James Bryant Conant（1893─1978）是美國化學家及教育家，從一九三三年到一九五三年擔任哈佛大學校長，這篇講稿是他在一九五三年歡迎新生入學時的致詞。

我誠摯地歡迎各位來到哈佛，你在今後四年中一定會得到充分的發展。你會來這裡因為你確信知識非常重要，你瞭解多花四年接受教育很值得。你來不是為了獲取職業訓練，而是為了能在複雜的現代社會過著豐富的生活。大學四年可以提供你這樣的經驗。
You clearly think it worthwhile to continue this process of education four years longer. You do not expect to obtain here a professional training, but something else, an experience which will equip you better to live a rich life in this highly complicated modern world.

大學課程涵蓋人類浩瀚的知識領域，老師傾全力傳授各家思想，同儕間意見交流溝通，這些都讓大學生獨立思考的能力得到充分激發，滿足大學生強烈的好奇心與求知慾。大學教育不再用傳統的模式桎梏心智，而是供給養分讓心智無限寬廣地開拓成長。你一定要獨立思考！抓住機會吸收知識，多聆聽比你有經驗的人的想法，但不要讓別人替你思考。
Education should not put the mind in a straitjacket of conventional formulas but should provide it with the nourishment on which it may unceasingly expand and grow. Think for yourselves! Absorb knowledge wherever possible and listen to the opinions of those more experienced than yourself, but don't let anyone do your thinking for you.

英國劇作家蕭伯納在他的劇本「芳妮的首部劇本」的最後一幕，以戲中戲的手法讓幾名劇評家評論這本新劇，第一個發言的劇評家說：「這個作者名不見經傳，叫我怎麼評論？如果是名作家寫的，那一定就是好劇本！」我們偶而也犯了相同的錯誤，只依據表面的標籤就加以判斷，這種偷懶的行為摒棄了個人的獨立思想。大學教育就是要培育每一個人發展出自己的標準及理念，不論在文學、藝術或任何牽涉到價值判斷的事皆然。
If you accept labels at their face value you have abdicated your functions as an individual. In art, in literature, in all matters where judgments of value are concerned, an education, particularly a college education, should provide the background from which each person can develop his own standards and ideas.

面對世界的經濟和政治問題，如果你人云亦云，那你就不配身為這個充滿活力的自由國度的成員。許多人熱衷遊行和搖旗吶喊，也有人說世界須要領導者，沒錯，我們一直都須要好的領袖，但是更須要一群具有獨立思想、明理務實的公民，勇氣十足地面對未來，他們能區分政治家與煽動者，他們也不會躲在迂腐的思想裡接受保護。這個世界已經充斥太多的盲從者，你們不要年紀輕輕，就養成這種壞習慣！
It needs above all an independent group of hard-headed, clear-thinking people who face the future courageously without taking refuge behind worn-out formulas and who can tell a statesman from a demagogue. The world does not need more followers, it had too many already. Don't acquire the habit young!