歐巴馬就職演說佳句精選‧

Inaugural Address by President Barack Obama

文章中使用了非常多的重複句型 , 並且引用許多名言佳句 , 語氣簡潔有力 , 文法時態清楚明瞭 , 目標明確 , 前後呼應 , 是非常適合作為高階英文教材的一篇演講文

1. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

「我們認為這些真理是不言自明的，所有人生而平等，創造者賦予他們一些特定不可剝奪的權利，包括生命權，自由權和追求幸福的權利。」

2. Today we continue a never-ending journey, to bridge the meaning of those words with the realities of our time. For history tells us that while these truths may be self-evident, they have never been self-executing; that while freedom is a gift from God, it must be secured by His people here on earth.

今天，我們將繼續展開一項永無止境的旅程，讓這些話的意義與我們時代的現實相結合。歷史告訴我們，這些真理雖然不言而喻，它們卻從來不會自動執行，雖然自由是神賜的禮物，它必須靠地球上祂的子民加以確保。
3. Together, we discovered that a free market only thrives when there are rules to ensure competition and fair play. Together, we resolved that a great nation must care for the vulnerable, and protect its people from life's worst hazards and misfortune.

同心協力，我們發現，唯有訂定規則，確保競爭與公平，自由市場方能蓬勃發展。同心協力，我們決定，一個偉大的國家必須照顧弱勢族羣，保護人民免於遭受生命中最大的危險和不幸。

4. This generation of Americans has been tested by crises that steeled our resolve and proved our resilience. A decade of war is now ending. An economic recovery has begun. America's possibilities are limitless, for we possess all the qualities that this world without boundaries demands: youth and drive; diversity and openness; an endless capacity for risk and a gift for reinvention. My fellow Americans,we are made for this moment, and we will    seize it — so long as we seize it together.
這一代的美國人已經歷過危機的測試，更加鍛鍊了我們的決心，證明我們的應變能力。十年的戰爭現在正在結束中。經濟已開始復甦。美國的可能性是無窮的，因為我們擁有無疆界世界所需的所有特質：年輕與動力；多元與開放；對抗風險的無止盡能力，以及再創造的天賦。我的美國同胞們，我們是為這一刻而生，而我們會抓緊這一刻，只要我們是同心協力抓緊它。
5. For we, the people, understand that our country cannot succeed when a shrinking few do very well and a growing many barely make it……..
6. We, the people, still believe that every citizen deserves a basic measure of security and dignity……
7. We, the people, still believe that our obligations as Americans are not just to ourselves, but to all posterity……
8. We, the people, still believe that enduring security and lasting peace do not require perpetual war…..
9. We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths — that all of us are created equal — is the star that guides us still….
我們，人民，瞭解到當愈來愈少的人非常富有，愈來愈多的人僅能餬口，國家不會成功。
我們，人民，仍相信每個公民都值得基本的安全和尊嚴。
我們，人民，仍相信身為美國人的責任不只是顧自己，而是全體的繁榮。
我們，人民，仍相信持久的安全與和平不需要持久的戰爭。我們今天宣示最明顯的真理，就是我們都生而平等，這仍是引領我們的晨星，

10. It is now our generation's task to carry on what those pioneers began. For our journey is not complete until our wives, our mothers, and daughters can earn a living equal to their efforts. Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law — for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well.

接續這些先驅所開展的志業，是我們這一代的使命。我們的旅程不會結束，除非我們的妻子、母親和女兒付出的努力能與她們獲得的報酬相稱。我們的旅程不會結束，除非我們的同志兄弟和姊妹在法律之下享有和其他人同樣的權利，因為我們如果真的生而平等，那麼我們付出給他人的愛應該也是平等的。

11. Our journey is not complete until no citizen is forced to wait for hours to exercise the right to vote. Our journey is not complete until we find a better way to welcome the striving, hopeful immigrants who still see America as a land of opportunity; until bright young students and engineers are enlisted in our workforce rather than expelled from our country. Our journey is not complete until all our children, from the streets of Detroit to the hills of Appalachia to the quiet lanes of Newtown, know that they are cared for, and cherished, and always safe from harm.

我們的旅程不會結束，除非沒有人會為了行使投票權被迫等待幾小時，我們的旅程不會結束，除非我們找到更好的方式，歡迎那些飢餓的、懷抱希望而來的移民，他們仍視美國為機會之地，讓那些充滿天分的年輕學子和工程師成為我們的人力，而非將他們趕出我們的國家。我們的旅程不會結束，除非所有的孩童，從底特律街頭、阿帕拉契山巔到新鎮（譯注：2012年12月14日發生28人死亡的小學槍擊案）的平靜街巷，都能感受到他們被照顧被珍視，永遠安全不被傷害。
12. You and I, as citizens, have the power to set this country's course.

你和我，作為公民，有能力設定這個國家的路徑。

13. You and I, as citizens, have the obligation to shape the debates of our time — not only with the votes we cast, but with the voices we lift in defence of our most ancient values and enduring ideals.

你和我，作為公民，有義務形塑當今的辯論；不僅用我們投下的選票，也以我們用來辯護我們最古老價值與恆久理想的聲音。