They are the principles on which my wife and I have tried to bring up our family. They are the principles in which my father believed and by which he governed his life. They are the principles, many of them, which I learned at my mother’s knee.
They point the way to usefulness and happiness in life, to courage and peace in death. 這些信條指示我們一條活得快樂有用、死得勇敢安詳的道路。
If they mean to you what they mean to me, they may perhaps be helpful also to our sons for their guidance and inspiration 如果它們對你的意義正如對我一樣，它們或許也將有助於使我們的子女獲得引導和啟發。
Let me state them: 讓我加以陳述如下：
I believe in the supreme worth of the individual and in his right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. 我相信個人至高無上的價值及其生存、自由與追求幸福的權利。
I believe that every right implies a responsibility; every opportunity, an obligation; every possession, a duty. 我相信每一項權利都伴隨著一種職責；每一個機會都伴隨著一種義務；每一種擁有都伴隨著一種責任。
I believe that the law was made for man and not man for the law; that government is the servant of the people and not their master. 我相信法律係為人而制訂，人並非為法律而存在；政府是人民的僕人，而非人民的主人。
I believe in the dignity of labor, whether with head or hand; that the world owes no man a living but that it owes every man an opportunity to make a living. 我相信勞動的尊嚴，不論是腦力或體力的勞動；世界不欠任何人生計，但它欠每人一個謀生的機會。
I believe that thrift is essential to well-ordered living and that economy is a prime requisite of a sound financial structure, whether in government, business, or personal affairs. 我相信儉樸是井然有序的生活所必需；節約是健全的財務結構之主要條件，不論是政府、企業或個人之事務皆是如此。
I believe that truth and justice are fundamental to an enduring social order. 我相信真理與正義是社會秩序長久維繫的基礎。
I believe in the sacredness of a promise, that a man’s word should be as good as his bond, that character—not wealth or power or position—is of supreme worth. 我相信諾言的神聖，一句承諾應該如同契約一般有效；品格一而非財富或權勢或地位－具有至為崇高的價值。
I believe that the rendering of useful service is the common duty of mankind and that only in the purifying fire of sacrifice is the dross of selfishness consumed and the greatness of the human soul set free. 我相信提供有用的服務是人類共同的責任，唯有在犧牲奉獻的煉火中，自私自利的渣滓始能燒燬，而人類靈魂的偉大也才能發揮出來。
I believe in an all-wise and all-loving God, named by whatever name, and that the individual’s highest fulfillment, greatest happiness, and widest usefulness are to be found in living in harmony with his will. 我相信全能博愛的上帝，不論其名稱為何；而個人最高的成就，最大的幸福以及最廣的用途都將在符合上帝意旨的生活中始能找到。
I believe that love is the greatest thing in the world; that it alone can overcome hate; that right can and will triumph over might. 我相信愛是世界上最偉大的東西；只有愛能夠克服仇恨；公理能夠而且必將戰勝強權。
These are the principles, however formulated, for which all good men and women throughout the world, irrespective of race or creed, education, social position, or occupation, are standing, and for which many of them are suffering and dying. 不管如何陳述，這些就是全世界所有善良的男女，不分種族、信仰、教育、地位或職業，所共同支持的原則，為了這些原則，他們當中許多人正在熬受苦難或死亡。
These are the principles upon which alone a new world recognizing the brotherhood of man and the fatherhood of God can be established. 唯有在這些信條的基礎上，一個肯定人類手足情和上帝慈父愛的新世界始能建立起來。
站长信箱：ebigear@yahoo.com.cn 英语交流QQ群 捐助贫困儿童
贡献文章
打印文章
收藏文章
