ThecommencementspeechSteveJobsgaveatStanfordUniversityin2005Thankyou.I’mhonoredtobewithyoutodayforyourcommencementfromoneofthefinestuniversitiesintheworld.Truthbetold,InevergraduatedfromcollegeandthisistheclosestI’veevergottentoacollegegraduation.谢谢。今天来参加世上最好大学之一的毕业典礼让我感到荣幸。老实说,我大学从未毕业而现在是我离大学毕业最近的时刻。TodayIwanttotellyouthreestoriesfrommylife.That’sit.Nobigdeal.Justthreestories.Thefirststoryisaboutconnectingthedots.今天我想告诉你我生命的3个故事。就这样。没有什么。只有3个故事。第一个故事是关于把点连接起来。IdroppedoutofReedCollegeafterthefirstsixmonthsbutthenstayedaroundasadrop-inforanothereighteenmonthsorsobeforeIreallyquit.SowhydidIdropout?ItstartedbeforeIwasborn.Mybiologicalmotherwasayoung,unwedgraduatestudent,andshedecidedtoputmeupforadoption.ShefeltverystronglythatIshouldbeadoptedbycollegegraduates,soeverythingwasallsetformetobeadoptedatbirthbyalawyerandhiswife,exceptthatwhenIpoppedout,theydecidedatthelastminutethattheyreallywantedagirl.Somyparents,whowereonawaitinglist,gotacallinthemiddleofthenightasking,“We’vegotanunexpectedbabyboy.Doyouwanthim?”Theysaid,“Ofcourse.”Mybiologicalmotherfoundoutlaterthatmymotherhadnevergraduatedfromcollegeandthatmyfatherhadnevergraduatedfromhighschool.Sherefusedtosignthefinaladoptionpapers.SheonlyrelentedafewmonthslaterwhenmyparentspromisedthatIwouldgotocollege.待在里德学院6个月后我即辍学,但仍然于课堂旁听且待了约18个月后才真正退学。所以我为什么辍学?这从我还未出生即开始。我的亲生母亲是个年轻、未婚的研究所学生,而她决定让我被领养。她非常坚信我应被大学毕业生所领养,所以一切都已准备好让我一出生即被一位律师及他的太太所领养,只是当我蹦出时,他们在最后一分钟决定他们真正想要的是女孩。所以我的父母,他们在等候名单上,在半夜接到一通电话问说:「我们有一个突然出现的男婴儿,你们想要他吗?」他们说:「当然。」我的亲生母亲后来发现我的母亲大学从未毕业而我的父亲高中从未毕业。她拒绝签署最后的领养文件。几个月后她终于接受,当我父母承诺我将会上大学后。Thiswasthestartinmylife.Andseventeenyearslater,Ididgotocollege,butInaïvelychoseacollegethatwasalmostasexpensiveasStanford,andallofmyworking-classparents’savingswerebeingspentonmycollegetuition.Aftersixmonths,Icouldn’tseethevalueinit.IhadnoideawhatIwantedtodowithmylife,andnoideaofhowcollegewasgoingtohelpmefigureitout,andhereIwas,spendingallthemoneymyparentshadsavedtheirentirelife.SoIdecidedtodropoutandtrustthatitwouldallworkoutOK.Itwasprettyscaryatthetime,butlookingback,itwasoneofthebestdecisionsIevermade.TheminuteIdroppedout,Icouldstoptakingtherequiredclassesthatdidn’tinterestmeandbegindroppinginontheonesthatlookedfarmoreinteresting.这是我生命的开始。而17年过后,我真的上了大学,但我天真的选了一个几乎与史丹佛一样贵的学院,而我劳动阶级父母所有的积蓄都花费在我的大学学费上。6个月后,我无法看见它的价值。我不知道我人生要做什么,也不知道大学将如何帮助我想出,而我在这里,花费我父母毕生所存下的钱。所以我辍学并相信一切事情都将顺利解决。这在当时非常的可怕,但回顾过去,这是我做过最好的决定之一。我辍学的那一分起,我可以不用上那些我不感兴趣的必修课程,并开始旁听一些看起来有趣许多的课程。Itwasn’tallromantic.Ididn’thaveadormroom,soIsleptonthefloorinfriends’rooms.IreturnedCokebottlesforthefive-centdepositstobuyfoodwith,andIwouldwalkthesevenmilesacrosstowneverySundaynighttogetonegoodmealaweekattheHareKrishnatemple.Ilovedit.AndmuchofwhatIstumbledintobyfollowingmycuriosityandintuitionturnedouttobepricelesslateron.Letmegiveyouoneexample.并非一切都是美好的。我没有宿舍,所以我睡在朋友宿舍房间的地板。我退还可口可乐瓶子来换得五分钱的押金来购买食物,而每个星期天晚上我会走7英哩的路程穿过城镇来到哈瑞奎师那神庙吃每星期的一顿好餐。我超爱它的!而我因跟随好奇及直觉所涉足的的大部分事情后来都证明是无价的。让我给你一个例子。ReedCollegeatthattimeofferedperhapsthebestcalligraphyinstructioninthecountry.Throughoutthecampuseveryposter,everylabeloneverydrawerwasbeautifullyhand-calligraphed.BecauseIhaddroppedoutanddidn’thavetotakethenormalclasses,Idecidedtotakeacalligraphyclasstolearnhowtodothis.Ilearnedaboutserifandsans-seriftypefaces,aboutvaryingtheamountofspacebetweendifferentlettercombinations,aboutwhatmakesgreattypographygreat.Itwasbeautiful,historical,artisticallysubtleinawaythatsciencecan’tcapture,andIfounditfascinating.里德学院在当时提供全国或许最好的文字艺术课程。整个校园内,每一个海报、每个抽屉上的每一个标记都是用手美丽的刻画出来。因为我已辍学且不必选修一般的课程,我决定上一堂文字艺术课程来学习文字艺术。我学到衬线及无衬线字体、改变不同字母组合间的空间、是什么造就优良的排版。它是美丽的、俱历史意义的、且艺术上微妙而致科学无法描述,而它使我着迷。Noneofthishadevenahopeofanypracticalapplicationinmylife.ButtenyearslaterwhenweweredesigningthefirstMacintoshcomputer,itallcamebacktome,andwedesigneditallintotheMac.Itwasthefirstcomputerwithbeautifultypography.IfIhadneverdroppedinonthatsinglecourseincollege,theMacwouldhaveneverhadmultipletypefacesorproportionallyspacedfonts,andsinceWindowsjustcopiedtheMac,it’slikelythatnopersonalcomputerwouldhavethem.这没有一样有任何希望会在我生命里被实际运用。但十年后当我们在设计第一台苹果计算机时,它全部都回来了,而我们将它全部都设计在苹果计算机里。它是第一个有美丽版面设计的计算机。如果我从未在大学里旁听那一堂课,苹果计算机绝不会有几种不同字体,或间隔均称的字型,而由于微软只是复制苹果,或许没有个人计算机会有它们。IfIhadneverdroppedout,Iwouldhaveneverdroppedinonthatcalligraphyclassandpersonalcomputersmightnothavethewonderfultypographythattheydo.如果我从未辍学,我就不会旁听那堂文字艺术课程,而个人计算机可能就不会有它们美丽的版面设计。OfcourseitwasimpossibletoconnectthedotslookingforwardwhenIwasincollege,butitwasvery,veryclearlookingbackwards10yearslater.Again,youcan’tconnectthedotslookingforward.Youcanonlyconnectthemlookingbackwards,soyouhavetotrustthatthedotswillsomehowconnectinyourfuture.Youhavetotrustinsomething--yourgut,destiny,life,karma,whatever--becausebelievingthatthedotswillconnectdowntheroadwillgiveyoutheconfidencetofollowyourheart,evenwhenitleadsyouoffthewell-wornpath,andthatwillmakeallthedifference.当然,当我在大学往前看时,把点连接起来是不可能的,但十年后往后看它是非常,非常清楚的。再提一次,往前看时你无法把点连起来。只有往后看时你才能连接它们,所以你必需相信点将在你的未来以某种方式连接。你必需相信某些事情–你的直觉、命运、人生、因缘、不管是什么–因为相信点将在未来的路上连接起来将带给你追随内心声音的信心,即便它引领你离开已被踏平的步道,而那将造就所有的不同。Myse