很多很艰巨，很难在短时间内一一解决。但是，我们知道，美国最终会解决这些问题。
我们今天聚集到此，是因为我们选择了用希望来克服恐惧，团结一心战胜矛盾和冲突。我们今天聚集到此，是为了宣布结束那些抱怨和错误的承诺，结束那长久以来扼杀我们政治的相互指责和陈腐的教条。
我们的国家仍然是一个年轻的国家，但遵照《圣经》的指示，我们已经到了该摒弃幼稚行为的时候，到了要重申我们不朽的精神、选择更好的历史的时候，我们要弘扬珍贵的天赋、崇高的思想，并代代相传。上帝认为，所有人都是平等的，所有人都是自由的，而且所有人都有机会追求自己的幸福。
在重申我们国家的伟大的同时，我们必须明白，伟大从来都不是靠别人赠予的，而是要靠自己努力争取。我们的征途从来没有捷径可走，也从不属于那些胆怯、好逸恶劳或追名逐利的人，它只属于那些冒险家、实干家和制造者。这些人当中不乏声名遐迩的大人物，但他们中的大多数都是默默无闻的劳作者，一直以来，是他们带领我们在漫长坎坷的道路上为了繁荣和自由而奋斗。
为了让我们的生活更加美好，一次又一次地，这些人不停息地奋斗着、贡献着，直到双手刺痛。在他们眼中，“美国”超越了我们所有个人抱负的总和，超越了所有出身、财富或派别的差异。
这就是我们今天依然要继续的旅途。在这个世界上，我们仍然是最繁荣、最强大的国家。这场危机开始以后，我们工人的生产效率并没有下降；我们思想的创造力也没有降低；与上周，上个月，乃至去年相比，对我们的商品和服务的需求并没有减少；我们的能力丝毫没有降低。但是，我们不能再自满于过去，也不能再保护那些狭隘的利益以及令人不悦的决定——从今天开始，我们必须打起精神振作起来，拍拍身上的尘土，重新开始复兴美国的伟大事业。
