You see， even though back then Barackwas Senator and a presidential candidate…tome， he was still the guy whod picked me upfor our dates in a car that was so rusted out…he was the guy whose proudest possessionwas a coffee table hed found in a dumpster，and whose only pair of decent shoes was halfa size too small.
But when Barack started telling meabout his family thats when I knew I hadfound a kindred spirit， someone whosevalues and upbringing were so much likemine.
My father was a pump operator at thecity water plant， and he was diagnosed withMultiple Sclerosis when my brother andI were young. And even as a kid， I knewthere were plenty of mornings when it was astruggle for him to simply get out of bed.
But every morning， I watched my fatherwake up with a smile. And when he returnedhome after a long days work， my brotherand I would stand at the top of the stairs toour little apartment， patiently waiting to greethim….But despite these challenges， my dadhardly ever missed a day of work…he andmy mom were determined to give me andmy brother the kind of education they couldonly dream of.
You see， for my dad， thats what itmeant to be a man.
你们瞧，即便当时贝拉克已经是一名参议员兼总统候选人了，对我而言，他仍是那个开着辆锈迹斑斑的破车来接我去约会的男子，仍是那个把一张从垃圾箱里翻出来的咖啡桌当作自己最了不起的财产的男子，那个仅有的一双体面的比自己的脚还小了半号的鞋子男子。
然而，当贝拉克开始向我讲述他的家庭时——就在那一刻，我明白我遇到了一个志同道合的灵魂，他的价值观和成长经历与我惊人地相似。
我的父亲是城市水厂的一名水泵操作员，在我和哥哥很小的时候就被诊断出患有多发性硬化症。即使当时还小，我也知道有许多清晨，就连起床对他来说都是一场痛苦挣扎。
然而每天早晨，我都看到父亲面带微笑地醒来。然后，当他在一天漫长的工作后，我和哥哥会站在通往我家小公寓的楼梯顶上，耐心地等着迎接他回家，然而无论多么艰难，我父亲从未请过一天假，他和我母亲决心要让我和哥哥接受他们梦寐以求的教育。
你们瞧，对我的父亲来说，这是身为一个男人的责任。
Like so many of us， that was themeasure of his success in life being ableto earn a decent living that allowed him tosupport his family.
And as I got to know Barack， I realizedthat even though hed grown up all the wayacross the country， hed been brought upjust like me.
Barack was raised by a single motherwho struggled to pay the bills， and bygrandparents who stepped in when sheneeded help. Baracks grandmother startedout as a secretary at a community bank…and she moved quickly up the ranks…but like so many women， she hit a glassceiling. Baracks family continued to scrapeby. But day after day， she kept on wakingup at dawn to catch the bus…arriving atwork before anyone else…giving her bestwithout complaint or regret. And she wouldoften tell Barack， “So long as you kids dowell， Bar， thats all that really matters.”
就和我们中的很多人一样，这就是他衡量生命成功与否的方式——能否靠工作让自己的家庭过上体面的生活。
当我逐渐开始了解贝拉克之后，我发现虽然他在美国的另一头长大，他的成长经历却和我惊人地相似。
贝拉克成长在一个单亲家庭里，他的母亲依靠努力工作来维持家庭生活，在她实在无力支持的时候，祖父母也会伸出援手。贝拉克的祖母最初在社区银行当秘书，她升职很快，但就和其他许多女性一样，她的升职最终还是受到了性别限制。贝拉克一家只能勉强度日，但一天又一天，她仍然早起去赶公交车，比其他任何人都早到公司，她总是做到最好，从不抱怨，从不懊悔。而且，她常常这样告诉贝拉克：“只要你的孩子过得好，巴，其他什么都不重要。”
Like so many American families， ourfamilies werent asking for much. They didntbegrudge anyone elses success or care thatothers had much more than they did…in fact，they admired it. They simply believed in thatfundamental American promise that， even if youdont start out with much， if you work hard anddo what youre supposed to do， then you shouldbe able to build a decent life for yourself and aneven better life for your kids and grandkids.
Thats how they raised us…thats what welearned from their example.
We learned about dignity and decencythat how hard you work matters more thanhow much you make…that helping othersmeans more than just getting ahead yourself.
We learned about honesty and integritythat the truth matters…that you dont takeshortcuts or play by your own set of rules…and success doesnt count unless you earn itfair and square.
We learned about gratitude and humilitythat so many people had a hand in oursuccess， from the teachers who inspired usto the janitors who kept our school clean…and we were taught to value everyonescontribution and treat everyone with respect.
Those are the values Barack and I and somany of you are trying to pass on to our ownchildren.
Thats who we are.
就和许许多多美国家庭一样，我们俩的家庭都知足常乐。他们并不嫉妒其他人的成功，也不在意其他人是否比他们拥有更多。事实上，他们为此心存感激。他们就是怀揣着最根本的美国梦，也就是说，哪怕你出身贫寒，只要你努力工作，做好本职，那么你就能让自己过上体面的生活，而你的子女和他们的孩子也会过得越来越好。
他们就是这样把我们养育成人，并且成为了我们的学习榜样。
我们学会了做自尊、正派的人——努力工作远比挣钱多少重要，帮助别人比自己争先更有意义。
我们学会了做诚实守信的人——要讲究真相，不能妄图走捷径或耍小伎俩，以及公平争取来的成功才算数。
我们学会了感激和谦卑——我们的成功依靠许多人的帮助，从启迪我们的老师到保持学校整洁的校工，我们学会珍惜每个人的贡献，并尊重待人。
这些是贝拉克和我——以及在场的众多人士——都试图传递给子女的价值观。
我们就是这样的人。
So many of us stand here tonightbecause of their sacrifice， and longing， andsteadfast love…because time and again， theyswallowed their fears and doubts and didwhat was hard.
And if our parents and grandparentscould toil and struggle for us…if they couldraise beams of steel to the sky， send a manto the moon， and connect the world with thetouch of a button…then surely we can keepon sacrificing and building for our own kidsand grandkids.
That is what has made my story， andBaracks story， and so many other Americanstories possible.
If I truly want to leave a better world formy daughters， and all our sons and daughters…if we want to give all our children a foundationfor their dreams and opportunities worthy oftheir promise…if we want to give them thatsense of limitless possibility that belief that，there is always something better out there ifyoure willing to work for it.
Thank you， God bless you， and Godbless America.
在场这么多人今天站在这里，是因为牺牲、渴望，以及坚定的爱，因为一次又一次，他们咽下自己的恐惧和疑虑，去战胜困难。
如果我们的父母和祖父母能为我们艰苦奋斗，如果他们能树立起高耸入云的钢筋大厦，能将人类送上月球，还能轻轻一触按键就连接整个世界，那么，我们当然能继续忘我牺牲，为我们的子女和孙辈建设世界。
这也是造就了我的故事、贝拉克的故事，以及其他众多美国人的故事的来源。
因为今天，我的经历告诉我，如果我真的想要为自己的女儿们，以及我们所有人的儿子和女儿们留下一个更好的世界，如果我们想要给予我们所有的孩子们实现梦想的基础和与他们的潜力相称的机遇，如果我们想要让他们感觉到无限的可能性——相信在这里，只要你愿意为之努力，就一定会比现在更好。
感谢大家，上帝保佑你们，上帝保佑美国。