库克于杜克大学的毕业演讲

1、Hello, Blue Devils! Its great to be back.Its an honor to stand before youboth as your commencement speaker and a fellow Duke graduate.I earned my degree from the Fuqua School in 1988. In preparing for this speech, I reached out to one of my favorite professors from back then. Bob Reinheimer taught a

2、 great course in Management Communications, which included sharpening your public speaking skills.We hadnt spoken for decades, so I was thrilled when he told me: he remembered a particularly gifted public speaker who took his class in the 1980sWith a bright mind and a charming personality!He said he

3、 knewway back thenthis person was destined for greatness.You can imagine how this made me feel. Professor Reinheimer had an eye for talent. And, if I do say so, I think his instincts were rightMelinda Gates has really made her mark on the world. Im grateful to Bob, Dean Boulding, and all of my Duke

4、professors. Their teachings have stayed with me throughout my career.I want to thank President Price, the Duke Faculty, and my fellow members of the Board of Trustees for the honor of speaking with you today. Id also like to recognize this years honorary degree recipients.And most of all, congratula

5、tions to the class of 2018!No graduate gets to this moment alone. I want to acknowledge your parents, grandparents and friends here cheering you on, just as they have every step of the way. Lets give them our thanks.Today especially, I remember my mother, who watched me graduate from Duke. I wouldnt

6、 have been there that dayor made it here todaywithout her support.Lets give our special thanks to all the mothers here today, on Mothers Day.I have wonderful memories here. Studyingand not studyingwith people I still count as friends to this day. Cheering at Cameron for every victory. Cheering even

7、louder when that victory is over Carolina.Look back over your shoulder fondly and say goodbye to act one of your life. And then quickly look forward. Act two begins today. Its your turn to reach out and take the baton.You enter the world at a time of great challenge.Our country is deeply dividedand

8、too many Americans refuse to hear any opinion that differs from their own.Our planet is warming with devastating consequencesand there are some who deny its even happening.Our schools and communities suffer from deep inequalitywe fail to guarantee every student the right to a good education.And yet

9、we are not powerless in the face of these problems. You are not powerless to fix them.No generation has ever held more power than yours. And no generation has been able to make change happen faster than yours can. The pace at which progress is possible has accelerated dramatically. Aided by technolo

10、gy, every individual has the tools, potential, and reach to build a better world.That makes this the best time in history to be alive. Whatever you choose to do with your life. Wherever your passion takes you.I urge you to take the power you have been given and use it for good. Aspire to leave this

11、world better than you found it.I didnt always see life as clearly as I do now. But Ive learned the greatest challenge of life is knowing when to break with conventional wisdom.Dont just accept the world you inherit today. Dont just accept the status quo.No big challenge has ever been solved, and no

12、lasting improvement has ever been achieved, unless people dare to try something different.Dare to think different.I was lucky to learn from someone who believed this deeply. Someone who knew that changing the world starts with “following a vision, not a path.” He was my friend and mentor, Steve Jobs

13、.Steves vision was that great ideas come from a restless refusal to accept things as they are. And those principles still guide us at Apple today.We reject the notion that global warming is inevitable. Thats why we run Apple on 100% renewable energy.We reject the excuse that getting the most out of

14、technology means trading away your right to privacy. So we choose a different path: Collecting as little of your data as possible. Being thoughtful and respectful when its in our care. Because we know it belongs to you.In every way, at every turn, the question we ask ourselves is not what can we do

15、but what should we do.Because Steve taught us thats how change happens. And from him I learned to never be content with things as they are.I believe this mindset comes naturally to young peopleand you should never let go of that restlessness.So todays ceremony isnt just about presenting you with a d

16、egree, its about presenting you with a question.How will you challenge the status quo? How will you push the world forward?Fifty years ago todayMay 13th, 1968Robert Kennedy was campaigning in Nebraska, and spoke to a group of students who were wrestling with that same question.Those were troubled ti

17、mes, too. The U.S. was at war in Vietnam. There was violent unrest in Americas cities. And the country was still reeling from the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King a month earlier.Kennedy gave the students a call to action. When you look across this country, and when you see peoples lives held

18、 back by discrimination and poverty when you see injustice and inequality. He said, you should be the last people to accept things as they are.Let Kennedys words echo here today. “You should be the last people to accept it.”Whatever path youve chosenBe it medicine, business, engineering, the humanit

19、ieswhatever drives your passion.Be the last to accept the notion that the world you inherit cannot be improved.Be the last to accept the excuse that says, “thats just how things are done here.” Duke graduates, you should be the last people to accept it. And you should be the first to change it.The w

20、orld-class education youve receivedthat youve worked so hard forgives you opportunities that few people have.You are uniquely qualified, and therefore uniquely responsible, to build a better way forward. That wont be easy. It will require great courage.But that courage will not only help you live yo

21、ur life to the fullestit will empower you to transform the lives of others.Last month I was in Birmingham to mark the fiftieth anniversary of Dr. Kings assassination. And I had the incredible privilege of spending time with women and men who marched and worked alongside him.Many of them were younger

22、 at the time than you are now. They told me that when they defied their parents and joined the sit-ins and boycotts, when they faced the police dogs and firehoses, they were risking everything they hadbecoming foot soldiers for justice without a second thought.Because they knew that change had to co

23、me.Because they believed so deeply in the cause of justice.Because they knew,even with all the adversity they had faced, they had the chance to build something better for the next generation.We can all learn from their example. If you hope to change the world, you must find your fearlessness.Now, if

24、 youre anything like I was on graduation day, maybe youre not feeling so fearless.Maybe youre thinking about the job you hope to get, or wondering where youre going to live, or how to repay that student loan. These, I know, are real concerns. I had them, too. But dont let those worries stop you from

25、 making a difference.Fearlessness means taking the first step, even if you dont know where it will take you. It means being driven by a higher purpose, rather than by applause. It means knowing that you reveal your character when you stand apart, more than when you stand with the crowd.If you step u

26、p, without fear of failure if you talk and listen to each other, without fear of rejection if you act with decency and kindness, even when no one is looking, even if it seems small or inconsequential, trust me, the rest will fall into place.More importantly, youll be able to tackle the big things wh

27、en they come your way. Its in those truly trying moments that the fearless inspire us.Fearless like the students of Parkland, Floridawho refuse to be silent about the epidemic of gun violence, and have rallied millions to their cause.Fearless like the women who say “me, too” and “times up” women who cast light into dark places, and move us toward a more just and equal future.Fearless like those who fight for the rights of immigrants who understand tha