Graduates of Yale University,I apologise if you have endured this type of prologue before,but I want you to do something for me.Please,take a good look around you.Look at the classmate on your left.Look at the classmate on your right.

Now,consider this:five years from now,ten years from now,even thirty years from now,odds are the person on your left is going to be a loser.The person on your right meanwhile,will also be a loser.And you,in the middle?What can you expect ?Loser.Loser Cum Laude.

In fact,as I look out before me today,I don't see a thousand hopes for a bright tomorrow.I don't see a thousand future leaders in a thousand industries.I see a thousand losers.You're upset.That's understandable.After all,how can I,Lawrence Larry Ellison,collage dropout,have the audacity to spout such heresy to the graduating class of one of the nation's most prestigious institutions?I'll tell you why.Because I,Lawrence Larry Ellison,second richest man on the planet,am a collage dropout,and you are not.Because Bill Gates,richest man on the pleant--for now ,anyway--is a college dropout,and you are not.Because Paul Allen,the third richest man on the planet,dropped out of college,and you did not.And for good measure,because Michael Dell,No.9 on the list and moving up fast,is a college dropout,and you,yet again,are not.

耶魯的畢業生們，我很抱歉----如果你們不喜歡這樣的開場。我想請你們為我做一件事，請你----好好看一看周圍，看看站在你左邊的同學，看看站在你右邊的同學。

請你設想這樣的情況：從現在起5年后之后，10年之后，或30年之后，今天站在你左邊的這個人會是一個失敗者;右邊的這個人，同樣，也是一個失敗者。而你，站在中間的家伙，你以為會怎樣?一樣是失敗者，失敗的優等生。

說實話，今天我站在這里，并沒有看到一千個畢業生的燦爛未來。我沒有看到一千個行業的一千名卓越領導者，我只看到了一千個失敗者。你們感到沮喪，這是可以理解的。為什么，我，埃里森，一個退學生，竟然在美國最具聲望的學府里這樣厚顏的散布異端?我來告訴你原因。因為，我，埃里森，這個行星上第二富有的人，是個退學生，而你不是比爾*蓋茨，這個行星上最富有的人，就目前而言，是個退學生，而你不是。因為艾倫，這個行星上第三富有的人，也退了學，而你不是。再來一點證據吧，因為戴爾，這個行星上第九富有的人，他的排位還在上升，也是個退學生。而你，不是。