演讲文本

Sort of. I'm going to explain briefly, how that happened

对吧 算是吧 我将简短的描述 我是如何飞黄腾达的

I want you to understand just how mysterious careers can be before you go out and have one yourself

我希望你们在走出校门追寻自己的事业前 能够明白事业发展本身是多么神秘

So I graduated from Princeton without having published a word of anything, anywhere

我从普林斯顿毕业的时候 从来没有在任何地方任何时间发表任何东西

I didn't write for the Prince or for anyone else

我没有为the Prince刊物 或任何人写过任何文章

But at Princeton, studying art history

然而在普林斯顿大学 作为艺术史系的学生

I felt the first twinge of literary ambition

我第一次有了在文学界施展抱负的冲动

It happened while working on my senior thesis

这是在我写毕业论文的时候发生的

My adviser was a really gifted man professor named William Childs

我的导师是个超有天分的人 William Childs教授

The thesis I wrote for him... I tried to explain how the Italian sculptor

我毕业论文的题目是 研究意大利雕塑家Donatello

Donatello used Greek and Roman sources that's actually totally beside the point but I've always wanted to tell someone

如何借鉴了希腊和罗马资源 其实这跟今天的题目半毛钱关系都没有 只是我一直喜欢让别人知道

God knows what Professor Childs actually thought of it but he helped me to become engrossed

神知道Childs教授是怎么看待这个题目的 但他却帮助我全心投入

Actually more than engrossed, totally obsessed

不只是全心投入 根本就是痴迷

When I handed it in I knew what I wanted to do for the rest of my life

当我交上论文的那刻我知道了 我这一生想要从事的事业

I want to write senior theses. Or, to put it differently, to write books

写高级论文 或者说 写书

Then I went to my thesis defense

然后我去了论文答辩

It was just a few yards from here, in McCormick Hall

地方离这不远 就在McCormick厅

I listened and waited for Professor Childs to say how well written my thesis was

我等待着希望听到Childs教授告诉我 我的论文写得多么好

He didn't. And so after about 45 minutes I finally said

但他没有 于是等了45分钟后 我终于问

So. What did you think of the writing?

那你怎么评价我的写作呢？

Put it this way, he said. Never try to make a living at it

这么说吧 他说 千万不要靠这个谋生

And I didn't, not really

所以我放弃了 其实不是

I did what everyone does who has no idea what to do with themselves

我做了所有人不知道该做什么时做的那件事

I get out of the college and went to graduate school

去读研究生

人物简介和演讲视频

人物简介
当莘莘学子走出象牙塔，迈向社会，怎样做好从学子到社会人的华丽转变呢？我们可以从风云学长们的成长故事和忠告中获得些什么呢？面对一份收益优厚的工作，对于自己怀揣的梦想，你会做出怎样的抉择？或许，2012年普林斯顿大学Michael Lewis的毕业演讲能够让你有所收获。