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| 就職演講現場（中評社記者 余東暉攝） |
繼續先輩開創的事業是我們這代人的任務。直到我們的妻子、母親和女兒的付出能夠與她們的努力相稱，我們的征途才會結束。我們的征途不會終結，我們要讓同性戀的兄弟姐妹在法律之下得到與其他人同樣的待遇。如果我們真正是生而平等的，那麼我們對彼此的愛也應該是平等的。我們的征途沒有結束，直到沒有公民需要等待數個小時去行使投票權。我們的征途不會結束，直到我們找到更好的方法迎接努力、有憧憬的移民，他們依舊視美國是一塊充滿機會的土地。直到聰穎年輕的學生和工程師為我們所用，而不是被逐出美國。我們的征途不會結束，直到我們所有的兒童，從底特律的街道到阿巴拉契亞的山嶺，再到康涅狄格州紐鎮安靜的小巷，直到他們得到關心和珍視，永遠避免受到傷害。
（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. 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.）
那是我們這一代的任務——讓生存、自由和追求幸福的言語、權力和價值切實體現在每個美國人的身上。我們的立國文本沒有要求我們將每個人的生活一致化。這並不意味著，我們會以完全一樣的方式去定義自由，沿著同樣的道路通向幸福。進步不會終止幾個世紀以來一直糾結的關於政府角色的爭論，但這要求我們現在就採取行動。
（That is our generation’s task – to make these words, these rights, these values – of Life, and Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness – real for every American. Being true to our founding documents does not require us to agree on every contour of life; it does not mean we will all define liberty in exactly the same way, or follow the same precise path to happiness. Progress does not compel us to settle centuries-long debates about the role of government for all time – but it does require us to act in our time.）
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