名人英语演讲稿(6)

but, i’ve been very fortunate because i’ve always had an idea in my mind about what i thought was important and what gave my life meaning and purpose. a set of values and beliefs that have helped me navigate the shoals, the sometimes very treacherous sea, to illuminate my own true desires, despite that others say about what l should care about and believe in. a passion to succeed at what l thought was important and children have always provided that lone star, that guiding light. because l have that absolute conviction that every child, especially in this, the most blessed of nations that has ever existed on the face of earth, that every child deserves the opportunity to live up to his or her god-given potential.

but you know that belief and conviction-it may make for a personal mission statement, but standing alone, not translated into action, it means very little to anyone else, particularly to those for whom you have those concerns.

when i was thinking about running for the united states senate-which was such an enormous decision to make, one i never could have dreamed that i would have been making when i was here on campus-i visited a school in new york city and i met a young woman, who was a star athlete.

i was there because of billy jean king promoting an hbo special about women in sports called “dare to compete.” it was about title ix and how we finally, thanks to government action, provided opportunities to girls and women in sports.

and although i played not very well at intramural sports, i have always been a strong supporter of women in sports. and i was introduced by this young woman, and as i went to shake her hand she obviously had been reading the newspapers about people saying i should or shouldn’t run for the senate. and i was congratulating her on the speech she had just made and she held onto my hand and she said, “dare to compete, mrs. clinton. dare to compete.”

i took that to heart because it is hard to compete sometimes, especially in public ways, when your failures are there for everyone to see and you don’t know what is going to happen from one day to the next. and yet so much of life, whether we like to accept it or not, is competing with ourselves to be the best we can be, being involved in classes or professions or just life, where we know we are competing with others.

i took her advice and i did compete because i chose to do so. and the biggest choices that you’ll face in your life will be yours alone to make. i’m sure you’ll receive good advice. you’re got a great education to go back and reflect about what is right for you, but you eventually will have to choose and i hope that you will dare to compete. and by that i don’t mean the kind of cutthroat competition that is too often characterized by what is driving america today. i mean the small voice inside you that says to you, you can do it, you can take this risk, you can take this next step.