比爾蓋茨英語演講稿：哈弗大學(xué)畢業(yè)典禮演講

President Bok, former President Rudenstine, incoming President Faust, members of the Harvard Corporation and the Board of Overseers, members of the faculty, parents, and especially, the graduates:

尊敬的Bok校長，Rudenstine前校長，即將上任的Faust校長，哈佛集團的各位成員，監(jiān)管理事會的各位理事，各位老師，各位家長，各位同學(xué)：

I've been waiting more than 30 years to say this: "Dad, I always told you I'd come back and get my degree."

有一句話我等了三十年，現(xiàn)在終于可以說了：“老爸，我總是跟你說，我會回來拿到我的學(xué)位的!”

I want to thank Harvard for this timely honor. I'll be changing my job next year…and it will be nice to finally have a college degree on my resume.

我要感謝哈佛大學(xué)在這個時候給我這個榮譽。明年，我就要換工作了(注：指從微軟公司退休)……我終于可以在簡歷上寫我有一個本科學(xué)位，這真是不錯啊。

I applaud the graduates today for taking a much more direct route to your degrees. For my part, I'm just happy that the Crimson has called me "Harvard's most successful dropout." I guess that makes me valedictorian of my own special class…I did the best of everyone who failed.

我為今天在座的各位同學(xué)感到高興，你們拿到學(xué)位可比我簡單多了。哈佛的校報稱我是“哈佛大學(xué)歷史上最成功的輟學(xué)生”。我想這大概使我有資格代表我這一類學(xué)生發(fā)言……在所有的失敗者里，我做得最好。

But I also want to be recognized as the guy who got Steve Ballmer to drop out of business school. I'm a bad influence. That's why I was invited to speak at your graduation. If I had spoken at your orientation, fewer of you might be here today.

但是，我還要提醒大家，我使得Steve Ballmer(注：微軟總經(jīng)理)也從哈佛商學(xué)院退學(xué)了。因此，我是個有著惡劣影響力的人。這就是為什么我被邀請來在你們的畢業(yè)典禮上演講。如果我在你們?nèi)雽W(xué)歡迎儀式上演講，那么能夠堅持到今天在這里畢業(yè)的人也許會少得多吧。

Harvard was just a phenomenal experience for me. Academic life was fascinating. I used to sit in on lots of classes I hadn't even signed up for. And dorm life was terrific. I lived up at Radcliffe, in Currier House. There were always lots of people in my dorm room late at night discussing things, because everyone knew I didn't worry about getting up in the morning. That's how I came to be the leader of the anti-social group. We clung to each other as a way of validating our rejection of all those social people.

對我來說，哈佛的求學(xué)經(jīng)歷是一段非凡的經(jīng)歷。校園生活很有趣，我常去旁聽我沒選修的課。哈佛的課外生活也很棒，我在Radcliffe過著逍遙自在的日子。每天我的寢室里總有很多人一直待到半夜，討論著各種事情。因為每個人都知道我從不考慮第二天早起。這使得我變成了校園里那些不安分學(xué)生的頭頭，我們互相粘在一起，做出一種拒絕所有正常學(xué)生的姿態(tài)。

Radcliffe was a great place to live. There were more women up there, and most of the guys were science-math types. That combination offered me the best odds, if you know what I mean. This is Where I learned the sad lesson that improving your odds doesn't guarantee success.

Radcliffe是個過日子的好地方。那里的女生比男生多，而且大多數(shù)男生都是理工科的。這種狀況為我創(chuàng)造了最好的機會，如果你們明白我的意思?？上У氖?，我正是在這里學(xué)到了人生中悲傷的一課：機會大，并不等于你就會成功。

One of my biggest memories of Harvard came in January 1975, when I made a call From Currier House to a company in Albuquerque that had begun making the world's first personal computers. I offered to sell them software.

我在哈佛最難忘的回憶之一，發(fā)生在1975年1月。那時，我從宿舍樓里給位于Albuquerque的一家公司打了一個電話，那家公司已經(jīng)在著手制造世界上第一臺個人電腦。我提出想向他們出售軟件。

I worried that they would realize I was just a student in a dorm and hang up on me. Instead they said: "We're not quite ready, come see us in a month," which was a good thing, because we hadn't written the software yet. From that moment, I worked day and night on this little extra credit project that marked the end of my college education and the beginning of a remarkable journey with Microsoft.

我很擔(dān)心，他們會發(fā)覺我是一個住在宿舍的學(xué)生，從而掛斷電話。但是他們卻說：“我們還沒準(zhǔn)備好，一個月后你再來找我們吧。”這是個好消息，因為那時軟件還根本沒有寫出來呢。就是從那個時候起，我日以繼夜地在這個小小的課外項目上工作，這導(dǎo)致了我學(xué)生生活的結(jié)束，以及通往微軟公司的不平凡的旅程的開始。

What I remember above all about Harvard was being in the midst of so much energy and intelligence. It could be exhilarating, intimidating, sometimes even discouraging, but always challenging. It was an amazing privilege…and though I left early, I was transformed by my years at Harvard, the friendships I made, and the ideas I worked on.

不管怎樣，我對哈佛的回憶主要都與充沛的精力和智力活動有關(guān)。哈佛的生活令人愉快，也令人感到有壓力，有時甚至?xí)械叫箽?，但永遠充滿了挑戰(zhàn)性。生活在哈佛是一種吸引人的特殊待遇……雖然我離開得比較早，但是我在這里的經(jīng)歷、在這里結(jié)識的朋友、在這里發(fā)展起來的一些想法，永遠地改變了我。

But taking a serious look back…I do have one big regret.

但是，如果現(xiàn)在嚴(yán)肅地回憶起來，我確實有一個真正的遺憾。

I left Harvard with no real awareness of the awful inequities in the world--the appalling disparities of health, and wealth, and opportunity that condemn millions of people to lives of despair.

我離開哈佛的時候，根本沒有意識到這個世界是多么的不平等。人類在健康、財富和機遇上的不平等大得可怕，它們使得無數(shù)的人們被迫生活在絕望之中。

I left campus knowing little about the millions of young people cheated out of educational opportunities here in this country. And I knew nothing about the millions of people living in unspeakable poverty and disease in developing countries.

我離開校園的時候，根本不知道在這個國家里，有幾百萬的年輕人無法獲得接受教育的機會。我也不知道，發(fā)展中國家里有無數(shù)的人們生活在無法形容的貧窮和疾病之中。

It took me decades to find out.

我花了幾十年才明白了這些事情。

You graduates came to Harvard at a different time. You know more about the world's inequities than the classes that came before. In your years here, I hope you've had a chance to think about how--in this age of accelerating technology--we can finally take on these inequities, and we can solve them.

在座的各位同學(xué)，你們是在與我不同的時代來到哈佛的。你們比以前的學(xué)生，更多地了解世界是怎樣的不平等。在你們的哈佛求學(xué)過程中，我希望你們已經(jīng)思考過一個問題，那就是在這個新技術(shù)加速發(fā)展的時代，我們怎樣最終應(yīng)對這種不平等，以及我們怎樣來解決這個問題。

Imagine, just for the sake of discussion, that you had a few hours a week and a few dollars a month to donate to a cause--and you wanted to spend that time and money Where it would have the greatest impact in saving and improving lives. Where would you spend it?

為了討論的方便，請想象一下，假如你每個星期可以捐獻一些時間、每個月可以捐獻一些錢--你希望這些時間和金錢，可以用到對拯救生命和改善人類生活有最大作用的地方。你會選擇什么地方?

For Melinda and for me, the challenge is the same: how can we do the most good for the greatest number with the resources we have.

對Melinda(注：蓋茨的妻子)和我來說，這也是我們面臨的問題：我們?nèi)绾文軐⑽覀儞碛械馁Y源發(fā)揮出最大的作用。

During our discussions on this question, Melinda and I read an article about the millions of children who were dying every year in poor countries From diseases that we had long ago made harmless in this country. Measles, malaria, pneumonia, hepatitis B, yellow fever. One disease I had never even heard of, rotavirus, was killing half a million kids each year ? none of them in the United States.

在討論過程中，Melinda和我讀到了一篇文章，里面說在那些貧窮的國家，每年有數(shù)百萬的兒童死于那些在美國早已不成問題的疾病。麻疹、瘧疾、肺炎、乙型肝炎、黃熱病、還有一種以前我從未聽說過的輪狀病毒，這些疾病每年導(dǎo)致50萬兒童死亡，但是在美國一例死亡病例也沒有。

We were shocked. We had just assumed that if millions of children were dying and they could be saved, the world would make it a priority to discover and deliver the medicines to save them. But it did not. For under a dollar, there were interventions that could save lives that just weren't being delivered.

我們被震驚了。我們想，如果幾百萬兒童正在死亡線上掙扎，而且他們是可以被挽救的，那么世界理應(yīng)將用藥物拯救他們作為頭等大事。但是事實并非如此。那些價格還不到一美元的救命的藥劑，并沒有送到他們的手中。

If you believe that every life has equal value, it's revolting to learn that some lives are seen as worth saving and others are not. We said to ourselves: "This can't be true. But if it is true, it deserves to be the priority of our giving."

如果你相信每個生命都是平等的，那么當(dāng)你發(fā)現(xiàn)某些生命被挽救了，而另一些生命被放棄了，你會感到無法接受。我們對自己說：“事情不可能如此。如果這是真的，那么它理應(yīng)是我們努力的頭等大事。”

So we began our work in the same way anyone here would begin it. We asked: "How could the world let these children die?"

所以，我們用任何人都會想到的方式開始工作。我們問：“這個世界怎么可以眼睜睜看著這些孩子死去?”

The answer is simple, and harsh. The market did not reward saving the lives of these children, and governments did not subsidize it. So the children died because their mothers and their fathers had no power in the market and no voice in the system.

答案很簡單，也很令人難堪。在市場經(jīng)濟中，拯救兒童是一項沒有利潤的工作，政府也不會提供補助。這些兒童之所以會死亡，是因為他們的父母在經(jīng)濟上沒有實力，在政治上沒有能力發(fā)出聲音。

But you and I have both.

但是，你們和我在經(jīng)濟上有實力，在政治上能夠發(fā)出聲音。

We can make market forces work better for the poor if we can develop a more creative capitalism ? if we can stretch the reach of market forces so that more people can make a profit, or at least make a living, serving people who are suffering From the worst inequities. We also can press governments around the world to spend taxpayer money in ways that better reflect the values of the people who pay the taxes.

我們可以讓市場更好地為窮人服務(wù)，如果我們能夠設(shè)計出一種更有創(chuàng)新性的資本主義制度--如果我們可以改變市場，讓更多的人可以獲得利潤，或者至少可以維持生活--那么，這就可以幫到那些正在極端不平等的狀況中受苦的人們。我們還可以向全世界的政府施壓，要求他們將納稅人的錢，花到更符合納稅人價值觀的地方。

If we can find approaches that meet the needs of the poor in ways that generate profits for business and votes for politicians, we will have found a sustainable way to reduce inequity in the world. This task is open-ended. It can never be finished. But a conscious effort to answer this challenge will change the world.

如果我們能夠找到這樣一種方法，既可以幫到窮人，又可以為商人帶來利潤，為政治家?guī)磉x票，那么我們就找到了一種減少世界性不平等的可持續(xù)的發(fā)展道路。這個任務(wù)是無限的。它不可能被完全完成，但是任何自覺地解決這個問題的嘗試，都將會改變這個世界。

I am optimistic that we can do this, but I talk to skeptics who claim there is no hope. They say: "Inequity has been with us since the beginning, and will be with us till the end ? because people just…don't…care." I completely disagree.

在這個問題上，我是樂觀的。但是，我也遇到過那些感到絕望的懷疑主義者。他們說：“不平等從人類誕生的第一天就存在，到人類滅亡的最后一天也將存在。--因為人類對這個問題根本不在乎。”我完全不能同意這種觀點。

I believe we have more caring than we know what to do with.

我相信，問題不是我們不在乎，而是我們不知道怎么做。

All of us here in this Yard, at one time or another, have seen human tragedies that broke our hearts, and yet we did nothing--not because we didn't care, but because we didn't know what to do. If we had known how to help, we would have acted.

此刻在這個院子里的所有人，生命中總有這樣或那樣的時刻，目睹人類的悲劇，感到萬分傷心。但是我們什么也沒做，并非我們無動于衷，而是因為我們不知道做什么和怎么做。如果我們知道如何做是有效的，那么我們就會采取行動。

The barrier to change is not too little caring; it is too much complexity.

改變世界的阻礙，并非人類的冷漠，而是世界實在太復(fù)雜。

To turn caring into action, we need to see a problem, see a solution, and see the impact. But complexity blocks all three steps.

為了將關(guān)心轉(zhuǎn)變?yōu)樾袆?，我們需要找到問題，發(fā)現(xiàn)解決辦法的方法以及評估后果。但是世界的復(fù)雜性使得這三步都難于做到。

If we can really see a problem, which is the first step, we come to the second step: cutting through the complexity to find a solution.

就算我們真正發(fā)現(xiàn)了問題所在，也不過是邁出了第一步，接著還有第二步：那就是從復(fù)雜的事件中找到解決辦法。

Finding solutions is essential if we want to make the most of our caring. If we have clear and proven answers anytime an organization or individual asks "How can I help?," then we can get action--and we can make sure that none of the caring in the world is wasted. But complexity makes it hard to mark a path of action for everyone who cares--and that makes it hard for their caring to matter.

如果我們要讓關(guān)心落到實處，我們就必須找到解決辦法。如果我們有一個清晰的和可靠的答案，那么當(dāng)任何組織和個人發(fā)出疑問“如何我能提供幫助”的時候，我們就能采取行動。我們就能夠保證不浪費一丁點全世界人類對他人的關(guān)心。但是，世界的復(fù)雜性使得很難找到對全世界每一個有愛心的人都有效的行動方法，因此人類對他人的關(guān)心往往很難產(chǎn)生實際效果。

Cutting through complexity to find a solution runs through four predictable stages: determine a goal, find the highest-leverage approach, discover the ideal technology for that approach, and in the meantime, make the smartest application of the technology that you already have--whether it's something sophisticated, like a drug, or something simpler, like a bednet.

從這個復(fù)雜的世界中找到解決辦法，可以分為四個步驟：確定目標(biāo)，找到最高效的方法，發(fā)現(xiàn)適用于這個方法的新技術(shù)，同時最聰明地利用現(xiàn)有的技術(shù)，不管它是復(fù)雜的藥物，還是最簡單的蚊帳。

The AIDS epidemic offers an example. The broad goal, of course, is to end the disease. The highest-leverage approach is prevention. The ideal technology would be a vaccine that gives lifetime immunity with a single dose. So governments, drug companies, and foundations fund vaccine research. But their work is likely to take more than a decade, so in the meantime, we have to work with what we have in hand--and the best prevention approach we have now is getting people to avoid risky behavior.

艾滋病就是一個例子?？偟哪繕?biāo)，毫無疑問是消滅這種疾病。最高效的方法是預(yù)防。最理想的技術(shù)是發(fā)明一種疫苗，只要注射一次，就可以終生免疫。所以，政府、制藥公司、基金會應(yīng)該資助疫苗研究。但是，這樣研究工作很可能十年之內(nèi)都無法完成。因此，與此同時，我們必須使用現(xiàn)有的技術(shù)，目前最有效的預(yù)防方法就是設(shè)法讓人們避免那些危險的行為。

Pursuing that goal starts the four-step cycle again. This is the pattern. The crucial thing is to never stop thinking and working--and never do what we did with malaria and tuberculosis in the 20th century--which is to surrender to complexity and quit.

要實現(xiàn)這個新的目標(biāo)，又可以采用新的四步循環(huán)。這是一種模式。關(guān)鍵的東西是永遠不要停止思考和行動。我們千萬不能再犯上個世紀(jì)在瘧疾和肺結(jié)核上犯過的錯誤，那時我們因為它們太復(fù)雜，而放棄了采取行動。

The final step--after seeing the problem and finding an approach--is to measure the impact of your work and share your successes and failures so that others learn From your efforts.

在發(fā)現(xiàn)問題和找到解決方法之后，就是最后一步--評估工作結(jié)果，將你的成功經(jīng)驗或者失敗經(jīng)驗傳播出去，這樣其他人就可以從你的努力中有所收獲。

You have to have the statistics, of course. You have to be able to show that a program is vaccinating millions more children. You have to be able to show a decline in the number of children dying From these diseases. This is essential not just to improve the program, but also to help draw more investment From business and government.

當(dāng)然，你必須有一些統(tǒng)計數(shù)字。你必須讓他人知道，你的項目為幾百萬兒童新接種了疫苗。你也必須讓他人知道，兒童死亡人數(shù)下降了多少。這些都是很關(guān)鍵的，不僅有利于改善項目效果，也有利于從商界和政府得到更多的幫助。

But if you want to inspire people to participate, you have to show more than numbers; you have to convey the human impact of the work ? so people can feel what saving a life means to the families affected.

但是，這些還不夠，如果你想激勵其他人參加你的項目，你就必須拿出更多的統(tǒng)計數(shù)字;你必須展示你的項目的人性因素，這樣其他人就會感到拯救一個生命，對那些處在困境中的家庭到底意味著什么。

The defining and ongoing innovations of this age--biotechnology, the computer, the Internet--give us a chance we've never had before to end extreme poverty and end death From preventable disease.

這個時代無時無刻不在涌現(xiàn)出新的革新--生物技術(shù)，計算機，互聯(lián)網(wǎng)--它們給了我們一個從未有過的機會，去終結(jié)那些極端的貧窮和非惡性疾病的死亡。

The emergence of low-cost personal computers gave rise to a powerful network that has transformed opportunities for learning and communicating.

低成本的個人電腦的出現(xiàn)，使得一個強大的互聯(lián)網(wǎng)有機會誕生，它為學(xué)習(xí)和交流提供了巨大的機會。

The magical thing about this network is not just that it collapses distance and makes everyone your neighbor. It also dramatically increases the number of brilliant minds we can have working together on the same problem--and that scales up the rate of innovation to a staggering degree.

網(wǎng)絡(luò)的神奇之處，不僅僅是它縮短了物理距離，使得天涯若比鄰。它還極大地增加了懷有共同想法的人們聚集在一起的機會，我們可以為了解決同一個問題，一起共同工作。這就大大加快了革新的進程，發(fā)展速度簡直快得讓人震驚。

At the same time, for every person in the world who has access to this technology, five people don't. That means many creative minds are left out of this discussion--smart people with practical intelligence and relevant experience who don't have the technology to hone their talents or contribute their ideas to the world.

與此同時，世界上有條件上網(wǎng)的人，只是全部人口的六分之一。這意味著，還有許多具有創(chuàng)造性的人們，沒有加入到我們的討論中來。那些有著實際的操作經(jīng)驗和相關(guān)經(jīng)歷的聰明人，卻沒有技術(shù)來幫助他們，將他們的天賦或者想法與全世界分享。

We need as many people as possible to have access to this technology, because these advances are triggering a revolution in what human beings can do for one another. They are making it possible not just for national governments, but for universities, corporations, smaller organizations, and even individuals to see problems, see approaches, and measure the impact of their efforts to address the hunger, poverty, and desperation George Marshall spoke of 60 years ago.

我們需要盡可能地讓更多的人有機會使用新技術(shù)，因為這些新技術(shù)正在引發(fā)一場革命，人類將因此可以互相幫助。新技術(shù)正在創(chuàng)造一種可能，不僅是政府，還包括大學(xué)、公司、小機構(gòu)、甚至個人，能夠發(fā)現(xiàn)問題所在、能夠找到解決辦法、能夠評估他們努力的效果，去改變那些馬歇爾六十年前就說到過的問題--饑餓、貧窮和絕望。

Members of the Harvard Family: Here in the Yard is one of the great collections of intellectual talent in the world.

哈佛是一個大家庭。這個院子里在場的人們，是全世界最有智力的人類群體之一。

What for?

我們可以做些什么?

There is no question that the faculty, the alumni, the students, and the benefactors of Harvard have used their power to improve the lives of people here and around the world. But can we do more? Can Harvard dedicate its intellect to improving the lives of people who will never even hear its name?

毫無疑問，哈佛的老師、校友、學(xué)生和資助者，已經(jīng)用他們的能力改善了全世界各地人們的生活。但是，我們還能夠再做什么呢?有沒有可能，哈佛的人們可以將他們的智慧，用來幫助那些甚至從來沒有聽到過“哈佛”這個名字的人?

Let me make a request of the deans and the professors--the intellectual leaders here at Harvard: As you hire new faculty, award tenure, review curriculum, and determine degree requirements, please ask yourselves:

請允許我向各位院長和教授，提出一個請求--你們是哈佛的智力領(lǐng)袖，當(dāng)你們雇用新的老師、授予終身教職、評估課程、決定學(xué)位頒發(fā)標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的時候，請問你們自己如下的問題：

Should our best minds be dedicated to solving our biggest problems?

我們最優(yōu)秀的人才Should Harvard encourage its faculty to take on the world's worst inequities? Should Harvard students learn about the depth of global poverty…the prevalence of world hunger…the scarcity of clean water…the girls kept out of school…the children who die From diseases we can cure?

哈佛是否鼓勵她的老師去研究解決世界上最嚴(yán)重的不平等?哈佛的學(xué)生是否從全球那些極端的貧窮中學(xué)到了什么……世界性的饑荒……清潔的水資源的缺乏……無法上學(xué)的女童……死于非惡性疾病的兒童……哈佛的學(xué)生有沒有從中學(xué)到東西?

Should the world's most privileged people learn about the lives of the world's least privileged?

那些世界上過著最優(yōu)越生活的人們，有沒有從那些最困難的人們身上學(xué)到東西?

These are not rhetorical questions--you will answer with your policies.

這些問題并非語言上的修辭。你必須用自己的行動來回答它們。

When you consider what those of us here in this Yard have been given--in talent, privilege, and opportunity--there is almost no limit to what the world has a right to expect From us.

想一想吧，我們在這個院子里的這些人，被給予過什么--天賦、特權(quán)、機遇--那么可以這樣說，全世界的人們幾乎有無限的權(quán)力，期待我們做出貢獻。

In line with the promise of this age, I want to exhort each of the graduates here to take on an issue--a complex problem, a deep inequity, and become a specialist on it. If you make it the focus of your career, that would be phenomenal. But you don't have to do that to make an impact. For a few hours every week, you can use the growing power of the Internet to get informed, find others with the same interests, see the barriers, and find ways to cut through them.

同這個時代的期望一樣，我也要向今天各位畢業(yè)的同學(xué)提出一個忠告：你們要選擇一個問題，一個復(fù)雜的問題，一個有關(guān)于人類深刻的不平等的問題，然后你們要變成這個問題的專家。如果你們能夠使得這個問題成為你們職業(yè)的核心，那么你們就會非常杰出。但是，你們不必一定要去做那些大事。每個星期只用幾個小時，你就可以通過互聯(lián)網(wǎng)得到信息，找到志同道合的朋友，發(fā)現(xiàn)困難所在，找到解決它們的途徑。

Don't let complexity stop you. Be activists. Take on the big inequities. It will be one of the great experiences of your lives.

不要讓這個世界的復(fù)雜性阻礙你前進。要成為一個行動主義者。將解決人類的不平等視為己任。它將成為你生命中最重要的經(jīng)歷之一。

You graduates are coming of age in an amazing time. As you leave Harvard, you have technology that members of my class never had. You have awareness of global inequity, which we did not have. And with that awareness, you likely also have an informed conscience that will torment you if you abandon these people whose lives you could change with very little effort. You have more than we had; you must start sooner, and carry on longer.

在座的各位畢業(yè)的同學(xué)，你們所處的時代是一個神奇的時代。當(dāng)你們離開哈佛的時候，你們擁有的技術(shù)，是我們那一屆學(xué)生所沒有的。你們已經(jīng)了解到了世界上的不平等，我們那時還不知道這些。有了這樣的了解之后，要是你再棄那些你可以幫助的人們于不顧，就將受到良心的譴責(zé)，只需一點小小的努力，你就可以改變那些人們的生活。你們比我們擁有更大的能力;你們必須盡早開始，盡可能長時期堅持下去。

Knowing what you know, how could you not?

知道了你們所知道的一切，你們怎么可能不采取行動呢?

And I hope you will come back here to Harvard 30 years From now and reflect on what you have done with your talent and your energy. I hope you will judge yourselves not on your professional accomplishments alone, but also on how well you have addressed the world's deepest inequities…on how well you treated people a world away who have nothing in common with you but their humanity.

我希望，30年后你們還會再回到哈佛，想起你們用自己的天賦和能力所做出的一切。我希望，在那個時候，你們用來評價自己的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)，不僅僅是你們的專業(yè)成就，而包括你們?yōu)楦淖冞@個世界深刻的不平等所做出的努力，以及你們?nèi)绾紊拼切┻h隔千山萬水、與你們毫不涉及的人們，你們與他們唯一的共同點就是同為人類。

Good luck.

祝各位好運。

比爾蓋茨與哈弗：

1973年，蓋茨被哈佛大學(xué)錄取，但讀的卻是法律專業(yè)，因此他對于自己的專業(yè)不是很用心，也不是老師所認(rèn)為的好學(xué)生，一直以來，他都把自己的精力放在計算機上。他是同學(xué)眼中的“怪人”，上課睡覺是常事，生活很沒有規(guī)律，有時可以幾天幾夜不合眼，有時會回到寢室，隨便裹著電熱毯睡一下，不管外界發(fā)生了什么。他的這種習(xí)慣一直保留到了現(xiàn)在。 1974年，第一臺個人電腦誕生了，而此前的電腦多是大公司的，對于普通大眾而言都是神秘不可測的。這個消息極大地震動了蓋茨和保羅，雖然當(dāng)時是12月，天氣嚴(yán)寒，但在這兩個年輕人的心中，卻醞釀著一次前所未有的風(fēng)暴，他們認(rèn)為，個人電腦的誕生，需要一種微處理器，而微處理器又需要一種語言指令，這正是他們所擅長的。于是蓋茨打電話給個人電腦的發(fā)明者羅伯茨，說他們是西雅圖交通數(shù)據(jù)公司的，已經(jīng)為阿爾塔開發(fā)成功了BASIC語言解釋程序，問羅伯茨感不感興趣。羅伯茨當(dāng)然感興趣，可是他要求“現(xiàn)成的BASIC”。再通話時，他請蓋茨和艾倫去演示他們的BASIC語言，蓋茨斬釘截鐵地答復(fù)：“三星期之內(nèi)，一定送到阿爾伯克基!”其實，蓋茨他們的BASIC語言，此時還是空中樓閣。 交貨的時間一天天逼近了。蓋茨和艾倫日夜奮戰(zhàn)。深夜他們幾乎是在半睡眠狀態(tài)下編程。有一次，蓋茨打盹，頭撞在鍵盤上，他醒后看一眼屏幕，緊接著就在鍵盤上輸入數(shù)據(jù)。艾倫認(rèn)為，蓋茨一定有在夢中編程的本領(lǐng)。 就在艾倫乘飛機去交貨的前夜，工作還沒有最后完成。到凌晨一點，蓋茨讓艾倫去睡覺。第二天早上，他把錄有BASIC語言的紙帶交給艾倫。蓋茨此刻心中沒有把握，他說：“誰知道行不行，愿上帝保佑我們交好運。” 艾倫堅信蓋茨的能力。不過，飛機在阿爾伯克基降落前半小時，艾倫突然發(fā)現(xiàn)還缺一個裝入程序，趕緊抓過幾張廢紙寫程序，飛機著陸時，程序剛好寫完。 當(dāng)艾倫用顫動的手把BASIC程序裝入電腦時，他和在場的所有人員都屏住了呼吸。成功了!成功了!BASIC語言運行成功!如果說在此之前，計算機還是死的，那么此后BASIC卻讓它動了起來，活了起來。于是羅伯茨邀請保羅到自己的公司工作，而蓋茨還繼續(xù)上學(xué)。但是蓋茨開始仔細思考自己的道路了。學(xué)習(xí)自己不喜歡的專業(yè)，還是去工作，從事自己最熱愛的計算機?最終他痛下決心，決定退學(xué)。在當(dāng)時，這引起了軒然大波，父母都是當(dāng)?shù)氐拿?，哈佛又是名校，前途可以想見是燦爛的，可是蓋茨卻選擇做計算機——當(dāng)時沒有多少人了解的東西，可是蓋茨是固執(zhí)的，最終在念完了哈佛的二年級課程后，蓋茨退學(xué)了。充滿挑戰(zhàn)和冒險的未來在等待著他。 1975年，經(jīng)過不懈的努力，蓋茨和保羅終于成立了自己的公司，這時他們已經(jīng)今非昔比了，首先他們擁有了自己的技術(shù)，就是BASIC，其次他們擁有了實力和經(jīng)驗，蓋茨將公司命名為微軟，就是微型計算機和軟件公司的縮寫。其后不久，著名的通用電氣公司也決定使用BASIC，微軟從此名聲大噪。