上中学的时候学英文时第一次听到这段著名的演讲, 当时年少但记得中心意思是：美国将不再伟大如果失去了良知。
Reagan’s speech stressed that America’s strength comes from its moral foundation, and to remain great, the country must recognize and confront evil rather than remain neutral. His message was clear: moral clarity and decisive action are necessary for national greatness.
1. On the Importance of Moral Conviction:
“I urge you to beware the temptation of pride—the temptation of blithely declaring yourselves above it all and label both sides equally at fault, to ignore the facts of history and the aggressive impulses of an evil empire, to simply call the arms race a giant misunderstanding and thereby remove yourself from the struggle between right and wrong and good and evil.”
2. On the Role of America’s Moral Leadership:
“I believe that communism is another sad, bizarre chapter in human history whose last pages are even now being written. I believe this because the source of our strength in the quest for human freedom is not material, but spiritual. And because it knows no limitation, it must terrify and ultimately triumph over those who would enslave their fellow man.”
3. On the Responsibility to Act Against Evil:
“If history teaches anything, it teaches that simple-minded appeasement or wishful thinking about our adversaries is folly. It means the betrayal of our past, the squandering of our freedom.”
