莉斯（索拉·伯奇 Thora Birch饰）出生在美国的贫民窟里，从小就开始承受着家庭的千疮百孔，父母酗酒吸毒，母亲患上了精神分裂症。在15岁时母亲死于艾滋病。父亲进入收容所。贫穷的丽兹需要出去乞讨，和一些朋友流浪在城市的角落，生活的苦难似乎无穷无尽。 随着慢慢成长，丽兹知道，只有读书成才方能改变自身命运，走出泥潭般的现况。她用最真诚的态度（我只是需要一个机会）感动了高中的校长，争取到了读书的机会。然后，丽兹在漫漫的求学路上开始了征程。她一边打工一边上学，用两年时间学完了高中四年的课程。她尝试申请各类奖学金，只有纽约时报的全额奖学金才能让她念完大学，于是她努力并申请到了这份奖学金。去面试时连一件像样的衣服也没有，后来是借的姐姐的衣服。影片的最后，她迈着自信的脚步走进了哈佛的学堂。贫困并没有止住丽兹前进的决心，在她的人生里面，勇往直前的奋斗是永恒主题。
风雨哈佛路经典台词
1、世界在转动，你只是一粒尘埃，没有你地球照样在转。现实是不会按照你的意志去改变的，因为别人的意志会比你的更强。
The world is changing while you're just a stardust. The earth turns around with or without you. Reality doesn't change according to your will.
2、我为什么要觉得可怜，这就是我的生活。我甚至要感谢它，它让我在任何情况下都必须往前走。我没有退路，我只能不停地努力向前走。
Did you ever feel sorry for yourself?--That had always been my life and I really——I feel that I got lucky, because any senses of security was pulled out so I was forced to look forward. I had to… there was no going back and I reached a point where I just thought, “oh I'm gonna work as hard as I possibly can and see what happens” and now I'm going to college. and the NYT is going to pay.
3、我觉得有些人只对生活的艰苦灰心丧气，因此把时间都浪费在灰心丧气里，我们称之为愤怒，对事物的整体视而不见，对于所有能够成功的微小元素视而不见。
I think people just get frustrated without harsh, life can be. So they're spending their time dwelling on that frustration we calling it anger. keep their eyes shut to the wholeness of the situation.
4、如果可能，我愿意放弃我所有的一切，来换取我家庭的完整。
I'd give it back, all of it, if I could have my family back.
5、你会怀疑地球是否在转动，即使你不在也照样如此，情况不能像你希望的一样，有些人的需求，有些人的信念会比你的更强烈。
The world moves，and you just suspect. it could happen without you. Situations are not conduced to what you want for yourself. Someone else's needs, someone else's fate is going to be stronger than yours is
6、生活的残酷会让人不知所措，于是有人终日沉浸在彷徨迷茫之中，不愿睁大双眼去看清形势，不愿去想是哪些细小的因素累积在一起造成了这种局面。
Keep their eyes shut to the wholeness of the situation. All those tinny things that have come together to make it, what it is.
7、请不要闭眼，机会就在下一秒出现。残酷的现实面前你应勇往直前。
Don't close your eyes, rise again after you fall, you need to get out.
8、因为我的父母迫使我向深处里观察，我有幸看到所有的微小事务是如何最终聚集在一起最终形成产物的，所以我从来不问为什么这样，为什么那样，我知道为什么，这样并不能让我高兴，很多时候倒让我觉得很难过，但是我总是勇于接受，我总是勇于接受事实，我知道我总想离开我的环境。
Because I was turned so inward by mom and dad, I got chance to see how all the little tiny things come together to make the final product .So I was never inclined to wonder why this or why that. I knew why. not that I was happy about it, in fact I was really sad about it, some of the time. but I was very excepting, I was very excepting. I just always knew that I need to get out.
9、如果我不顾一切发挥每一点潜能去做会怎样? 我必须做到，我别无选择。
I will use my every potential to do that. I just always knew that I need to get out. I have to do it. I have no choice.
10、有时候我觉得世界外有一层外壳，我们所有人都生在这层外壳之下，你能从外壳里看到外面，但是你却出不去。
Sometimes I feel like there is skin upon the world. And those of us who are born under it, can see threw it. We just can't get through it
6、生活的残酷会让人不知所措，于是有人终日沉浸在彷徨迷茫之中，不愿睁大双眼去看清形势，不愿去想是哪些细小的因素累积在一起造成了这种局面。
Keep their eyes shut to the wholeness of the situation. All those tinny things that have come together to make it, what it is.
7、请不要闭眼，机会就在下一秒出现。残酷的现实面前你应勇往直前。
Don't close your eyes, rise again after you fall, you need to get out.
8、因为我的父母迫使我向深处里观察，我有幸看到所有的微小事务是如何最终聚集在一起最终形成产物的，所以我从来不问为什么这样，为什么那样，我知道为什么，这样并不能让我高兴，很多时候倒让我觉得很难过，但是我总是勇于接受，我总是勇于接受事实，我知道我总想离开我的环境。
Because I was turned so inward by mom and dad, I got chance to see how all the little tiny things come together to make the final product .So I was never inclined to wonder why this or why that. I knew why. not that I was happy about it, in fact I was really sad about it, some of the time. but I was very excepting, I was very excepting. I just always knew that I need to get out.
9、我为什么要觉得可怜，这就是我的生活。我甚至要感谢它，它让我在任何情况下都必须往前走。我没有退路，我只能不停地努力向前走。
Did you ever feel sorry for yourself?--That had always been my life and I really——I feel that I got lucky, because any senses of security was pulled out so I was forced to look forward. I had to… there was no going back and I reached a point where I just thought, “oh I'm gonna work as hard as I possibly can and see what happens” and now I'm going to college. and the NYT is going to pay.
10、有时候我觉得世界外有一层外壳，我们所有人都生在这层外壳之下，你能从外壳里看到外面，但是你却出不去。
Sometimes I feel like there is skin upon the world. And those of us who are born under it, can see threw it. We just can't get through it.
风雨哈佛路经典台词