There are few things more liberating in this life than having your worst fear realized.

人生在世，很少有什麼事情能比讓你最害怕的事情變成現實更讓人感到解脫。

I went to college with many people who prided themselves on knowing exactly who they were, and exactly where they were going.

我和許多人一起上大學，他們以清楚地知道自己是誰，知道自己要去哪裡而自豪。

At Harvard, five different guys in my class told me that they would one day be President of the United States.

在哈佛，班上有五個人告訴我，他們有一天會成為美國總統。

Four of them were later killed in motel shoot-outs.

其中四人後來在汽車旅館槍戰中喪生。

The other one briefly hosted Blues Clues, before dying senselessly in yet another motel shoot-out.

另一位曾短暫主持過《藍調線索》，後來在另一場汽車旅館槍戰中毫無意義地死去。

Your path at 22, will not necessarily be your path at 32 or 42.

你 22 歲時的道路，不一定是你 32 歲或 42 歲時的道路。

One's dream is constantly evolving, rising and falling, changing course.

一個人的夢想是不斷髮展的，時起時落，不斷變化。

This happens in every job, but because I have worked in comedy for 25 years, I can probably speak best about my own profession.

這種情況在每份工作中都會發生，但因為我從事喜劇工作已經 25 年了，所以我對自己的職業可能最有發言權。

Way back in the 1940s, there was a very, very funny man.

早在 20 世紀 40 年代，有一個非常非常有趣的人。

named Jack Benny.

名叫傑克-本尼。

He was a giant star, easily one of the greatest comedians.

他是一位巨星，是最偉大的喜劇演員之一。

of his generation.

他那一代人。

And a much younger man named Johnny Carson wanted very much to be Jack Benny.

而更年輕的約翰尼-卡森（Johnny Carson）非常想成為傑克-本尼（Jack Benny）。

In some ways he's in some ways he was, but in many ways he wasn't.

在某些方面他是，但在很多方面他不是。

He emulated Jack Benny, but his own quirks and mannerisms pulled him in a different direction.

他模仿傑克-本尼（Jack Benny），但他自己的怪癖和舉止又把他引向了另一個方向。

And yet, his failure to completely become his hero made him the funniest person of his generation.

然而，他未能完全成為自己心目中的英雄，這使他成為他那一代人中最有趣的人。

David Letterman wanted to be Johnny Carson, and was not.

大衛-萊特曼想成為約翰尼-卡森，但沒有成功。

and as a result my generation of comedians wanted to be David Letterman.

是以，我們這一代喜劇演員都想成為大衛-萊特曼。

And none of us are.

我們都不是。

My peers and I have all missed that mark.

我和我的同齡人都沒有達到這個標準。

in a thousand different ways.

千姿百態。

But the point is this, it is our failure to become our perceived ideal that ultimately defines us and makes us unique.

但問題是，正是我們未能成為自己心目中的理想，才最終定義了我們，使我們獨一無二。

It's not easy.

這並不容易。

but if you accept your misfortune and handle it right, your perceived failure can become a catalyst for profound re-invention.

但是，如果你接受自己的不幸並正確處理它，你所感知到的失敗就會成為深刻再創造的催化劑。

So, at the age of 47, after 25 years of obsessively pursuing my dream, that dream changed.

於是，在 47 歲那年，經過 25 年的執著追夢之後，我的夢想改變了。

For decades, in show business, the ultimate goal of every comedian was to host The Tonight Show.

幾十年來，在演藝界，每個喜劇演員的終極目標都是主持《今夜秀》。

It was the Holy Grail.

這是聖盃。

and like many people I thought that.

和很多人一樣，我也是這麼想的。

achieving that goal would define me as successful.

實現了這個目標，我就成功了。

But that is not true.

但事實並非如此。

No specific job or career goal defines me, and it should not define you.

沒有特定的工作或職業目標能定義我，也不應該定義你。

In 2000 I told graduates to not be afraid to fail.

2000 年，我告訴畢業生不要害怕失敗。

and I still believe that.

我仍然相信這一點。

But today I tell you that whether you fear it or not, disappointment will come.

但今天我要告訴你們，無論你們是否害怕，失望都會來臨。

The beauty is that through disappointment you can gain clarity, and with clarity comes conviction and true originality.

美中不足的是，通過失望，你可以獲得清醒，而隨著清醒而來的是信念和真正的獨創性。

Many of you here today are getting your diploma at this Ivy League school because you have committed yourself to a dream and worked hard to achieve it.

今天在座的許多人之所以能在這所常春藤名校獲得文憑，是因為你們致力於夢想併為之努力奮鬥。

And there is no greater cliche in a commencement address than follow your dream.

在畢業典禮致辭中，沒有比追逐夢想更陳詞濫調的了。

Well I am here to tell you that whatever you think your dream is now, it will probably change.

我在這裡要告訴你，無論你現在認為自己的夢想是什麼，它都可能會改變。

And that's okay.

沒關係。

Four years ago, many of you had specific vision of what your college experience was going to be and who you were going to become.

四年前，你們中的許多人都對自己的大學生活和將來的人生有了具體的規劃。

And I bet, today, most of you would admit that your time here was very different from what you imagined.

我敢打賭，今天你們中的大多數人都會承認，你們在這裡度過的時光與你們的想象大相徑庭。

Your roommates changed, your major changed, for some of you, your sexual orientation changed.

你們的室友變了，專業變了，有些人的性取向也變了。

I bet some of you have changed your sexual orientation since I began this speech.

我敢打賭，自從我開始演講以來，你們中的一些人已經改變了自己的性取向。

I know I have.

我知道我有。

But through the good and especially the bad, the person you are now is someone you could never have conjured in the fall of 2007.

但是，經歷了好的方面，尤其是壞的方面，現在的你是你在 2007 年秋天時無法想象的。

I have told you many things today, most of it foolish.

我今天告訴了你們很多事情，其中大部分都是愚蠢的。

but some of it true.

但有些是真的。

I'd like to end my address by breaking a taboo and quoting myself from 17 months ago, at the end of my final program with NBC, just before signing off, I said, work hard, be kind, and amazing things will happen.

最後，我想打破禁忌，引用我自己 17 個月前在 NBC 最後一期節目結束時的一段話來結束我的講話。

Today, receiving this honor and speaking to the Dartmouth Class of 2011 from behind a tree-trunk, I have never believed that more.

今天，我在樹幹後面接受這一榮譽，並向達特茅斯 2011 屆學生髮表演講，我從未如此相信過。

Thank you very much, and congratulations.

非常感謝，祝賀你們。