Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid; one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory.
Build me a son whose wishbone will not be where his backbone should be; a son who will know Thee…. Lead him, I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort, but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge. Here let him learn to stand up in the storm; here let him learn compassion for those who fail.
Build me a son whose heart will be clean, whose goal will be high; a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men; one who will learn to laugh, yet never forget how to weep; one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past.
And after all these things are his, add, I pray, enough of a sense of humor, so that he may always be serious, yet never take himself too seriously. Give him humility, so that he may always remember the simplicity of greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, the meekness of true strength.
Then I, his father, will dare to whisper, “I have not lived in vain.”
上主阿！建立我的兒子。
使他剛強以致能知道何時為軟弱。使他勇敢以致能面對心中所畏懼。
輸得要光明磊落，不折不撓，保有榮譽感。在得勝中，保持謙遜溫柔。
建立我的兒子，使他有高瞻的理想，一位認識祢的兒子……。
不要讓他走在安逸、舒適的坦途上，
牽引他在困境、壓力和挑戰的路上，穩步前行。
讓他敢於面對風浪；讓他對失敗的人滿有憐恤。
建立我的兒子，讓他手潔心清，目標遠大。
讓我的兒子首先克勝自己才去領導他人；
懂得歡笑，但不忘記如何哭泣；記取過去的教訓，又能擁抱將來。
我祈求上主成就這一切後，又讓他學會足夠的幽默感，
以致他辦事認真，但不會對自己過份嚴苛。賜他謙虛，以致他記得偉大中的簡樸，
真智慧的開放兼聽，而真剛強也有溫柔的一面。
如蒙垂念，作為一位父親，容我再低聲細稟：「我沒有枉度此生了。」
— General Douglas MacArthur 麥克亞瑟將軍(伍渭文譯)
