English Original
When Britain's great Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill, was young, he attended a public school called Harrow. He was not a good student, and as a matter of fact, had he not been the son of a famous leader, he probably would have been expelled for his offences. However, he completed his work at Harrow, went on to university, and then had a successful career in the British Army. He later was elected prime minister and inspired Britain with his leadership during World War II.
Toward the end of his tenure, he was invited to address the students at his old school, Harrow. The headmaster announced, "Young gentlemen, the greatest speaker of our time, our prime minister, will be here to address you soon."
When the day arrived, Churchill stood up and delivered a short but powerful speech: "Young men, never give up. Never give up! Never give up! Never, never, never, never!"
Personal history, education, or circumstances cannot hold back a determined spirit. Consider Abraham Lincoln, elected U.S. President in 1860. He grew up in poverty on the frontier, with only one year of formal schooling. His early life was marked by repeated failures:
- 1832: Lost his job and was defeated for the Illinois legislature.
- 1833: Failed in business.
- 1834: Elected to the state legislature, but his beloved died in 1835.
- 1838 & 1843: Defeated for higher office in Illinois and for Congress.
- 1846: Elected to Congress, but lost re-election in 1848.
- 1849: Denied a government job.
- 1854 & 1858: Defeated for the U.S. Senate.
- 1856: Defeated for Vice President.
Despite these setbacks, Lincoln is remembered as one of America's greatest presidents.
History is filled with individuals who overcame immense challenges:
- Lock a man in a damp prison, and you get John Bunyan, author of The Pilgrim's Progress.
- Bury a man in the snows of Valley Forge, and you get General George Washington.
- Render a musical genius deaf, and you get composer Ludwig van Beethoven.
- Have a man born Black in a racially divided society, and you get civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
- Have a child of Holocaust survivors lose the ability to walk at age four, and you get virtuoso violinist Itzhak Perlman.
- Label a child slow to learn and write him off as stupid, and you get physicist Albert Einstein.
中文翻译
英国伟大的首相温斯顿·丘吉尔爵士年轻时就读于哈罗公学。他并非好学生，事实上，若非身为著名领袖之子，他很可能因违纪被开除。然而，他完成了在哈罗的学业，进入大学，随后在英国陆军成就了一番事业。后来他当选首相，在二战最黑暗的岁月里以其领导力鼓舞了英国。
在其任期临近结束时，他受邀回到母校哈罗公学向学生们发表演讲。校长宣布：“年轻的先生们，我们这个时代最伟大的演说家、我们的首相，不久将莅临此处向你们发表讲话。”
当那一天到来时，丘吉尔站起身，发表了一段简短而有力的演讲：“年轻人，永不放弃。永不放弃！永不放弃！永远，永远，永远，永远不要放弃！”
个人历史、教育或环境都无法阻挡一个坚定的灵魂。以1860年当选美国总统的亚伯拉罕·林肯为例。他在边疆的贫困中长大，只接受过一年正规教育。他的早年生活充满了接连不断的失败：
- 1832年：失业，竞选伊利诺伊州立法机构失败。
- 1833年：经商失败。
- 1834年：当选州议员，但所爱之人在1835年去世。
- 1838年 & 1843年：竞选伊利诺伊州更高职位和国会议员失败。
- 1846年：当选国会议员，但在1848年连任失败。
- 1849年：申请政府职位被拒。
- 1854年 & 1858年：竞选美国参议员失败。
- 1856年：竞选副总统失败。
尽管遭遇这些挫折，林肯仍被铭记为美国最伟大的总统之一。
历史上充满了克服巨大挑战的杰出人物：
- 将一个人锁在潮湿的监狱里，你得到了《天路历程》的作者约翰·班扬。
- 让一个人埋身于福吉谷的冰雪中，你得到了乔治·华盛顿将军。
- 让一位音乐天才失聪，你得到了作曲家路德维希·范·贝多芬。
- 让一个人出生在种族分裂社会的黑人家庭，你得到了民权领袖马丁·路德·金。
- 让一个集中营幸存者的孩子在四岁时失去行走能力，你得到了小提琴大师伊扎克·帕尔曼。
- 将一个孩子标记为学习迟缓并认定其愚笨，你得到了物理学家阿尔伯特·爱因斯坦。