A plea for education
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0:00 - 0:02This is my first trip,
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0:02 - 0:04my first foreign trip as a first lady.
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0:04 - 0:06Can you believe that?
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0:06 - 0:16(Applause)
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0:16 - 0:19And while this is not my first visit to the U.K.,
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0:19 - 0:24I have to say that I am glad that this is my first official visit.
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0:24 - 0:28The special relationship between the United States and the U.K.
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0:28 - 0:33is based not only on the relationship between governments,
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0:33 - 0:36but the common language and the values that we share,
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0:36 - 0:40and I'm reminded of that by watching you all today.
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0:40 - 0:44During my visit I've been especially honored
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0:44 - 0:47to meet some of Britain's most extraordinary women --
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0:47 - 0:50women who are paving the way for all of you.
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0:50 - 0:53And I'm honored to meet you,
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0:53 - 0:59the future leaders of Great Britain and this world.
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0:59 - 1:04And although the circumstances of our lives may seem very distant,
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1:04 - 1:08with me standing here as the First Lady of the United States of America,
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1:08 - 1:12and you, just getting through school,
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1:12 - 1:16I want you to know that we have very much in common.
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1:16 - 1:20For nothing in my life's path
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1:20 - 1:22would have predicted that I'd be standing here
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1:22 - 1:25as the first African-American First Lady
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1:25 - 1:27of the United States of America.
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1:27 - 1:32There is nothing in my story that would land me here.
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1:32 - 1:35I wasn't raised with wealth or resources
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1:35 - 1:39or any social standing to speak of.
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1:39 - 1:43I was raised on the South Side of Chicago.
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1:43 - 1:46That's the real part of Chicago.
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1:46 - 1:49And I was the product of a working-class community.
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1:49 - 1:53My father was a city worker all of his life,
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1:53 - 1:55and my mother was a stay-at-home mom.
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1:55 - 2:00And she stayed at home to take care of me and my older brother.
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2:00 - 2:03Neither of them attended university.
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2:03 - 2:06My dad was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis
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2:06 - 2:08in the prime of his life.
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2:08 - 2:11But even as it got harder for him to walk
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2:11 - 2:13and get dressed in the morning --
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2:13 - 2:15I saw him struggle more and more --
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2:15 - 2:19my father never complained about his struggle.
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2:19 - 2:21He was grateful for what he had.
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2:21 - 2:26He just woke up a little earlier and worked a little harder.
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2:26 - 2:29And my brother and I were raised with all that you really need:
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2:29 - 2:32love, strong values
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2:32 - 2:35and a belief that with a good education
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2:35 - 2:37and a whole lot of hard work,
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2:37 - 2:40that there was nothing that we could not do.
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2:40 - 2:44I am an example of what's possible
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2:44 - 2:48when girls from the very beginning of their lives
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2:48 - 2:53are loved and nurtured by the people around them.
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2:53 - 2:57I was surrounded by extraordinary women in my life:
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2:57 - 3:02grandmothers, teachers, aunts, cousins, neighbors,
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3:02 - 3:06who taught me about quiet strength and dignity.
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3:06 - 3:11And my mother, the most important role model in my life,
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3:11 - 3:13who lives with us at the White House
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3:13 - 3:16and helps to care for our two little daughters,
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3:16 - 3:18Malia and Sasha.
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3:18 - 3:22She's an active presence in their lives, as well as mine,
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3:22 - 3:24and is instilling in them
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3:24 - 3:27the same values that she taught me and my brother:
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3:27 - 3:30things like compassion, and integrity,
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3:30 - 3:34and confidence, and perseverance --
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3:34 - 3:37all of that wrapped up in an unconditional love
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3:37 - 3:40that only a grandmother can give.
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3:40 - 3:44I was also fortunate enough to be cherished and encouraged
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3:44 - 3:49by some strong male role models as well,
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3:49 - 3:52including my father, my brother, uncles and grandfathers.
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3:52 - 3:57The men in my life taught me some important things, as well.
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3:57 - 4:00They taught me about what a respectful relationship
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4:00 - 4:04should look like between men and women.
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4:04 - 4:08They taught me about what a strong marriage feels like:
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4:08 - 4:11that it's built on faith and commitment
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4:11 - 4:15and an admiration for each other's unique gifts.
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4:15 - 4:17They taught me about what it means
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4:17 - 4:19to be a father
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4:19 - 4:21and to raise a family.
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4:21 - 4:23And not only to invest in your own home
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4:23 - 4:28but to reach out and help raise kids
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4:28 - 4:30in the broader community.
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4:30 - 4:32And these were the same qualities
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4:32 - 4:35that I looked for in my own husband,
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4:35 - 4:37Barack Obama.
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4:38 - 4:41And when we first met,
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4:41 - 4:45one of the things that I remember is that he took me out on a date.
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4:45 - 4:48And his date was to go with him to a community meeting.
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4:48 - 4:50(Laughter)
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4:50 - 4:52I know, how romantic.
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4:52 - 4:55(Laughter)
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4:55 - 4:57But when we met, Barack was a community organizer.
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4:57 - 5:01He worked, helping people to find jobs
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5:01 - 5:05and to try to bring resources into struggling neighborhoods.
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5:05 - 5:07As he talked to the residents in that community center,
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5:07 - 5:09he talked about two concepts.
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5:09 - 5:15He talked about "the world as it is" and "the world as it should be."
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5:15 - 5:19And I talked about this throughout the entire campaign.
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5:19 - 5:21What he said, that all too often,
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5:21 - 5:26is that we accept the distance between those two ideas.
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5:26 - 5:30And sometimes we settle for the world as it is,
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5:30 - 5:34even when it doesn't reflect our values and aspirations.
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5:34 - 5:37But Barack reminded us on that day,
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5:37 - 5:40all of us in that room, that we all know
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5:40 - 5:44what our world should look like.
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5:44 - 5:47We know what fairness and justice and opportunity look like.
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5:47 - 5:49We all know.
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5:49 - 5:51And he urged the people in that meeting,
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5:51 - 5:53in that community,
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5:53 - 5:56to devote themselves to closing the gap
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5:56 - 5:58between those two ideas,
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5:58 - 6:02to work together to try to make the world as it is
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6:02 - 6:06and the world as it should be, one and the same.
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6:06 - 6:09And I think about that today because I am
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6:09 - 6:13reminded and convinced that all of you in this school
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6:13 - 6:18are very important parts of closing that gap.
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6:18 - 6:23You are the women who will build the world as it should be.
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6:23 - 6:25You're going to write the next chapter in history.
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6:25 - 6:29Not just for yourselves, but for your generation
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6:29 - 6:32and generations to come.
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6:32 - 6:34And that's why getting a good education
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6:34 - 6:36is so important.
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6:36 - 6:39That's why all of this that you're going through --
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6:39 - 6:43the ups and the downs, the teachers that you love and the teachers that you don't --
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6:43 - 6:46why it's so important.
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6:46 - 6:49Because communities and countries and ultimately the world
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6:49 - 6:54are only as strong as the health of their women.
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6:54 - 6:56And that's important to keep in mind.
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6:56 - 7:02Part of that health includes an outstanding education.
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7:02 - 7:07The difference between a struggling family and a healthy one
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7:07 - 7:10is often the presence of an empowered woman
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7:10 - 7:13or women at the center of that family.
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7:13 - 7:16The difference between a broken community and a thriving one
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7:16 - 7:20is often the healthy respect between men and women
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7:20 - 7:25who appreciate the contributions each other makes to society.
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7:25 - 7:28The difference between a languishing nation
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7:28 - 7:30and one that will flourish
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7:30 - 7:34is the recognition that we need equal access to education
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7:34 - 7:36for both boys and girls.
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7:36 - 7:41And this school, named after the U.K.'s first female doctor,
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7:41 - 7:47and the surrounding buildings named for Mexican artist Frida Kahlo,
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7:47 - 7:49Mary Seacole,
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7:49 - 7:53the Jamaican nurse known as the "black Florence Nightingale,"
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7:53 - 7:56and the English author, Emily Bronte,
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7:56 - 8:00honor women who fought sexism, racism and ignorance,
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8:00 - 8:05to pursue their passions to feed their own souls.
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8:05 - 8:08They allowed for no obstacles.
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8:08 - 8:12As the sign said back there, "without limitations."
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8:12 - 8:14They knew no other way to live
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8:14 - 8:17than to follow their dreams.
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8:17 - 8:22And having done so, these women
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8:22 - 8:24moved many obstacles.
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8:24 - 8:26And they opened many new doors
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8:26 - 8:29for millions of female doctors and nurses
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8:29 - 8:32and artists and authors,
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8:32 - 8:34all of whom have followed them.
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8:34 - 8:37And by getting a good education,
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8:37 - 8:41you too can control your own destiny.
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8:41 - 8:44Please remember that.
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8:44 - 8:48If you want to know the reason why I'm standing here,
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8:48 - 8:51it's because of education.
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8:51 - 8:55I never cut class. Sorry, I don't know if anybody is cutting class.
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8:55 - 8:57I never did it.
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8:57 - 8:59I loved getting As.
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8:59 - 9:01I liked being smart.
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9:01 - 9:05I liked being on time. I liked getting my work done.
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9:05 - 9:10I thought being smart was cooler than anything in the world.
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9:10 - 9:12And you too, with these same values,
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9:12 - 9:14can control your own destiny.
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9:14 - 9:17You too can pave the way.
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9:17 - 9:19You too can realize your dreams,
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9:19 - 9:23and then your job is to reach back
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9:23 - 9:27and to help someone just like you do the same thing.
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9:27 - 9:30History proves that it doesn't matter
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9:30 - 9:32whether you come from a council estate
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9:32 - 9:34or a country estate.
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9:34 - 9:36Your success will be determined
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9:36 - 9:39by your own fortitude,
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9:39 - 9:43your own confidence, your own individual hard work.
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9:43 - 9:47That is true. That is the reality of the world that we live in.
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9:47 - 9:50You now have control over your own destiny.
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9:50 - 9:55And it won't be easy -- that's for sure.
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9:55 - 9:57But you have everything you need.
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9:57 - 10:00Everything you need to succeed,
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10:00 - 10:03you already have, right here.
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10:03 - 10:07My husband works in this big office.
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10:07 - 10:10They call it the Oval Office.
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10:10 - 10:12In the White House, there's the desk that he sits at --
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10:12 - 10:15it's called the Resolute desk.
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10:15 - 10:19It was built by the timber of Her Majesty's Ship Resolute
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10:19 - 10:22and given by Queen Victoria.
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10:22 - 10:27It's an enduring symbol of the friendship between our two nations.
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10:27 - 10:29And its name, Resolute,
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10:29 - 10:33is a reminder of the strength of character that's required
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10:33 - 10:35not only to lead a country,
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10:35 - 10:40but to live a life of purpose, as well.
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10:40 - 10:44And I hope in pursuing your dreams, you all remain resolute,
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10:44 - 10:47that you go forward without limits,
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10:47 - 10:52and that you use your talents -- because there are many; we've seen them;
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10:52 - 10:54it's there --
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10:54 - 10:58that you use them to create the world as it should be.
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10:58 - 11:01Because we are counting on you.
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11:01 - 11:03We are counting on every single one of you
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11:03 - 11:06to be the very best that you can be.
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11:06 - 11:08Because the world is big.
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11:08 - 11:10And it's full of challenges.
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11:10 - 11:14And we need strong, smart, confident young women
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11:14 - 11:16to stand up and take the reins.
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11:16 - 11:20We know you can do it. We love you. Thank you so much.
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11:20 - 11:27(Applause)
- Title:
- A plea for education
- Speaker:
- Michelle Obama
- Description:
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Speaking at a London girls' school, Michelle Obama makes a passionate, personal case for each student to take education seriously. It is this new, brilliant generation, she says, that will close the gap between the world as it is and the world as it should be.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDTalks
- Duration:
- 11:29
TED edited English subtitles for A passionate, personal case for education | ||
TED added a translation |