u.s.former vice president al gore at the 1994 harvard university commencement
m.c.：twenty-five years ago, vice president al gore received a degree in government, with honors, from harvard college.today he returns as the first incumbent vice president of the united states to be a harvard commencement speaker and the recipient of an honorary degree.it is a very great honor to introduce vlce president,al gore.
al gore： thank you, thank you.thank you very much, sharon ganyon, president neii rudenstein and angelica rudenstein, members of the harvard corporation board and board of overseas, faculty, students, alumni, distinguished guests.before we begin i would like to bring your attention to a small item on the inside cover of the june 4th issue of the boston globe magazine.correction：“the may 29th cover story on vice president al gore suggested he is funny. he is not． the globe regrets the error,”i'm used to that．it's no secret that l ran for president in l988 although it seemed like one at the time。it was a character building experience, i learned a lot of new jokes．" al gore is so boring！ his secret service code name is al gore." "if you use as strobe light, it looks like al gore is moving." "al gore is so stiff racks by the suits of him." "al gore is an inspiration to the millions of americans who suffer from dutchelm disease." "how can you tell al gore from a room full of secret service agents？he is the stiff one." i heard most of them, but every hme i hear a new one i always have the same reaction：“very funny, tipper." in order to escape that demeaning ridicule and reclaim my dignity,i decided to run for vice president“the usa. it has been an interesting experience, one which has not taken me entirely away from the senate.you may have noticed that i've had a chance to vote a few times in the last sixteen months． the experience has made me a more optimistic person because i've noticed the pattern that the news media has almost completely missed but if you watch on c-span you will find this pattern holds ： every time i vote, we win.it works like a charm。
a harvard commencement is a special occasion.how could anyone not have been thrilled by this morning's assembly？ 25,000 people packed in the harvard yard to celebrate one of the great occasions of life.i loved it all, and i love this great gathering again and i've especially enjoyed my 25th reunion。i'm so proud of my class of l969！ we're the ones who beat yale by a tight score, if you remember！
i believe in you, all of you here, individually and as a group． the cynics say you are motivated principally by greed and that ultimate1y you will care for nothing other than yourselves.but the cynics are wrong． you care about each other, you cherish freedom, you treasure justice, you seek truth． and finally, i believe in america.cynics will say we've lost our ways that the american century is at its end． but again, the cynics are wrong.ainerica is stiil the model to which the world aspires. almost everywhere in the world the values that the us has proclaimed, defended ,and tried to live are now rising.in the end we face a fundamental chice： cynicism or faith, each equally capable of taking root in our souls and shaping our lives as self fulfilling prophecies.i believe we must open our hearts to each other and build on all the vast and creative possibilities of america.this is a task for a confident people, which is what we have been throughout our history and what we still are in our deepest character.i believe in our future.