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Some seem to believe that our politics can afford to be petty because, in a time of peace, the stakes of our debates appear small.
一些人似乎认为我们的政治制度微不足道，因为在和平时期，我们所争论的话题都是无关紧要的。
But the stakes for America are never small. If our country does not lead the cause of freedom, it will not be led. If we do not turn the hearts of children toward knowledge and character, we will lose their gifts and undermine their idealism. If we permit our economy to drift and decline, the vulnerable will suffer most.
但对于我们美国来说，我们所讨论的问题从来都不是什么小事。如果我们不领导自由事业，那么自由将无人来引领；如果我们不能使孩子热爱知识、发挥个性，他们的天分将会消失，理想将难以实现。如果我们任凭经济衰退，那么社会的弱势群体受到的伤害将会最大。
We must live up to the calling we share. Civility is not a tactic or a sentiment. It is the determined choice of trust over cynicism, of community over chaos. And this commitment, if we keep it, is a way to shared accomplishment.
我们必须听取时代的召唤。谦逊有礼不是策略也不是感情用事。而是我们最坚定的选择，在冷嘲热讽中赢得信任；在杂乱无序中寻求统一。如果我们能遵循这样的承诺，我们将会享有共同的成就。
America, at its best, is also courageous.
美国有强大的国力作后盾，将会勇往直前。
Our national courage has been clear in times of depression and war, when defending common dangers defined our common good. Now we must choose if the example of our fathers and mothers will inspire us or condemn us. We must show courage in a time of blessing by confronting problems instead of passing them on to future generations.
我们的人民在大萧条和战争时期表现得英勇无比，在抵御共同的危险时，体现了我们共同的优秀品质。现在，我们必须做出选择，如果我们作出正确的选择，祖辈一定会激励我们；如果我们的选择是错误的，祖辈就会谴责我们。在这个繁荣昌盛的时期，我们必须展示出我们的勇气，敢于面对问题，而不是将它们遗留给我们的后代。
