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And the people gathered there together that day were ordinary folks doing the best they could to build a good life. See, they were parents trying to get by from paycheck to paycheck; grandparents trying to get it together on a fixed income; men frustrated that they couldn't support their families after jobs had disappeared. You see, those folks weren't asking for a handout or a shortcut. See, they were ready to work. They wanted to contribute. They believed, like you and I believe, that America should be a place where you can make it if you try.
那天人们聚集在一起，他们都是普通人，为了过上美好生活他们竭尽全力地工作。他们是依靠一张又一张的薪水支票过日子的父母；他们是依靠一份固定收入来安享生活的祖父母；他们是失去工作后担心不能支撑家庭的男人。那些人不是祈求施舍或想走捷径，而是准备好去工作。他们想对社会有所贡献。他们相信，就像你我相信，美国应该是一个只要尝试就能够成功的地方。
And Barack stood up that day, and he spoke words that have stayed with me ever since. He talked about the world as it is and the world as it should be. And he said that all too often we accept the distance between the two, and we settle for the world as it is, even when it doesn't reflect our values and aspirations.
那天巴拉克站起来，说了一番我一直不能忘怀的话。他谈论现实的世界和理想的世界。他说我们时常接受了这两个世界之间存在的距离，对现实世界处之泰然，即使这个现实世界并不能反映我们的价值和愿望。
But he reminded us that we also know what the world should like--look like. He said we know what fairness and justice and opportunity look like, and he urged us to believe in ourselves, to find the strength within ourselves to strive for the world as it should be. And isn't that the great American story?
但是他提醒我们说，我们也应该知道理想的世界是个什么样子。他说，我们知道什么是公平和正义，知道什么是机会。他敦促我们要相信我们自己，要从自己那里找到力量为开创一个理想世界而奋斗。那难道不是伟大的美国故事吗？
