公众人物毕业演讲第306期:亚马逊创始人贝佐斯普林斯顿大学毕业演讲(5)

 Will you wilt¹ under criticism, or will you follow your convictions?

你们会屈从于批评，还是会坚守信念？

Will you bluff² it out when you're wrong, or will you apologize?

你们会掩饰错误，还是会坦诚道歉？

Will you guard your heart against rejection³, or will you act when you fall in love?

你们会因害怕拒绝而掩饰内心，还是会在面对爱情时勇往直前？

Will you play it safe, or will you be a little bit swashbuckling?

你们想要波澜不惊，还是想要搏击风浪？

When it's tough, will you give up, or will you be relentless⁴?

你们会在严峻的现实之下选择放弃，还是会义无反顾地前行？

Will you be a cynic, or will you be a builder?

你们要做愤世嫉俗者，还是踏实的建设者？

Will you be clever at the expense of others, or will you be kind?

你们要不计一切代价地展示聪明，还是选择善良？

I will hazard a prediction.

我要做一个预测。

When you are 80 years old, and in a quiet moment of reflection narrating⁵ for only yourself the most personal version of your life story,

在你们80岁时某个追忆往昔的时刻，只有你一个人静静对内心诉说着你的人生故事，

the telling that will be most compact and meaningful will be the series of choices you have made.

其中最为充实、最有意义的那段讲述，会被你们作出的一系列决定所填满。

In the end, we are our choices.

最后，是选择塑造了我们的人生。

Build yourself a great story.

为你自己塑造一个伟大的人生故事。

Thank you and good luck!

谢谢聆听，好运！

1 wilt   

v.(使)植物凋谢或枯萎；(指人)疲倦，衰弱

参考例句：

• Golden roses do not wilt and will never need to be watered.金色的玫瑰不枯萎绝也不需要浇水。
• Several sleepless nights made him wilt.数个不眠之夜使他憔悴。

2 bluff   

v.虚张声势，用假象骗人；n.虚张声势，欺骗

参考例句：

• His threats are merely bluff.他的威胁仅仅是虚张声势。
• John is a deep card.No one can bluff him easily.约翰是个机灵鬼。谁也不容易欺骗他。

3 rejection   

n.拒绝，被拒，抛弃，被弃

参考例句：

• He decided not to approach her for fear of rejection.他因怕遭拒绝决定不再去找她。
• The rejection plunged her into the dark depths of despair.遭到拒绝使她陷入了绝望的深渊。

4 relentless   

adj.残酷的，不留情的，无怜悯心的

参考例句：

• The traffic noise is relentless.交通车辆的噪音一刻也不停止。
• Their training has to be relentless.他们的训练必须是无情的。

5 narrating   

v.故事( narrate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• She entertained them by narrating her adventures in Africa. 她讲述她在非洲的历险来使他们开心。
• [Mike Narrating] Worm and I fall into our old rhythm like Clyde Frazier and Pearl Monroe. [迈克叙述] 虫子和我配合得象以前一样默契我们两好象是克莱德。弗瑞泽和佩尔。门罗。 来自电影对白