what are commencement speeches about

The Best Commencement Speeches, Ever

Looking for some new words of wisdom? Check out our hand-picked selection of commencement addresses, going back to 1774. Search over 350 speeches by name, school, date or theme — and find out what they have in common with pop songs — on our blog: n.pr/ed .

By Jeremy Bowers, Emily Davis, Danny DeBelius, Christopher Groskopf, Anya Kamenetz, Meredith Rizzo, Sami Yenigun

Thanks to Cristina Negrut, the creator of http://graduationwisdom.com/ where many of these speeches were first collected.

May 19, 2014, Last updated: July 2, 2015

• Inner voice
• Embrace failure
• Remember history
• Don't give up
• Fight for equality
• Change the world

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Aaron Sorkin

Syracuse University

Abigail Washburn

Colorado College

Adam Savage

Sarah Lawrence College

Adrienne Rich

Douglass College

Ahmed Zewail

University of Tennessee

Connecticut College

Alexander Solzhenitsyn

Harvard University

Alexis Ohanian

Carthage College

Alice Greenwald

Amy poehler, anderson cooper.

Tulane University

Andrew Young

Andy samberg, angela ahrendts.

Ball State University

Angela Davis

Pitzer College

Anita L. DeFrantz

Anna quindlen.

Villanova University

Anne Lamott

University of California, Berkeley

Anne-Marie Slaughter

Tufts University

Anthony Corvino

Binghamton University

Ari Weinzweig and Paul Saginaw

University of Michigan

Arianna Huffington

Smith College

Vassar College

Arnold Schwarzenegger

University of Southern California

Art Buchwald

Atul gawande.

Williams College

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Barack Obama

Arizona State University

Barbara Bush

Wellesley College

Barbara Kingsolver

Duke University

Barnabas Binney

Rhode Island College (Brown University)

Barney Frank

Ben bernanke.

Princeton University

Benjamin Carson Jr.

Niagara University

Benno Schmidt Sr.

University of Missouri

Bernard Harris

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Bill Clinton

Yale University

New York University

Bill Watterson

Kenyon College

Billie Jean King

University of Massachusetts

Billy Collins

Berklee College of Music

Babson College

Auburn University

Bobby Knight

Trine University

University of Pennsylvania

Bradley Whitford

University of Wisconsin

Brian J. Dyson

Georgia Tech

Brian Kenny

Ohio Northern University

Callie Khouri

Sweet Briar College

Candy Crowley

Maharishi University

Drexel University

Carl Schramm

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Carly Fiorina

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Carrie Chapman Catt

Charles w. colson.

Geneva College

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Chris gardner, chris matthews.

Fordham University

Chris Sacca

University of Minnesota

Chris Waddell

Middlebury College

Chuck Norris

Liberty University

Clayborne Carson

Colin powell.

Northeastern University

Conan O’Brien

Dartmouth College

Cornel West

Wesleyan University

Cory Booker

Cynthia enloe.

Stanford University

Daniel S. Goldin

David broder.

Kalamazoo College

David Brooks

Wake Forest University

Rice University

Sewanee: The University of the South

David Byrne

Columbia University

University of California, Berkeley, Graduate School of Journalism

University of New Hampshire

David Foster Wallace

David l. calhoun.

Virginia Tech

David McCullough Jr.

Wellesley High School

David Remnick

David woodle, dennis lehane.

Eckerd College

Denzel Washington

Dillard University

Dolly Parton

Doug marlette.

Durham Academy

Douglas Smith

DeVry University

Loyola University

Drew Houston

Dwight eisenhower, earl bakken.

University of Hawaii

Knox College

Cornell University

University of Virginia

Edward O. Wilson

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Edward W. Brooke

Elias a. zerhouni, elie wiesel, ellen degeneres, emir kamenica.

University of Chicago, Booth School of Business

Eric Greitens

Whitman College

Estelle Parsons

Eugene mirman.

Lexington High School

Fareed Zakaria

Bates College

Francine du Plessix Gray

Barnard College

Frank McCourt

Franklin d. roosevelt.

Oglethorpe University

Fred Armisen

Oregon Episcopal School

Fred Rogers

Gabrielle giffords.

Scripps College

Gary Malkowski

Gallaudet University

George C. Marshall

George plimpton, george saunders, george w. bush.

Calvin College

Gerald Ford

Chicago State University

Gloria Steinem

Greil marcus.

School of Visual Arts

Guido Calabresi

Guy kawasaki, gwendolyn brooks.

University of Vermont

Marquette University

Henry A. Wallace

Howard gordon.

Goucher College

J.K. Rowling

Jaclyn rossi, james b. angell, james bryce, james carville.

Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Jamie Hyneman

Janet napolitano, janet yellen.

USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism

Jason Kilar

Emerson College

Jean Andrews

University of Texas, Austin

Jefferson Smith

University of Oregon

Jeffrey Sachs

Jennie cyran, jennifer lee, jerry zucker, jessica lange, jill abramson.

Maharishi University of Management

Jimmy Iovine

Jimmy tingle, joan didion.

University of California, Riverside

Jodie Foster

Joe plumeri.

College of William and Mary

John F. Kennedy

American University

John F. Kerry

Butler University

John Jacob Scherer

Roanoke College

John Legend

Kean University

John Mackey

Bentley College

John McCain

John roberts, john seely brown.

Wheaton College

Jon Stewart

Jonathan safran foer, jonathon youshaei.

Deerfield High School

Joseph Brodsky

Joss whedon, julia keller.

Dominican University

Julianna Margulies

Los Angeles Trade Technical College

Kati Marton

Central European University

Katie Couric

Georgetown University

Kermit the Frog

Southampton College

Kirk Schneider

San Francisco State University

Kurt Vonnegut

Agnes Scott College

Larry Lucchino

Boston University

Florida State University

Leonard A. Lauder

Lewis black.

University of California, San Diego

Lewis Lapham

St. John’s College

Lisa Kudrow

Louis b. susman, lyndon baines johnson.

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Madeleine Albright

Madeleine l’engle, makoto fujimura.

Belhaven University

Margaret Atwood

University of Toronto

Margaret J. Geller

Margaret spellings.

Montgomery College

Maria Shriver

Marian fontana.

Massachusetts School of Law

Marissa Mayer

Illinois Institute of Technology

Mark S. Lewis

Marlee matlin.

Wilkes University

Martha Nussbaum

Martin marty.

Eastern Mennonite University

Martin Scorsese

New York University Tisch School of the Arts

Marvin Bell

Northwest Institute of Literary Arts

Mary Robinson

Maya rudolph, meg greenfield.

West Chester University of Pennsylvania

Melissa Harris-Perry

Meredith monk, meredith vieira, meryl streep, michael bloomberg.

University of North Carolina

Michael Dell

Michael ignatieff, michael j. burry.

University of California, Los Angeles

Michael Lewis

Michael oren.

Brandeis University

Michael Uslan

Indiana University

Michelle Obama

Spelman College

Mike Tomlin

Saint Vincent College

Mindy Kaling

Harvard Law School

Mother Teresa

Muriel siebert.

Case Western Reserve University

Natalie Portman

Neil gaiman.

The University of the Arts

University of Mary Washington

Neil deGrasse Tyson

University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Njabulo S. Ndebele

Nora ephron, omid kordestani.

San Jose State University

Oprah Winfrey

Howard University

Patricia McGowan Wald

Paul glaser, paul hawken.

University of Portland

Peter Dinklage

Bennington College

Phil Rosenthal

Hofstra University

Porochista Khakpour

Desert Academy

Rachel Maddow

Rahm emanuel.

George Washington University

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Randy pausch.

Carnegie Mellon University

Ray Bradbury

Edwin O. Smith High School

Rev. David O’Connell

Rev. dennis h. holtschneider, rev. joseph l. levesque, richard costolo, richard feynman, richard russo.

Colby College

Robert Ballard

Robert krulwich, robert m. gates.

University of Georgia

Robert Pinsky

Robert rodriguez, roger goodell.

University of Massachusetts Lowell

Roger Rosenblatt

Brigham Young University

Ron Suskind

Lewis & Clark College

Ronald Reagan

Eureka College

Ronan Farrow

Dominican University of California

Russell Baker

Ruth westheimer.

Trinity College

Salman Rushdie

Bard College

Sandra Soto

University of Arizona

Sanjay Gupta

Seamus heaney, sean lebowitz, sergio marchionne.

University of Toledo

Seth MacFarlane

Sharyn alfonsi.

University of Mississippi

Sheryl Sandberg

City Colleges of Chicago

Soledad O’Brien

University of Delaware

Stephen Colbert

Northwestern University

Stephen King

Stephen r. kellert.

University of Western Sydney, Australia

Steve Ballmer

Steve blank.

Philadelphia University

Sue Monk Kidd

Sumner redstone, susan sontag, sutton foster, suzan-lori parks.

Mount Holyoke College

Terry Gross

Bryn Mawr College

Terry Teachout

Hamilton Holt School

Theodor ‘Dr. Seuss’ Geisel

Lake Forest College

Thomas L. Friedman

Tiffany shlain, tim minchin.

University of Western Australia

Tim Russert

The Art Institute of California, Sunnyvale

Toni Morrison

The Catholic University of America

Tracy Chevalier

Oberlin College

Ursula K. Le Guin

Mills College

Vaclav Havel

Vernice armour.

Ashford University

Vernon Jordan

Victor hwang.

Austin Community College

Wangari Maathai

Warren burger.

Pace University

Wesley Chan

Whoopi goldberg.

Savannah College of Art and Design

Will Ferrell

William allen white, william chiu.

Halsey Junior High School

William H. Gass

Washington University

William Kunstler

State University of New York, Buffalo

Woody Hayes

Ohio State University

Wynton Marsalis

Maine College of Art

Yvonne Thornton

Tuskegee University

Zadie Smith

Zubin damania.

University of California, San Francisco

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16 Best Graduation Speeches That Leave a Lasting Impression

By Kristi Kellogg and Noor Brara

Some of the most impactful and inspiring sentiments are shared during graduation speeches delivered by the leaders we look up to. Graduation speeches from celebrities , entrepreneurs, authors and other influential thinkers are motivational, inspiring, thought-provoking and just might make you reach for the nearest tissue. After four years of hard work, stress, and exhausting self-discovery, lucky graduates are privy to a life-changing speech to top it all off.

Here, we rounded up up 16 of the best graduation speeches of all time, including words of wisdom from Natalie Portman, Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, and more.

1. Steve Jobs: Stanford, 2005

"You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it."

2. Michelle Obama: Tuskegee University, 2015

"I've found that this journey has been incredibly freeing. Because no matter what happened, I had the piece of mind knowing that all of the chatter, the name-calling, the doubting...all of it was just noise. It did not define me, it didn't change who I was, and most importantly, it couldn't hold me back."

3. Natalie Portman: Harvard, 2015

"I just directed my first film. I was completely unprepared, but my own ignorance to my own limitations looked like confidence and got me into the director's chair. Once there, I had to figure it all out, and my belief that I could handle these things, contrary to all evidence of my ability to do so was half the battle. The other half was very hard work. The experience was the deepest and most meaningful one of my career."

4. Amy Poehler: Harvard University, 2011

By Ashleigh Carter

By Sara Delgado

"What I have discovered is this: You can't do it alone … Listen. Say 'yes.' Live in the moment. Make sure you play with people who have your back. Make big choices early and often."

5. Meryl Streep: Barnard College, 2010

"This is your time and it feels normal to you but really there is no normal. There's only change, and resistance to it and then more change."

6. David Foster Wallace: Kenyon College, 2005

"Twenty years after my own graduation, I have come gradually to understand that the liberal arts cliché about teaching you how to think is actually shorthand for a much deeper, more serious idea: learning how to think really means learning how to exercise some control over how and what you think. It means being conscious and aware enough to choose what you pay attention to and to choose how you construct meaning from experience. Because if you cannot exercise this kind of choice in adult life, you will be totally hosed. Think of the old cliché about quote the mind being an excellent servant but a terrible master."

7. Barack Obama: Howard University, 2016

"You have to go through life with more than just passion for change; you need a strategy. I’ll repeat that. I want you to have passion, but you have to have a strategy. Not just awareness, but action. Not just hashtags, but votes."

8. Kerry Washington: George Washington University, 2013

"You and you alone are the only person who can live the life that can write the story that you were meant to tell."

9. Conan O'Brien: Dartmouth College, 2011

"There are few things more liberating in this life than having your worst fear realized. Today I tell you that whether you fear it or not, disappointment will come. The beauty is that through disappointment you can gain clarity, and with clarity comes conviction and true originality … Work hard, be kind, and amazing things will happen."

10. J.K. Rowling: Harvard, 2008

"I stopped pretending to be anything than what I was. My greatest fear had been realized. I had an old typewriter and a big idea. Rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life."

11. Oprah Winfrey: Harvard University, 2013

"Learn from every mistake because every experience, encounter, and particularly your mistakes are there to teach you and force you into being more who you are. And then figure out what is the next right move. And the key to life is to develop an internal moral, emotional G.P.S. that can tell you which way to go."

12. Joss Whedon: Wesleyan University, 2013

"You have, which is a rare thing, that ability and the responsibility to listen to the dissent in yourself, to at least give it the floor, because it is the key—not only to consciousness–but to real growth. To accept duality is to earn identity. And identity is something that you are constantly earning. It is not just who you are. It is a process that you must be active in. It's not just parroting your parents or the thoughts of your learned teachers. It is now more than ever about understanding yourself so you can become yourself."

13. George Saunders: Syracuse University, 2013

"Do all the other things, the ambitious things … Travel, get rich, get famous, innovate, lead, fall in love, make and lose fortunes, swim naked in wild jungle rivers (after first having it tested for monkey poop)—but as you do, to the extent that you can, err in the direction of kindness."

14. Nora Ephron: Wellesley College, 1996

"Be the heroine of your life, not the victim."

15. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: Wellesley College, 2015

"As you graduate, as you deal with your excitement and your doubts today, I urge you to try and create the world you want to live in. Minister to the world in a way that can change it. Minister radically in a real, active, practical, get your hands dirty way."

16. Admiral William H. McRaven: University of Texas at Austin, 2014

"If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another. By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that little things in life matter. If you can't do the little things right, you will never do the big things right."

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By Emma Sarran Webster

By Adaira Landry

By Sahaj Kaur Kohli

This writer analyzed 100 graduation speeches — here are the 4 tips they all share

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Steve Jobs has been credited over the years with popularizing any number of other people’s inventions, from the personal computer to the tablet to the mobile phone. But none of these gifts may be as enduring as one of his rarely credited contributions to contemporary life — popularizing the viral commencement address.

On June 12, 2005, Jobs stood before the graduating class of Stanford University and reminded them that he had never graduated from college. “Truth be told, this is the closest I’ve ever gotten to a college graduation.” He then told three stories about his life. “That’s it. No big deal. Just three stories.”

That speech , coinciding as it did with the rise of internet virality (the first TED Talk would be posted on TED.com exactly 12 months later; the iPhone was introduced exactly 12 months after that), launched a global obsession with pithy, inspirational talks. Jobs’s speech has since been viewed more than 40 million times on YouTube.

Graduation speeches, long viewed as the burdensome interruption before diplomas were granted and mortar boards were tossed, have since become big business. Kurt Vonnegut, Ann Patchett, Carl Hiaasen, J.K. Rowling, Mary Karr, David Foster Wallace and many others have all had their commencement speeches published as books.

I’ve been fortunate to give a handful of commencement addresses over the years, and I confess to a fascination with the genre. The internet has been a boon this hobby. There are thousands of commencement speeches on the web. Can we learn anything from their messages?

I’ve spent the last few years gathering and coding hundreds of life stories, looking for patterns and takeaways that could help all of us live with more meaning, purpose and joy. I decided to put some of my coding tools to work, analyzing 100 of the most popular recent commencement speeches.

Here are the four tips they all contain:

1. Dream big

“I think it is often easier to make progress on mega-ambitious dreams. I know that sounds completely nuts. But, since no one else is crazy enough to do it, you have little competition. There are so few people this crazy that I feel like I know them all by first name. They all travel as if they are pack dogs and stick to each other like glue. The best people want to work the big challenges.” — Larry Page at University of Michigan , 2009

“We don’t beat the reaper by living longer. We beat the reaper by living well and living fully. For the reaper is always going to come for all of us. The question is: What do we do between the time we are born, and the time he shows up? Because when he shows up, it’s too late to do all the things that you’re always gonna, kinda get around to.” — Randy Pausch at Carnegie Mellon University , 2009

“Graduates, we need you. We need you to run companies and make decisions about who has access to capital. We need you to serve at the highest levels of government and determine our country’s standing in the world. We need you to work in our hospitals and in our courtrooms and in our schools. We need you to shape the future of technology. We need you because your perspective — the sum total of your intellect and your lived experience — will make our country stronger.” — Kamala Harris at Tennessee State University , 2022

2. Work hard

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.” — Steve Jobs at Stanford University , 2005

“I just directed my first film. I was completely unprepared, but my own ignorance to my own limitations looked like confidence and got me into the director’s chair. Once there, I had to figure it all out, and my belief that I could handle these things, contrary to all evidence of my ability to do so was half the battle. The other half was very hard work. The experience was the deepest and most meaningful one of my career.” — Natalie Portman at Harvard University , 2015

“When you’re doing the work you’re meant to do, it feels right and every day is a bonus, regardless of what you’re getting paid … But make it your life’s work to remake the world because there is nothing more beautiful or more worthwhile than working to leave something better for humanity.” — Oprah Winfrey at Stanford University , 2008

3. Make mistakes

”Fail big. That’s right. Fail big … It’s a new world out there, and it’s a mean world out there, and you only live once. So do what you feel passionate about. Take chances, professionally. Don’t be afraid to fail. There’s an old IQ test with nine dots, and you had to draw five lines with a pencil within these nine dots without lifting the pencil, and the only way to do it was to go outside the box. So don’t be afraid to go outside the box.” — Denzel Washington at University of Pennsylvania , 2011

“The world doesn’t care how many times you fall down, as long as it’s one fewer than the number of times you get back up.” — Aaron Sorkin at Syracuse University , 2013

“My experience has been that my mistakes led to the best thing in my life. Being embarrassed when you mess up is part of the human experience of getting back up dusting yourself off and seeing who still wants to hang out with you afterward and laugh about it. That’s a gift. The times I was told no or wasn’t included wasn’t chosen, didn’t win, didn’t make the cut, looking back it really feels like those moments we’re as important if not more crucial than the moments I was told yes.” — Taylor Swift at NYU , 2022

“Work hard, be kind, and amazing things will happen.” — Conan O’Brien at Dartmouth College , 2011

“Empathy and kindness are the true signs of emotional intelligence.” — Will Ferrell at the University of Southern California , 2017

“So here’s something I know to be true, although it’s a little corny, and I don’t quite know what to do with it: What I regret most in my life are failures of kindness. Those moments when another human being was there, in front of me, suffering, and I responded … sensibly. Reservedly. Mildly. Or, to look at it from the other end of the telescope: Who, in your life, do you remember most fondly, with the most undeniable feelings of warmth? Those who were kindest to you, I bet. It’s a little facile, maybe, and certainly hard to implement, but I’d say, as a goal in life, you could do worse than: Try to be kinder.” — George Saunders at Syracuse University , 2013

So what can we learn from these themes?

Every era in American life has its own standards of what it means to be a success. Shortly after America’s founding, success was all about character. Led by Benjamin Franklin, Americans embraced virtue, industry, and frugality. In the twentieth century, success was all about personality. Led by Dale Carnegie, Americans embraced salesmanship, reinvention and charisma. Today, led by Steve Jobs, Americans are embracing meaning, authenticity and bliss. Or, as Kermit the Frog put it in a 1996 commencement speech at Southampton College , “May success and a smile always be yours … even when you’re knee-deep in the sticky muck of life.”

Dream, work, fail and smile are as good a foursome of American identity today as I know. And if those ideas don’t inspire you, you can always embrace the far more practical advice erroneously attributed to Kurt Vonnegut in a commencement speech that he never gave at MIT, but was instead delivered by Chicago Tribune columnist Mary Schmich in an imaginary speech to graduates she published in an old-fashioned newspaper, “Ladies and gentlemen of the class of ’97: Wear sunscreen.”

This post was adapted from one published on his newsletter The Nonlinear Life; go here to subscribe.

Watch his TEDxIEMadrid Talk now:

About the author

Bruce Feiler is the author of seven New York Times bestsellers, including The Secrets of Happy Families and Council of Dads, both of which became the subject of TED Talks. His latest book, Life Is in the Transitions: Mastering Change at Any Age, from which this post and TEDx Talk are adapted, describes his journey across America, collecting hundreds of life stories, exploring how we can navigate life’s growing number of transitions with more meaning, purpose and joy. To learn more, visit brucefeiler.com, follow him on Twitter (@brucefeiler), or sign up for his newsletter The Nonlinear Life. 

• bruce feiler
• communication
• inspiration
• society and culture
• surprise me

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The Best Commencement Speeches (That We Still Love to Turn to for Advice)

Some of us just graduated college. Some of us graduated college a while ago. Some of us never had the privilege to attend. Whatever the case may be, these are the commencement speeches that pack serious inspiration.

Table of Contents

The commencement speech: where inspiration strikes, michelle obama, tuskegee university, 2015, amy poehler, harvard university, 2011, kerry washington, george washington university, 2013, conan o'brien, dartmouth college, 2011, chadwick boseman, howard university, 2018, george saunders, syracuse university, 2013, nora ephron, wellesley college, 1996, will ferrell, university of southern california, 2017, anne lamott, university of california, berkeley 2003, margaret atwood, university of toronto, 1983, stephen king, vassar college, 2001, toni morrison, wellesley college, 2004.

• Zadie Smith, New School, 2014

Shonda Rhimes, Dartmouth College, 2014

• Abby Wambach, Barnard, 2018
• Other Inspirational Commencement Speeches

Our Favorite Line:

Our Favorite Lines:

Our Favorite Line: 

Zadie Smith, New School, 2014 

Abby Wambach, Barnard, 2018 

Other Inspirational Commencement Addresses 

• Issa Rae, Stanford University, 2021  
• Oprah Winfrey, Stanford University, 2008
• Kurt Vonnegut, Agnes Scott College, 1999
• David Foster Wallace, Kenyon College, 2005
• Barack Obama, Howard University, 2016
• Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: Wellesley College, 2015

• Entry Level
• goal setting
• Inspiration

Career Contessa is an online job search and career advice resource. Since 2013, Career Contessa staff have been writing career advice articles on a variety of topics from job search to advancing at work with insight from experts, research-backed tips, and personal stories to help you become more fulfilled, healthy, and successful at work. When tackling big pain points like job search, interviewing, and career transitions, we need all hands on deck. The articles attributed to the team feature hard work, research, and real experience.

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The 15 Best Commencement Speeches of All Time

Table of Contents

T here’s a lot of pressure on speakers delivering a commencement speech.

They have to say something inspiring, engaging, and memorable—and if that wasn’t hard enough, they have to remain composed in front of hundreds or thousands of people. 

Universities handpick some of the most prestigious public speakers to give graduation speeches. As a result, there’s no shortage of commencement speech examples to watch and learn from. 

We’ve picked out 15 of the very best from recent times, including videos, transcripts, and the best quote from each.

What are the ingredients of the best commencement speeches?

Before we get to the speeches, perhaps you’ve come across this article because you’re on the lookout for your own graduation speech ideas to deliver at an upcoming address. 

If so, we’ve outlined the commonalities all of the best graduation speeches on this list share, so you can start crafting an address that will leave a lasting impression.

They include personal anecdotes

As you read through the graduation speech examples on this list, you’ll notice that nearly all of them start with a personal anecdote of some sort. This may be just a casual reference to one’s personal life, or a longer, more detailed story—or even a set of stories that are woven throughout the speech. 

Anecdotes can create a captivating hook for your speech, and also make you more relatable, so that students identify with your main points.

They have a clear central theme

Most graduation speeches range from ten minutes to thirty minutes, but all of the best ones can be boiled down to one or two sentences. This is because a good graduation speech will be crafted around a central point: one specific concept that the speaker wants to demonstrate. 

If you’re looking for graduation speech ideas, start with the primary point you want to make and build your speech around that. Choose too many points, and you’ll have a meandering speech that will leave listeners confused or overwhelmed.

They feature powerful one-liners 

You’ll see we’ve included our favorite quotes from each of the graduation speeches below. In most cases, it was hard to just pick one line! A good graduation speech should have a few standout moments—one or two sentences that will stick in the minds of anyone who hears the speech. 

The brilliant one-liners will rarely show up on the first draft of your speech, so don’t worry about being too clever when you’re just starting out. As you edit and hone the speech, the best lines will write themselves.

They are applicable to a broad audience 

It’s not uncommon for commencement speech-givers to make comments about the specific school they are speaking to; a commencement address at at a technical school will naturally have different themes than one at a liberal arts college. 

But ultimately, the graduation speech you give should be applicable to a broad audience. Every person in the graduating class should be able to resonate with the message on some level, and the most memorable graduation speeches apply to all young adults who are preparing to start living on their own.

The 15 best commencement speeches of all time

Kamala harris commencement speech .

Tennessee State University, Class of 2022

Read the transcript

Why it’s so good: Vice President Harris had a tough job—addressing a class of students who had experienced a global pandemic that disrupted their college experience. She took the stage and gave an inspiring speech encouraging students to seize the moment and adopt a sense of leadership. Listening to her speak, it’s no surprise her eloquence helped bring her to the White House. 

Best quote: “I look at this unsettled world and, yes, I then see the challenges, but I’m here to tell you, I also see the opportunities. The opportunities for your leadership. The future of our country and our world will be shaped by you.”

Jim Carrey commencement speech

Maharishi University of Management, Class of 2014

Why it’s so good: Actor Jim Carrey is introduced as “the funniest man on Earth,” and though he comes out with a bunch of great jokes, his speech delivers insightful, thought-provoking, and touching comments about what life will be like after graduation. 

Best quote: “You can spend your whole life imagining ghosts, worrying about the pathway to the future, but all there will ever be is what’s happening here, and the decisions we make in this moment, which are based in either love or fear.”

Taylor Swift commencement speech

New York University, Class of 2022

Why it’s so good: Taylor Swift, in some ways, is the voice of the generation (though you may roll your eyes at that statement if you aren’t a fan). Either way, this graduation speech she gave speaks directly to the GenZ audience she addressed in a way older speakers might not be able to achieve.

Best quote: “Never be ashamed of trying. Effortlessness is a myth. The people who wanted it the least were the ones I wanted to date and be friends with in high school. The people who want it most are the people I now hire to work for my company. ”

Steve Jobs commencement speech

Stanford, Class of 2005

Why it’s so good: Despite being one of the most successful businesspersons ever, the late Steve Jobs dropped out of college. He doesn’t shy away from this in his speech—instead, he uses it to tell three compelling stories from his life that contain some excellent lessons for soon-to-be grads. 

Best quote: “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma—which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

Patton Oswalt commencement speech 

William & Mary, Class of 2023

Read more excerpts

Why it’s so good: If you only read the opening of actor Patton Oswald’s commencement speech, it will sound less than inspiring. He begins by outlining the many uncomfortable realities our world is facing, from climate change to deteriorating democracies around the world. But as his speech goes on, Oswalt puts into words the hope and passion that are signature traits of Generation Z, and it has an impressive impact on his audience. 

Best quote: “You do not have a choice but to be anything but extraordinary. Those are the times we’re living in right now. And it’s been amazing. It’s been truly amazing to see how your generation has rebelled against every bad habit of mine and every generation that came before me.”

Maria Shriver commencement speech

University of Michigan, Class of 2022

Why it’s so good: Though exciting, graduating from college can be intimidating as well—students may feel unconfident about what they want to do in life and who they want to be. Though she’s a seasoned journalist, Maria Shriver knows something about self-doubt and how to overcome it. She eloquently shares her advice in this graduation speech. 

Best quote: “Graduates, you are not here to do a repeat of your parents or other famous Michigan grads. You are here to live your own wildly authentic lives. And it’s your authenticity, your determination, your creativity, and your imagination that our society needs most at this uncertain time.”

Denzel Washington commencement speech

University of Pennsylvania, Class of 2011

Why it’s so good: You probably don’t think of the word “failure” when you think of Denzel Washington, but that’s just the thing—as he says in his speech, people don’t focus on the failures of someone’s life; they focus on the successes. He uses examples of his own failures to encourage grads to “fall forward” when they don’t succeed. 

Best quote: “So the question is, what are you going to do with what you have? I’m not talking about how much you have. Some of you are business majors. Some of you were theologians, nurses, sociologists. Some of you have money. Some of you have patience. Some of you have kindness. Some of you have love. Some of you have the gift of long-suffering. Whatever it is, whatever your gift is, what are you going to do with what you have?”

Elizabeth Bonker graduation speech

Rollins College, Class of 2022

Why it’s so good: Elizabeth Bonker was one of the valedictorians for her class, which meant she was expected to give a commencement speech. As a woman affected by nonspeaking autism, she relied on technology to communicate a message of perseverance and the power to choose your own path in life. 

Best quote: “The freedom to choose our own way is our fundamental human right, and it is a right worth defending, not just for us, but for every human being.”

David Foster Wallace commencement speech

Kenyon College, Class of 2005

Why it’s so good: Author David Foster Wallace was a master storyteller, and his speech is full of funny parables that conceal incredibly profound insights for the graduates listening. The speech Wallace gave was raw and honest, and as such, it has cemented itself as one of the best commencement speeches of all time. 

Best quote: “And I submit that this is what the real, no bullshit value of your liberal arts education is supposed to be about: how to keep from going through your comfortable, prosperous, respectable adult life dead, unconscious, a slave to your head and to your natural default setting of being uniquely, completely, imperially alone day in and day out.”

Tom Hanks commencement speech 

Harvard University, Class of 2023

Why it’s so good: Harvard is well-known for hosting some of the best commencement speeches, and 2023 was no different. Actor Tom Hanks started his address by talking about superheroes, and used it as a launching pad to show students how to tap into their own powers and fight for truth, justice, and the American Way. 

Best quote: “Every day, every year, and for every graduating class there is a choice, the same option for all grownups to make: to be one of three types of Americans—those who embrace liberty and freedom for all , those who won’t, or those who are indifferent. In the never-ending battle you have all officially joined as of today, the difference is in how truly you believe, in how vociferously you promote, in how tightly you hold to the Truth that is self-evident—that of course we are all created equally yet differently, and of course we are all in this together. Justice and the American way are within our grasp no matter our gender, our faith, our station, our heritage, our genetic makeup, the shade of our flesh, or the continental birthplace of our ancestors.”

Mary Schmich commencement speech (sort of)

All Graduates Everywhere, 1997

Read the original essay

Why it’s so good: This speech, titled “Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young,” was never delivered to a single graduating class. It originated as a hypothetical commencement speech penned by Chicago Tribune columnist Mary Schmich. It went viral over email (it was 1997, after all, so there was no social media). Later, Baz Luhrmann (yes, that Baz Luhrmann) adapted it into a spoken-word song commonly known as “Wear Sunscreen.” The song still slaps and contains a bunch of fantastic advice for young people. 

Best quote: “Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don’t.”

Abby Wambach commencement speech

Barnard College, Class of 2018

Why it’s so good: Olympic gold-medalist, World Cup champ, and human rights activist Abby Wambach was the perfect person to give a speech to the women graduating in the 2018 class at Barnard College. She gave a rousing speech about feminism and the power the women in her audience held as they took a step into the future. 

Best quote: “As you go out into the world: Amplify each others’ voices. Demand seats for women, people of color and all marginalized people at every table where decisions are made. Call out each other’s wins and just like we do on the field: claim the success of one woman, as a collective success for all women.”

George Saunders commencement speech

Syracuse University College of Arts and Sciences, Class of 2013

Why it’s so good: Author George Saunders took the stage at the same university where he was a professor, which may explain why he was so candid in his excellent graduation speech. He speaks on regret and kindness—two emotions that are more connected than you may think. 

Best quote: “Since, according to me, your life is going to be a gradual process of becoming kinder and more loving: Hurry up. Speed it along. Start right now. There’s a confusion in each of us, a sickness, really: selfishness. But there’s also a cure. So be a good and proactive and even somewhat desperate patient on your own behalf—seek out the most efficacious anti-selfishness medicines, energetically, for the rest of your life.”

Matthew McConaughey commencement speech

University of Houston, Class of 2018

Why it’s so good: Matthew McConaughey gives a masterclass on structuring an excellent graduation speech. He cuts to the chase, letting the audience know that he’s going to share with them 13 simple truths. The first one is “Life’s not fair.” And they only get more honest and inspiring from there. 

Best quote: “Prioritize who you are, who you want to be, and don’t spend time with anything that antagonizes your character. Don’t drink the Kool-Aid. It tastes sweet but you will get cavities tomorrow. Life is not a popularity contest. Be brave. Take the hill. But first answer that question. What’s my hill?”

Juan Manuel Santos commencement speech 

Notre Dame University, Class of 2023

Why it’s so good: Juan Manuel Santos was the president of Colombia from 2010 to 2018, and much of his time during those years was dedicated to ending the long, violent civil war in his country. For this effort, he was the sole recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2016. It should come as no surprise that he delivered a moving commencement speech focused on the concept of peacemaking. 

Best quote: “To become a true peacemaker, first you must be at peace with yourself, at peace with your own conscience. … Whenever you have to choose between being at peace or proving yourself right, choose the way of peace. We have too many wars, conflicts, deaths, victims, and violence because human beings insist that only they, not their fellow humans, know the correct course of action. It is better to be at peace than to prove to anyone that you are right. Work with peace in your heart, find peace in your soul, and everything else will follow.”

More inspirational content for recent grads

Before you go, if you’re on the lookout for more resources to help you now that you’re a college grad, we’ve got some excellent content you might want to check out. Here are some of the best articles from our archives for young alumni:

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Graduation Speech: Complete Guide & Inspiring Graduation Speech Examples

Ready to toss your caps in the air and bid farewell to the hallowed halls of academia? 

Not so fast…There’s one final thing left to learn about: graduation speeches!

Sure, they might seem like just another routine part of commencement, but graduation speeches are much more than just a formality. 

From tear-jerking tales to laugh-out-loud lessons, the best graduation speeches can be vehicles to share wisdom, life lessons, and unforgettable memories. 

Maybe you’re feeling uncertain about how to craft a graduation speech that people actually want to hear… Or wondering what can turn a good one into a great one…Or, simply looking for inspiration on memorable graduation speech examples. 

Read on to explore all of the above and more in this comprehensive guide on graduation speeches. 

• What is a graduation speech?
• What is the purpose of a graduation speech?

What makes a great graduation speech?

• Steps to Write a Student Graduation Speech [7 Steps]
• Inspiring Graduation Speech Examples [8 Examples]

What is a graduation speech? 

First things first: Let’s define what a graduation speech is exactly. 

A graduation speech is more than just a ceremonial tradition —it’s a speech that combines a heartfelt send-off, a final farewell, and a celebration of achievement all rolled into one.

These speeches are typically delivered by a selected speaker, such as a notable figure, a faculty member, or a student representative, at the commencement, or graduation ceremony.

But what exactly is the purpose behind these speeches, and why do we place such importance on them?

A graduation speech serves as a symbolic bridge between the academic journey and the adventures that lie ahead. It’s a chance for speakers to reflect on the accomplishments, challenges, and growth experienced by graduates throughout their academic careers. And most importantly, it’s an opportunity to share some wisdom, inspiration, and encouragement as graduates embark on their next chapter.

What is the purpose of a graduation speech? 

The purpose of a graduation speech varies depending on the context and the goals of the speaker. But generally, it serves several key purposes:

Let’s break it down:

• Celebrate: Graduation is a big deal, right? So, the speech is a way to celebrate all the hard work and sweat equity that graduates have contributed towards their student experience. And its graduation is a huge achievement worth celebrating!
• Inspire and Motivate: Many graduates feel nervous and apprehensive about what comes next after graduation. As happy as they may be to finally be graduating, many students feel a sense of confusion and discouragement about the future. Graduation speeches are meant to motivate and encourage the graduating class as they wrap up their student experience. It’s all about making them feel inspired as they look towards their future.
• Reflect: Remember all those fun times you had in school? Even the monotonous and routine hustle of being in school will become times you can look back on, joke about, and reminisce on for the rest of your life. Graduation speeches offer a chance to look back on the graduating class memories and once-in-a-lifetime experience.
• Bringing Everyone Together: Graduation is a time for friends, family, and teachers to come together and cheer the graduating class on. The speech helps everyone feel connected and proud of what’s been achieved.
• Closure: Graduation speeches offer closure to the academic journey, providing a symbolic farewell and a sense of completion to graduates as they bid farewell to their alma mater. 
• Legacy: Graduation speeches leave a lasting legacy for graduates, offering timeless wisdom, inspiration, and guidance that they can carry with them as they embark on their future endeavors. They serve as a reminder of the values, lessons, and aspirations that define the graduate experience and shape the path forward.

Overall, the purpose of a graduation speech is to leave a lasting impact on the audience, imparting valuable insights, encouragement, and inspiration that resonate long after the ceremony has ended.

Great graduation speeches captivate audiences by weaving together universal themes, inspiring messages, and deep reflection to create a memorable and inspiring experience.

So what makes a graduation speech great ? While every speech is unique in itself, there are some common elements that all great speeches have.

Here are some key elements that contribute to a great graduation speech:

• Authenticity: A great graduation speech is authentic and genuine, reflecting the speaker’s personality, values, and experiences. 
• Personal Touch: Incorporating personal anecdotes, stories, and reflections adds depth and emotional resonance to a graduation speech. Sharing personal experiences allows the speaker to connect with the audience and make the speech more engaging.
• Inspiring Message: A great graduation speech delivers an inspiring and uplifting message that motivates graduates to embrace their potential, pursue their passions, and make a difference in the world. The message should be positive, empowering, and filled with hope for the future.
• Relevance: A great graduation speech is relevant to the occasion and the audience, addressing the unique challenges, triumphs, and experiences shared by graduates. It acknowledges the journey they’ve been on and offers guidance as they embark on the next chapter of their lives.
• Clear Structure: A well-structured graduation speech flows smoothly from one point to the next, with a clear beginning, middle, and end.
• Engaging Delivery: A great graduation speech is delivered with passion, energy, and enthusiasm, capturing the attention and interest of the audience from start to finish. 
• Humor and Wit: Incorporating humor and wit into a graduation speech can lighten the mood, break the ice, and make the speech more enjoyable for the audience. Humorous anecdotes, clever wordplay, and well-timed jokes can add charm to the speech, making it more entertaining.
• Universal Themes: A great graduation speech explores universal truths that resonate with all graduates, regardless of their background or experiences. It touches on timeless values such as perseverance, resilience, gratitude, and the power of human connection, inspiring graduates to embrace these principles as they navigate life’s challenges.

By incorporating these elements into your own graduation speech, you can create memorable, inspiring, and impactful words that leave a lasting impression on everyone in attendance.

Steps to Write a Student Graduation Speech

Feeling overwhelmed at the thought of writing a graduation speech? That’s normal! 

Even for famous and/or notable figures, writing a commencement or graduation speech can be a nerve-wracking experience.

And while writing a commencement speech may seem like a daunting task, breaking it down into basic steps can make the process more manageable and enjoyable.

Here’s a simple guide to help you craft a memorable and inspiring graduation speech:

Step 1: Understand Your Audience

Before you begin writing your speech, take some time to understand your audience. That is, the graduating class, faculty and staff, and family and friends of everyone involved in the ceremony. 

Consider the demographics of the graduates, their interests, experiences, and the significance of the occasion.

Tailoring your speech to resonate with the audience will make it more relatable and impactful.

Step 2: Choose a Theme or Message

Every great speech has a central theme or message that ties everything together. 

Think about what you want to convey to the graduates—whether it’s words of wisdom, encouragement, or reflections on their journey.

Choose a theme that resonates with the occasion and reflects your personal values and experiences.

Step 3: Brainstorm Ideas and Stories

Once you have a theme in mind, brainstorm ideas, stories, and anecdotes that support your message.

Reflect on your own experiences, lessons learned, and moments of inspiration that you can share with the graduates.

Consider incorporating personal stories, quotes, or examples that illustrate your points and make them more memorable.

Step 4: Create an Outline

Organize your ideas into a clear and coherent outline for your speech.

Start with an introduction that grabs the audience’s attention and introduces your theme. Then, outline the main points you want to cover in the body of the speech. Use supporting stories and examples to illustrate each point.

Finally, conclude your speech with powerful closing remarks that reinforces your message and leaves a lasting impression.

Step 5: Write the Speech

With your outline as a guide, start writing your speech , focusing on clarity, conciseness, and authenticity.

Write in a conversational tone, as if you’re speaking directly to the graduates, and use concise language.

Be sure to include transitions between sections to help the speech flow smoothly and keep the audience engaged.

Step 6: Edit and Revise

Once you’ve written a draft of your speech, take time to edit and revise it for clarity, coherence, and impact.

Cut out any unnecessary or repetitive information, and refine your language to make it more concise and compelling.

Pay attention to pacing, tone, and rhythm, and make sure your speech is well-balanced and engaging from start to finish.

Step 7: Practice, Practice, Practice

Finally, practice delivering your speech aloud multiple times to ensure smooth delivery and confident presentation.

Pay attention to your pacing, timing, hand gestures , and body language, and make adjustments as needed. 

Practicing your speech will help you feel more comfortable and confident on the day of the graduation ceremony.

Here are some tips to help you write a memorable speech:

• Share Your Journey: Reflect on your time in school, highlighting challenges you overcame, lessons you learned, and accomplishments you achieved.
• Inspire with Stories: Share inspiring anecdotes or life lessons that have shaped you and can resonate with your peers.
• Express Gratitude: Thank teachers, family, and friends for their support and guidance throughout your academic journey.
• Offer Encouragement: Provide motivation and encouragement to your fellow graduates as they embark on their future endeavors.

By following these basic steps and tips, you can write a graduation speech that is memorable and impactful, leaving a lasting impression on graduates and audience members for years to come.

8 Inspiring Graduation Speech Examples

If you’re looking to get inspired or need some examples to work from, check out some of the most memorable graduation speeches delivered by today’s notable figures. 

These speeches showcase how some of the world’s most influential people have delivered impactful messages of change, hard work, success, and life lessons to graduating classes throughout the years.

By incorporating personal stories, motivational quotes, and heartfelt advice, these examples showcase the profound impact a well-crafted speech can have on any audience.

While we’ve only featured eight graduation speech examples here, please note that there are countless other inspiring speeches that you can learn from throughout history. A quick online search will help guide you in the direction of more examples if you don’t find what you’re looking for in this list. 

#1 – Steve Jobs’ Stanford University Graduation Speech (2005)

Jobs’s speech is a classic for a reason. He challenged graduates to “stay hungry, stay foolish,” and to never lose sight of their dreams. 

#2 – Oprah Winfrey’s Harvard University Graduation Speech (2013)

Oprah Winfrey reflects on her own journey to success, emphasizing the importance of finding purpose, serving others, and remaining true to oneself in the face of adversity.

#3 –  Chadwick Boseman’s Howard University Graduation Speech (2018)

The late Chadwick Boseman, shortly before his passing, delivered an inspiring speech about the power of purpose and never giving up on your dreams.

#4 – J.K. Rowling’s Harvard University Graduation Speech (2008)

J.K. Rowling shares insights on the benefits of failure and the importance of imagination, empathy, and resilience in overcoming life’s challenges and achieving success.

#5 – Michelle Obama’s CCNY Graduation Speech (2016)

Michelle Obama reflects on the power of education and the importance of resilience, determination, and hope in overcoming obstacles and achieving one’s dreams.

#6 – David Foster Wallace’s Kenyon College Graduation Speech (2005)

David Foster Wallace’s speech, titled “This is Water,” is a profound meditation on mindfulness and empathy. Wallace delivers a thought-provoking speech about the value of mindfulness, empathy, and perspective in leading a meaningful and fulfilling life.

#7 – Satya Nadella’s University of Chicago Graduation Speech (2018)

The CEO of Microsoft spoke about the future of technology and the need for human-centered innovation. Nadella shares insights on the role of empathy, curiosity, and continuous learning in driving innovation and success in today’s rapidly changing world.

#8 – Ken Burns’ Stanford University Graduation Speech (2016)

The documentarian urged graduates to be curious, to challenge themselves, and to fight for what they believe in.

Learn From Graduation Speech Examples From Notable Figures

As we’ve seen from speeches like the ones listed above, throughout history, famous individuals have delivered impactful speeches that resonate with audiences and offer valuable lessons for graduates.

So how do these notable figures inspire through their speeches?

• Emphasizing Change: Notable figures often highlight the importance of embracing change and adapting to new beginnings in their speeches.
• Hard Work and Success: Through personal anecdotes, they stress the significance of hard work and determination in achieving success.
• Life Lessons: Graduation speeches by renowned figures are filled with insightful life lessons that guide and motivate graduates on their journey ahead.
• Words of Encouragement: Notable graduation speeches give encouragement, confidence, and hope to the audience as they move ahead.

Throughout this guide, we’ve explored how these speeches are more than just a routine part of commencement—they’re opportunities to share wisdom, life lessons, and unforgettable memories.

Whether you were feeling uncertain about crafting a speech that resonates or curious about the secrets behind turning a good speech into a great one, we’ve covered it all.

As you step onto the stage to deliver your graduation speech, remember the power you hold. Inspire, uplift, and connect us all! 

Here’s to making your mark and leaving a lasting impression as you embark on the next chapter of your journey!

Whether you’re giving a graduation speech or a TEDx talk, this free guide will help expand your reach.

Check out more great articles from the Thought-Leader Blog covering TEDx Talks, success mindsets, and everything else in between

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The 21 greatest graduation speeches of the last 60 years

By german lopez on may 11, 2016.

Graduation speeches are the last opportunity for a high school or college to educate its students. It's unsurprising, then, that these institutions often pull in some of the world's most powerful people to leave an equally powerful impression on their students. Here are the best of those speeches and some of the sections that resonate the most.

David Foster Wallace at Kenyon College, 2005

Jamie Sullivan

“There are these two young fish swimming along and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says, 'Morning, boys. How's the water?' And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then eventually one of them looks over at the other and goes, 'What the hell is water?' This is a standard requirement of US commencement speeches: the deployment of didactic little parable-ish stories. The story thing turns out to be one of the better, less bulshitty conventions of the genre, but if you're worried that I plan to present myself here as the wise, older fish explaining what water is to you younger fish, please don't be. I am not the wise old fish.”

Steve Jobs at Stanford University, 2005

Stanford University

“No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because death is very likely the single best invention of life. It’s life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it’s quite true. Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

Ellen Degeneres at Tulane University, 2009

Tulane University

“I know that a lot of you are concerned about your future, but there’s no need to worry. The economy is booming, the job market is wide open, the planet is just fine. It’s gonna be great. You’ve already survived a hurricane. What else can happen to you? And as I mentioned before, some of the most devastating things that happen to you will teach you the most. And now you know the right questions to ask for your first job interview — like, ‘Is it above sea level?’ So to conclude my conclusion that I’ve previously concluded in the common cement speech, I guess what I’m trying to say is life is like one big Mardi Gras. But instead of showing your boobs, show people your brain. And if they like what they see, you’ll have more beads than you know what to do with. And you’ll be drunk most of the time.”

Conan O'Brien at Dartmouth College, 2011

“Way back in the 1940s there was a very, very funny man named Jack Benny. He was a giant star and easily one of the greatest comedians of his generation. And a much younger man named Johnny Carson wanted very much to be Jack Benny. In some ways he was, but in many ways he wasn’t. He emulated Jack Benny, but his own quirks and mannerisms, along with a changing medium, pulled him in a different direction. And yet his failure to completely become his hero made him the funniest person of his generation. David Letterman wanted to be Johnny Carson, and was not, and as a result my generation of comedians wanted to be David Letterman. And none of us are — my peers and I have all missed that mark in a thousand different ways. But the point is this: it is our failure to become our perceived ideal that ultimately defines us and makes us unique. It’s not easy, but if you accept your misfortune and handle it right, your perceived failure can be a catalyst for profound reinvention.”

Carol Bartz at University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2012

University of Wisconsin-Madison

“Accept failure and learn from it. Failure is part of life, it’s part of every career, and you have to know how to take advantage of it. The single greatest strength that this country has via Silicon Valley is that failure is seen as a sign of experience. Failure is part of work, it’s part of life. People are willing to take risks on the way to innovation. One of my fondest sayings is fail, fast, forward. Recognize you’ve failed, try to do it fast, learn from it, build on it, and move forward. Embrace failure, have it be part of your persona. You’re going to have long careers, as I’ve already told you, you’re going to have many failures — personal, business, professional. I’ve had my share. But just use this as a building block to your next success.”

President John F. Kennedy at American University, 1963

“Genuine peace must be the product of many nations, the sum of many acts. It must be dynamic, not static, changing to meet the challenge of each new generation. For peace is a process — a way of solving problems. With such a peace, there will still be quarrels and conflicting interests, as there are within families and nations. World peace, like community peace, does not require that each man love his neighbor — it requires only that they live together in mutual tolerance, submitting their disputes to a just and peaceful settlement.”

David McCullough Jr. at Wellesley High School, 2012

Wellesley High School

“Like accolades ought to be, the fulfilled life is a consequence — a gratifying byproduct. It’s what happens when you’re thinking about more important things. Climb the mountain not to plant your flag but to embrace the challenge, enjoy the air, and behold the view. Climb it so you can see the world, not so the world can see you. Go to Paris to be in Paris, not to cross it off your list and congratulate yourself for being worldly. Exercise free will and creative independent thought not for the satisfactions they will bring you but for the good they will do others — the rest of the 6.8 billion and those who will follow them. And then you too will discover the great and curious truth of the human experience is that selflessness is the best thing you can do for yourself. The sweetest joys of life, then, come only with the recognition that you’re not special, because everyone is.”

Stephen Colbert at Northwestern University, 2011

Joshua Sherman

“You have been told to follow your dreams, but what if it’s a stupid dream? For instance, Stephen Colbert of 25 years ago lived at 2015 North Ridge with two men and three women in what I now know was a brothel. He dreamed of living alone — well, alone with his beard in a large, barren loft apartment, lots of blonde wood, wearing a kimono, with a futon on the floor and a Samovar of tea constantly bubbling in the background, doing Shakespeare in the street for homeless people. Today, I am a beardless, suburban dad who lives in a house, wears no iron khakis, and makes Anthony Weiner jokes for a living. And I love it, because thankfully dreams can change. If we’d all stuck with our first dream, the world would be overrun with cowboys and princesses. So whatever your dream is right now, if you don’t achieve it, you haven’t failed, and you’re not some loser. But just as importantly — and this is the part I may not get right and you may not listen to — if you do get your dream, you are not a winner.”

Sheryl Sandberg at Harvard Business School, 2012

Harvard Business School

“I sat down with Eric Schmidt, who had just become the CEO [of Google], and I showed him the spreadsheet and I said, this job meets none of my criteria. He put his hand on my sheet and he looked at me and said, ‘Don’t be an idiot.’ Excellent career advice. And then he said, ‘Get on a rocketship. When companies are growing quickly and having a lot of impact, careers take care of themselves. And when companies aren’t growing quickly or their missions don’t matter as much, that’s when stagnation and politics come in. If you’re offered a seat on a rocketship, don’t ask what seat. Just get on.’”

Michael Lewis at Princeton University, 2012

Princeton University

“In a general sort of way you’ve been appointed leader of the group. Your appointment may not be entirely arbitrary. But you must sense right now its arbitrary aspect: you are the lucky few. Lucky in your parents, lucky in your country, lucky that a place like Princeton exists that can take in lucky people, introduce them to other lucky people, and increase their chances of becoming even luckier. Lucky that you live in the richest society the world has ever seen, in a time when no one actually expects you to sacrifice your interest to anything. All of you have been faced with the extra cookie. All of you will be faced with many more of them. In time you will find it easy to assume that you deserve the extra cookie. For all I know, you may deserve the extra cookie. But you will be happier, and you will be better off, if you at least pretend that you don't.”

Jon Stewart at the College of William & Mary, 2004

College of William & Mary

“Lets talk about the real world for a moment. ... I don’t really know to put this, so I’ll be blunt: we broke it. Please don’t be mad. I know we were supposed to bequeath to the next generation a world better than the one we were handed. So, sorry. I don’t know if you’ve been following the news lately, but it just kinda got away from us. Somewhere between the gold rush of easy internet profits and an arrogant sense of endless empire, we heard kind of a pinging noise, and then the damn thing just died on us. So I apologize. But here’s the good news: you fix this thing, you’re the next greatest generation, people.”

Oprah Winfrey at Spelman College, 2012

Spelman College

“You must have some kind of vision for your life, even if you don’t know the plan. You have to have a direction in which you choose to go. I never was the kind of woman who liked to get in a car and just go for a ride. I had a boyfriend that would say, ‘Let’s just go for a ride.’ I want to know where are we going. Do we have a destination? Is there a plan? Are we just riding? What I’ve learned is that’s a great metaphor for life. You want to be in the driver’s seat of your own life, because if you’re not, life will drive you.”

Neil Gaiman at the University of the Arts, 2012

Lennie Alzate

“The moment that you feel that, just possibly, you’re walking down the street naked, exposing too much of your heart and your mind and what exists on the inside, showing too much of yourself, that’s the moment you may be starting to get it right. The things I’ve done that worked the best were the things I was the least certain about, the stories where I was sure they would either work or more likely be the kinds of embarrassing failures that people would gather together and discuss until the end of time. They always had that in common. Looking back at them, people explain why they were inevitable successes. And while I was doing them, I had no idea. I still don’t. And where would be the fun in making something you knew was going to work? And sometimes the things I did really didn’t work. There are stories of mine that have never been reprinted. Some of them never even left the house. But I learned as much from them as I did from the things that worked.”

George Saunders at Syracuse University's College of Arts and Sciences, 2013

Syracuse University's College of Arts and Sciences

“Seek out the most efficacious anti-selfishness medicines energetically for the rest of your life. And do all the other things of course, the ambitious things: travel, get rich, get famous, innovate, lead, fall in love, make and lose fortunes, swim naked in a wild jungle river — after first testing it for monkey poop. But as you do, to the extent that you can, err in the direction of kindness. Do those things that incline you toward the big questions, and avoid the things that would reduce you and make you trivial. That luminous part of you that exists beyond personality — your soul, if you will — is as bright and shining as any that has ever been. Bright as Shakespeare’s, bright as Gandhi’s, bright as Mother Teresa’s. Clear away everything that keeps you separate from this secret luminous place. Believe it exists, come to know it better, nurture it, share its fruits tirelessly.”

Nora Ephron at Wellesley College, 1996

Wellesley College

“So what are you going to do? This is the season when a clutch of successful women who have it all get up and give speeches to women like you and say, ‘To be perfectly honest, you can’t have it all.’ Well, maybe young women don’t wonder whether they can have it all any longer, but in case any of you are wondering, of course you can have it all. What are you going to do? Everything is my guess. It will be a little messy, but embrace the mess. It will be complicated, but rejoice in the complications. It will not be anything like what you think it’s going to be like, but surprises are good for you. And don't be frightened. You can always change your mind. I know. I've had four careers and three husbands. And this is something else I want to tell you, one of the hundreds of things I didn’t know when I was sitting here so many years ago: you are not going to be you, fixed and immutable you, forever.”

Aaron Sorkin at Syracuse University, 2012

Syracuse University

“Decisions are made by those who show up. Don't ever forget that you're a citizen of this world. Don't ever forget that you’re a citizen of this world, and there are things you can do to lift the human spirit, things that are easy, things that are free, things that you can do every day: civility, respect, kindness, character. You’re too good for schadenfreude, you’re too good for gossip and snark, you’re too good for intolerance — and since you're walking into the middle of a presidential election, it’s worth mentioning that you’re too good to think people who disagree with you are your enemy. … Don’t ever forget that a small group of thoughtful people can change the world. It’s the only thing that ever has.”

Barbara Kingsolver at DePauw University, 1994

DePauw University

“It’s not up to you to save the world. That’s the job of every living person who likes the idea of a future. But I’m going to go out on a limb here and give you one little piece of advice, and that is, like the idea of a future. Believe you have it in you to make the world look better rather than worse seven generations from now. Figure out what that could look like. And then if you’re lucky, you’ll find a way to live inside that hope, running down its hallways, touching the walls on both sides.”

Jane Lynch at Smith College, 2012

Smith College

“My counsel to you, women of Smith College: let life surprise you. Don’t have a plan. Plans are for wusses. If my life went according to my plan, I would never ever have the life I have today. Now, you are obviously good planners, or you wouldn’t be here. So stop it! Stop it now! Don’t deprive yourself of the exciting journey your life can be when you relinquish the need to have goals and a blueprint.”

Bill Gates at Harvard University, 2007

Harvard University

“In line with the promise of this age, I want to exhort each of the graduates here to take on an issue — a complex problem, a deep inequity, and become a specialist on it. If you make it the focus of your career, that would be phenomenal. But you don’t have to do that to make an impact. For a few hours every week, you can use the growing power of the internet to get informed, find others with the same interests, see the barriers, and find ways to cut through them. Don’t let complexity stop you. Be activists. Take on big inequities. I feel sure it will be one of the great experiences of your lives.”

Eugene Mirman at Lexington High School, 2009

Eugene Mirman

“What’s the worst grade you’ve ever gotten? A D? An F? When I was in eighth grade in Diamond Middle School on a homework assignment — this is true — I once got a -8. Sadly very true. I did my assignment worse than not doing it. But did I let getting a grade lower than the lowest possible grade stop me? No. I was put into resource room in special education, and I turned my F into a D. So you see sometimes you can fail, then barely pass, and then become a comedian.”

Michelle Obama at Spelman College, 2011

“Some of you may have grown up like me, in neighborhoods where few had the chance to go to college, where being teased for doing well in school was a fact of life, where well-meaning but misguided folks questioned whether a girl with my background could get into a school like Princeton. Sometimes I’d save them the trouble and raised the questions myself, in my own head, lying awake at night, doubting whether I had what it took to succeed. And the truth is that there will always be folks out there who make assumptions about others. There will always be folks who try to raise themselves up by cutting other people down. That happens to everyone, including me, throughout their lives. But when that happens to you all, here’s what I want you to do: I want you to just stop a minute, take a deep breath — because it’s going to need to be deep — and I want you to think about all those women who came before you.”

• The formula for a good life after college
• Girls have gotten better grades than boys for 100 years
• The job market for 2014 grads: still awful
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9 Life-Changing Lessons from Iconic Commencement Speeches

• The Speaker Lab
• May 26, 2024

Table of Contents

Commencement speeches really have a knack for waking up our inner fire and making our hearts race with excitement. They’re not just a rite of passage for graduates; they’re a powerful reminder of the incredible potential we all possess. From Steve Jobs’ unforgettable Stanford address to Oprah Winfrey’s Harvard wisdom, these speeches are packed with life-changing lessons that resonate long after the cap and gown come off.

So, what can we learn from the greatest commencement speeches of all time? As it turns out, a whole lot. As we dive into iconic commencement addresses, you’ll find they teach profound lessons about life. So get ready to hear some wisdom that’ll push you to dream wider, grind harder, and stamp your legacy on this world. Let’s get started!

Top 5 Most Inspiring Commencement Speeches of All Time

Delivering a commencement speech is no easy feat. Maybe you’ve been there before—standing up in front of a sea of eager graduates and their proud families, trying to impart some wisdom that will stick with them long after the caps have been tossed.

But some speakers just have a knack for it. They manage to craft a message that’s equal parts inspiring, thought-provoking, and unforgettable. These are the commencement addresses that go viral, that get quoted for years to come, that truly leave a mark on the hearts and minds of their audience. Let’s take a look at some of these iconic speeches.

Steve Jobs at Stanford University (2005)

In 2005, Steve Jobs presented his commencement speech at Stanford University . The Apple co-founder shared three personal stories that shaped his life and career, urging graduates to follow their intuition, love what they do, and see opportunity in setbacks. His message was simple but powerful: “Stay hungry, stay foolish.”

David Foster Wallace at Kenyon College (2005)

Another standout from that same year was David Foster Wallace’s address at Kenyon College . The acclaimed author delivered a profound and darkly humorous meditation on the challenges of adulthood, urging graduates to look beyond their “default settings” and choose compassion over self-centeredness. “The real value of a real education,” he argued, “has almost nothing to do with knowledge, and everything to do with simple awareness.”

Oprah Winfrey at Harvard University (2013)

Fast forward to 2013, and we have Oprah Winfrey’s speech at Harvard University . The media mogul shared her own journey from childhood poverty to becoming one of the most influential women in the world, emphasizing the importance of service, gratitude, and learning from failure. “There is no such thing as failure,” she assured graduates. “Failure is just life trying to move us in another direction.”

George Saunders at Syracuse University (2013)

Also in 2013, acclaimed writer George Saunders delivered a heartfelt commencement speech at Syracuse University. In it, Saunders urged graduates to “err in the direction of kindness” and prioritize love over success. “What I regret most in my life are failures of kindness,” he confessed, encouraging the audience to lead with empathy and compassion in all their endeavors.

J.K. Rowling at Harvard University (2008)

And who could forget J.K. Rowling’s 2008 speech at Harvard ? In her address, the Harry Potter author opened up about her own struggles with failure and urged graduates to embrace their imagination and use their talents for good. “We do not need magic to change the world,” she declared. “We carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better.”

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Lessons on Life, Love, and Success from Commencement Speeches

So what can we learn from these iconic commencement addresses? What pearls of wisdom can we glean from these masters of the craft, these titans of inspiration? As you study each of the above commencement speeches, notice the common topics each of them addresses. Whether given by a big-name celebrity or a high school principal, these themes resonate with audiences everywhere. Let’s take a look.

Embracing Change and Uncertainty

One recurring message in commencement speeches is the importance of embracing change and uncertainty. In a world that’s constantly shifting and evolving, adaptability is key. As Steve Jobs put it, “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.” Graduates are encouraged to stay open to new opportunities and experiences, even if they don’t fit into their carefully laid plans.

Pursuing Your Passions

Another common thread is the value of pursuing your passions and doing work that matters to you. As Oprah Winfrey advised Harvard graduates, “The key to life is to develop an internal moral, emotional GPS that can tell you which way to go.” Rather than chasing external markers of success, speakers urge students to listen to their own inner voice and follow their true calling, even if it means taking risks or veering off the beaten path.

Overcoming Failure and Adversity

Of course, no journey is without its obstacles and setbacks. That’s why so many commencement speakers emphasize the importance of resilience and learning from failure. As J.K. Rowling shared in her Harvard speech, “It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all—in which case, you fail by default.” Graduates are reminded that even the most successful people have faced rejection, disappointment, and self-doubt at some point in their lives. What matters is how you pick yourself up and keep moving forward.

The Importance of Relationships and Human Connection

In addition to professional pursuits, commencement speakers often stress the importance of cultivating meaningful relationships and serving others. As George Saunders put it, “What I regret most in my life are failures of kindness.” Graduates are encouraged to prioritize empathy, compassion, and genuine human connection, both in their personal lives and in their careers. After all, success means little if it comes at the expense of our humanity.

Defining Success on Your Own Terms

Finally, perhaps the most valuable lesson we can take from these iconic commencement speeches is that success is deeply personal. As David Foster Wallace reminded Kenyon graduates, “The most obvious, important realities are often the ones that are hardest to see and talk about.” Rather than measuring themselves against society’s narrow definition of achievement, graduates are urged to define success on their own terms. That could mean anything from making a difference, to following their bliss, to simply leading a life of integrity and purpose.

These are just a few of the many powerful insights and lessons we can glean from the most inspiring commencement speeches of all time. If you’re preparing to write your own graduation speech , consider using some of these themes so that your message resonates with your audience.

Powerful Messages from Recent Commencement Speeches

In recent years, we’ve seen some truly powerful commencement speeches that have left a lasting impact on graduates and the public alike. From politicians to entertainers, these speakers have used their platforms to deliver messages of hope, resilience, and social justice.

Kamala Harris at Tennessee State University (2022)

As the first woman and person of color to serve as Vice President, Kamala Harris knows a thing or two about breaking barriers. In her speech at Tennessee State University, she shared her own experiences with discrimination and the importance of fighting for equality. “You are graduating into a world that needs your leadership, your vision, and your strength,” she told the class of 2022. “You have the power to shape our future.”

Throughout her commencement speech, Harris emphasized the importance of community, perseverance, and using one’s voice to create change. She also encouraged graduates to be leaders in their fields and to use their education and skills to address the challenges facing society.

Taylor Swift at New York University (2022)

Who better to speak to the challenges and triumphs of pursuing a creative career than Taylor Swift? In her commencement speech at NYU, the singer-songwriter shared personal anecdotes about her own journey as well as the lessons she learned along the way. She emphasized the importance of resilience, creativity, and staying true to oneself in the face of criticism and adversity.

“My experience has been that my mistakes led to the best things in my life,” shared Swift. “And being embarrassed when you mess up is part of the human experience. Getting back up, dusting yourself off and seeing who still wants to hang out with you afterward and laugh about it? That’s a gift.”

Patton Oswalt at the College of William and Mary (2023)

Leave it to comedian Patton Oswalt to deliver a commencement speech that’s equal parts hilarious and heartfelt. Speaking at his alma mater, Oswalt encouraged graduates to embrace their unique paths and to use their education and skills to make a positive impact on the world. In addition, he recognized the positive things about the graduating class’s generation.

“It’s been truly amazing to see how your generation has rebelled against every bad habit of mine and every generation that came before me,” Oswalt remarked. “Everything that we let calcify, you have kicked against and demolished….And those are hard things to reject, because accepting them sometimes makes life way easier….It’s stunning to see it.”

Juan Manuel Santos at University of Notre Dame (2023)

As the former president of Colombia and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Juan Manuel Santos knows firsthand the challenges and rewards of working towards peace and reconciliation. In his commencement speech at Notre Dame, Santos spoke about his efforts to end the long-standing conflict in Colombia and the importance of building a more just and equitable world.

“When progress is based on exclusion, it is fragile and will ultimately disappear,” declared Santos. “However, when progress is based on inclusion, when we understand that everyone’s life is as valuable as our own, then that progress is lasting and real.”

These are just a few examples of the many powerful commencement speeches from recent years. Whether they’re sharing personal stories, offering words of wisdom, or calling for social change, these speakers remind us of the incredible potential of the next generation of leaders.

The Art of Crafting an Unforgettable Commencement Speech

So, what does it take to deliver a truly unforgettable commencement speech? It’s about knowing your audience, crafting a message that resonates, and delivering it with authenticity and heart. Let’s take a look.

Know Your Audience and Tailor Your Message

Before you even start writing your speech, do your homework. Learn about the school, its history, and its values. Talk to students and faculty members to get a sense of what makes this community unique. The more you understand your audience, the better equipped you’ll be to craft a message that resonates. After all, a commencement speech isn’t about you, it’s about the graduates and their families. So ask yourself, what are their hopes and dreams? What challenges have they faced to get to this moment? And what wisdom can you offer that will help them navigate the road ahead?

Once you’ve got a handle on your audience, it’s time to start thinking about your message. What do you want to leave these graduates with? What lessons have you learned in your own life that might be valuable to them? Remember, a commencement speech isn’t a TED talk or a motivational seminar. It’s a chance to share a piece of yourself and offer some hard-earned wisdom.

Start Strong and End on a High Note

When it comes to structuring your speech, start strong and end on a high note. You want to grab your audience’s attention right out of the gate with a powerful opening line or a surprising statistic. Then, at the end, leave them feeling inspired and energized with a call to action or a memorable closing thought.

For example, consider the strong opening story in David Foster Wallace’s 2005 commencement speech at Kenyon College. “There are these two young fish swimming along and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says ‘Morning, boys. How’s the water?'” Wallace began. “And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then eventually one of them looks over at the other and goes ‘What the hell is water?'” It’s a simple story, but it immediately draws you in and sets the stage for Wallace’s profound reflections on the power of awareness and empathy.

Use Humor and Personal Anecdotes

Another key ingredient in a great commencement speech? Humor. Of course, you don’t need to be a stand-up comedian to win over your audience. However, a well-placed joke or two can go a long way in breaking the ice and building rapport with the crowd. Just be sure to keep it clean and appropriate for the occasion.

Personal anecdotes are another powerful tool in the commencement speaker’s toolkit. Sharing a story from your own life—whether it’s a triumph or a failure—can help illustrate a larger point and make your message more relatable. Just be sure to tie it back to the graduates and their own experiences.

Offer Practical Advice and Wisdom

At the end of the day, a commencement speech is about offering practical advice and wisdom to the next generation of leaders. It’s about sharing the lessons you’ve learned and encouraging graduates to embrace the challenges and opportunities ahead. If you need inspiration, don’t hesitate to check out some of the commencement speeches above.

Leave a Lasting Impact and Inspire Action

Finally, a truly unforgettable commencement speech is one that leaves a lasting impact and inspires action. It’s not enough to simply impart wisdom or share a few laughs. You want to leave your audience feeling empowered and motivated to go out and make a difference in the world. It’s not just about imparting wisdom or sharing a few laughs. It’s about inspiring the next generation to dream big, take risks, and use their talents and education to make the world a better place.

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FAQs on Commencement Speeches

What is in a commencement speech.

A commencement speech usually mixes advice, experiences, and encouragement. It aims to prep grads for the next chapter.

How do you start a good commencement speech?

Kick off with something relatable or funny. Grab their attention, then dive into your main message.

Who usually delivers a commencement speech?

Commencement speakers are often successful folks like politicians, celebrities, or notable alumni who’ve made their mark.

How long is a typical commencement speech?

A sweet spot? Around 15 minutes. Long enough to inspire but short enough to keep everyone awake.

Commencement speeches have a way of leaving an indelible mark on our hearts and minds. They remind us that life is a beautiful, complicated, unpredictable journey—and that’s exactly what makes it worth living.

So, as you navigate your own path, remember the lessons from these iconic speeches. Let’s start seeing our stumbles and falls as the stepping stones they really are on the path to success. Follow your heart, even when it leads you off the beaten path. Make your life’s foundation love, empathy, and deep connections with others. And never, ever stop learning and growing.

• Last Updated: May 24, 2024

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22 valuable pieces of advice from graduation speeches through history

• Most commencement speeches tend to follow a similar formula.
• However, some are so inspiring they are remembered long after graduation.
• Presidents, Nobel Prize winners, CEOs, and comedians have all inspired graduates with their words.

Commencement speeches are often an opportunity for media moguls, celebrities, and CEOs to impart wisdom to the graduating classes of colleges and universities across the country. 

Presidents have also used commencement speeches as more casual environments to drive home the values of their administrations, such as John F. Kennedy's 1963 speech at American University that called for peace. 

Here are valuable pieces of advice from graduation speeches through history.

Richard Feloni and Rachel Gillett contributed to a previous version of this article.

"Our problems are manmade — therefore, they can be solved by man." — John F. Kennedy's 1963 speech at American University

Against the tumult of the early '60s, John F. Kennedy inspired graduates to strive for what may be the biggest goal of them all: world peace.

"Too many of us think it is impossible," he said. "Too many think it unreal. But that is a dangerous, defeatist belief. It leads to the conclusion that war is inevitable — that mankind is doomed — that we are gripped by forces we cannot control."

Our job is not to accept that, he urged. "Our problems are manmade — therefore, they can be solved by man. And man can be as big as he wants." 

"Be the heroine of your life, not the victim." — Nora Ephron's 1996 speech at Wellesley College

Addressing her fellow alums with trademark wit, Ephron reflected on all the things that had changed since her days at Wellesley — and all the things that hadn't.

"My class went to college in the era when you got a master's degree in teaching because it was 'something to fall back on' in the worst case scenario, the worst case scenario being that no one married you and you actually had to go to work," she said.

But while things had changed drastically by 1996, Ephron warned grads not to "delude yourself that the powerful cultural values that wrecked the lives of so many of my classmates have vanished from the earth." 

"Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim," she said. "Maybe young women don't wonder whether they can have it all any longer, but in case any of you are wondering, of course you can have it all. What are you going to do? Everything, is my guess. It will be a little messy, but embrace the mess. It will be complicated, but rejoice in the complications."

"We can learn to live without the sick excitement, without the kick of having scores to settle." — Kurt Vonnegut's 1999 speech at Agnes Scott College

The famed author became one of the most sought-after commencement speakers in the United States for many years, thanks to his insights on morality and cooperation. At Agnes Scott, he asked graduates to make the world a better place by respecting humanity and living without hate. Hammurabi lived 4,000 years ago, he pointed out. We can stop living by his code.

"We may never dissuade leaders of our nation or any other nation from responding vengefully, violently, to every insult or injury. In this, the Age of Television, they will continue to find irresistible the temptation to become entertainers, to compete with movies by blowing up bridges and police stations and factories and so on," he said.

"But in our personal lives, our inner lives, at least, we can learn to live without the sick excitement, without the kick of having scores to settle with this particular person, or that bunch of people, or that particular institution or race or nation. And we can then reasonably ask forgiveness for our trespasses, since we forgive those who trespass against us."

The result, he said, would be a happier, more peaceful, and more complete existence.

"You are your own stories." — Toni Morrison's 2004 speech at Wellesley College

Instead of the usual commencement platitudes — none of which, Morrison argued, are true anyway — the Nobel Prize-winning writer asked grads to create their own narratives. 

"What is now known is not all what you are capable of knowing," she said. "You are your own stories and therefore free to imagine and experience what it means to be human without wealth. What it feels like to be human without domination over others, without reckless arrogance, without fear of others unlike you, without rotating, rehearsing and reinventing the hatreds you learned in the sandbox."

In your own story, you can't control all the characters, Morrison said. "The theme you choose may change or simply elude you. But being your own story means you can always choose the tone. It also means that you can invent the language to say who you are and what you mean." Being a storyteller reflects a deep optimism, she said — and as a storyteller herself, "I see your life as already artful, waiting, just waiting and ready for you to make it art."

"Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose." — Steve Jobs' 2005 speech at Stanford University

In a remarkably personal address, the Apple founder and CEO advised graduates to live each day as if it were their last.

"Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life," he said. He'd been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer a year earlier.

"Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure — these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important," he continued. "Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart."

Jobs said this mindset will make you understand the importance of your work. "And the only way to do great work is to love what you do," he said. "If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it."

Settling means giving in to someone else's vision of your life — a temptation Jobs warned against. "Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition."

"If you really learn how to pay attention, then you will know there are other options." — David Foster Wallace's 2005 speech at Kenyon College

In his now-legendary "This Is Water" speech, the author urged grads to be a little less arrogant and a little less certain about their beliefs.

"This is not a matter of virtue," Wallace said. "It's a matter of my choosing to do the work of somehow altering or getting free of my natural, hard-wired default setting, which is to be deeply and literally self-centered and to see and interpret everything through this lens of self."

Doing that will be hard, he said. "It takes will and effort, and if you are like me, some days you won't be able to do it, or you just flat won't want to."

But breaking free of that lens can allow you to truly experience life, to consider possibilities beyond your default reactions.

"If you're automatically sure that you know what reality is, and you are operating on your default setting, then you, like me, probably won't consider possibilities that aren't annoying and miserable," he said. "But if you really learn how to pay attention, then you will know there are other options. It will actually be within your power to experience a crowded, hot, slow, consumer-hell type situation as not only meaningful, but sacred, on fire with the same force that made the stars: love, fellowship, the mystical oneness of all things deep down."

"If it doesn't feel right, don't do it." — Oprah Winfrey's 2008 speech at Stanford University

The media mogul told Stanford's class of 2008 that they can't sacrifice happiness for money. "When you're doing the work you're meant to do, it feels right and every day is a bonus, regardless of what you're getting paid," she said.

She said you can feel when you're doing the right thing in your gut. "What I know now is that feelings are really your GPS system for life. When you're supposed to do something or not supposed to do something, your emotional guidance system lets you know," she said.

She explained that doing what your instincts tells you to do will make you more successful because it will drive you to work harder and will save you from debilitating stress.

"If it doesn't feel right, don't do it. That's the lesson. And that lesson alone will save you, my friends, a lot of grief," Winfrey said. "Even doubt means don't. This is what I've learned. There are many times when you don't know what to do. When you don't know what to do, get still, get very still, until you do know what to do."

"Life is an improvisation. You have no idea what's going to happen next and you are mostly just making things up as you go along." — Stephen Colbert's 2011 speech at Northwestern University

The comedian and host of the "Late Show" told grads they should never feel like they have it all figured out.

"Whatever your dream is right now, if you don't achieve it, you haven't failed, and you're not some loser. But just as importantly — and this is the part I may not get right and you may not listen to — if you do get your dream, you are not a winner," Colbert said.

It's a lesson he learned from his improv days. When actors are working together properly, he explained, they're all serving each other, playing off each other on a common idea. "And life is an improvisation. You have no idea what's going to happen next and you are mostly just making things up as you go along. And like improv, you cannot win your life," he said.

"There are few things more liberating in this life than having your worst fear realized." — Conan O'Brien's 2011 speech at Dartmouth College

In his hilarious 2011 address to Dartmouth College, the late-night host spoke about his brief run on "The Tonight Show" before being replaced by Jay Leno. O'Brien described the fallout as the lowest point in his life, feeling very publicly humiliated and defeated. But once he got back on his feet and went on a comedy tour across the country, he discovered something important.

"There are few things more liberating in this life than having your worst fear realized," he said.

He explained that for decades the ultimate goal of every comedian was to host "The Tonight Show," and like many comedians, he thought achieving that goal would define his success. "But that is not true. No specific job or career goal defines me, and it should not define you," he said.

He noted that disappointment is a part of life, and the beauty of it is that it can help you gain clarity and conviction.

"It is our failure to become our perceived ideal that ultimately defines us and makes us unique," O'Brien said. "It's not easy, but if you accept your misfortune and handle it right, your perceived failure can be a catalyst for profound re-invention."

 O'Brien said that dreams constantly evolve, and your ideal career path at 22 years old will not necessarily be the same at 32 or 42 years old. 

"I am here to tell you that whatever you think your dream is now, it will probably change. And that's OK," he said.

"The difference between triumph and defeat, you'll find, isn't about willingness to take risks — it's about mastery of rescue." — Atul Gawande's 2012 speech at Williams College

Pushing beyond the tired "take risks!" commencement cliché, the surgeon, writer, and activist took a more nuanced approach: what matters isn't just that you take risks; it's how you take them.

To explain, he turned to medicine."Scientists have given a new name to the deaths that occur in surgery after something goes wrong — whether it is an infection or some bizarre twist of the stomach," said Gawande. "They call them a 'Failure to Rescue.' More than anything, this is what distinguished the great from the mediocre. They didn't fail less. They rescued more."

What matters, he said, isn't the failure — that's inevitable — but what happens next. "A failure often does not have to be a failure at all. However, you have to be ready for it. Will you admit when things go wrong? Will you take steps to set them right? — because the difference between triumph and defeat, you'll find, isn't about willingness to take risks. It's about mastery of rescue."

"Err in the direction of kindness." — George Saunders' 2013 speech at Syracuse University

The writer stressed what turns out to be a deceptively simple idea: the importance of kindness.

"What I regret most in my life are failures of kindness ," he said. "Those moments when another human being was there, in front of me, suffering, and I responded ... sensibly. Reservedly. Mildly." 

But kindness is hard, he said. It's not necessarily our default. In part, he explained, kindness comes with age. "It might be a simple matter of attrition: as we get older, we come to see how useless it is to be selfish — how illogical, really." The challenge he laid out: Don't wait. "Speed it along," he urged. "Start right now."

"There's a confusion in each of us, a sickness, really:  selfishness, " Saunders said. "But there's also a cure. So be a good and proactive and even somewhat desperate patient on your own behalf — seek out the most efficacious anti-selfishness medicines, energetically, for the rest of your life."

"Do all the other things, the ambitious things — travel, get rich, get famous, innovate, lead, fall in love, make and lose fortunes, swim naked in wild jungle rivers (after first having it tested for monkey poop) – but as you do, to the extent that you can, err in the direction of kindness."

"Ditch the dream and be a doer, not a dreamer." — Shonda Rhimes' 2014 speech at Dartmouth College

The world's most powerful showrunner told grads to stop dreaming and start doing.

The world has plenty of dreamers, she said. "And while they are busy dreaming, the really happy people, the really successful people, the really interesting, engaged, powerful people, are busy doing." She pushed grads to be those people.

"Ditch the dream and be a doer, not a dreamer," she advised — whether or not you know what your "passion" might be. "The truth is, it doesn't matter. You don't have to know. You just have to keep moving forward. You just have to keep doing something, seizing the next opportunity, staying open to trying something new. It doesn't have to fit your vision of the perfect job or the perfect life. Perfect is boring and dreams are not real," she said.

"Your job is to create a world that lasts forever." — Steven Spielberg's 2016 speech at Harvard

"This world is full of monsters," director Steven Spielberg told Harvard graduates, and it's the next generation's job to vanquish them.

"My job is to create a world that lasts two hours. Your job is to create a world that lasts forever," he said.

These monsters manifest themselves as racism, homophobia, and ethnic, class, political, and religious hatred, he said, noting that there is no difference between them: "It is all one big hate."

Spielberg said that hate is born of an "us versus them" mentality, and thinking instead about people as "we" requires replacing fear with curiosity.

"'Us' and 'them' will find the 'we' by connecting with each other, and by believing that we're members of the same tribe, and by feeling empathy for every soul," he said.

"I wake up in a house that was built by slaves." — Michelle Obama's 2016 speech at the City College of New York

In her 23rd and final commencement speech as first lady, Michelle Obama urged the class of 2016 to pursue happiness and live out whatever version of the American Dream is right for them.

"It's the story that I witness every single day when I wake up in a house that was built by slaves," she said, "and I watch my daughters — two beautiful, Black young women — head off to school waving goodbye to their father, the president of the United States, the son of a man from Kenya who came here to America for the same reasons as many of you: to get an education and improve his prospects in life."

"So, graduates, while I think it's fair to say that our Founding Fathers never could have imagined this day," she continued, "all of you are very much the fruits of their vision. Their legacy is very much your legacy and your inheritance. And don't let anybody tell you differently. You are the living, breathing proof that the American Dream endures in our time. It's you."

"Not everything that happens to us happens because of us." — Sheryl Sandberg's 2016 speech at UC Berkeley

During the Facebook COO's deeply personal commencement speech  about resilience at UC Berkeley, she spoke on how understanding the three Ps that largely determine our ability to deal with setbacks helped her cope with the loss of her husband, Dave Goldberg.

She outlined the three Ps as:

· Personalization : Whether you believe an event is your fault. · Pervasiveness : Whether you believe an event will affect all areas of your life. · Permanence : How long you think the negative feelings will last.

"This is the lesson that not everything that happens to us happens because of us," Sandberg said about personalization. It took understanding this for Sandberg to accept that she couldn't have prevented her husband's death. "His doctors had not identified his coronary artery disease. I was an economics major; how could I have?"

"Empathy and kindness are the true signs of emotional intelligence." — Will Ferrell's 2017 speech at the University of Southern California

Comedian Will Ferrell, best known for lead roles in films like "Anchorman," "Elf," and "Talledega Nights," delivered a thoughtful speech to USC's graduating class of 2018.

"No matter how cliché it may sound, you will never truly be successful until you learn to give beyond yourself," he said. "Empathy and kindness are the true signs of emotional intelligence, and that's what Viv and I try to teach our boys. Hey Matthias, get your hands of Axel right now! Stop it. I can see you. OK? Dr. Ferrell's watching you."

He also offered some words of encouragement: "For many of you who maybe don't have it all figured out, it's OK. That's the same chair that I sat in. Enjoy the process of your search without succumbing to the pressure of the result."

He even finished off with a stirring rendition of the Whitney Houston classic, "I Will Always Love You." He was, of course, referring to the graduates.

"Call upon your grit. Try something." — Tim Cook's 2019 speech at Tulane University

Apple CEO Tim Cook delivered the 2019 commencement speech for the graduates of Tulane University, offering valuable advice on success.

"We forget sometimes that our preexisting beliefs have their own force of gravity," Cook said. "Today, certain algorithms pull toward you the things you already know, believe, or like, and they push away everything else. Push back."

"You may succeed. You may fail. But make it your life's work to remake the world because there is nothing more beautiful or more worthwhile than working to leave something better for humanity."

"As you leave this room don't forget to ask yourself what you can offer to make the 'club of life' go up? How can you make this place better, in spite of your circumstances?" — Issa Rae's 2021 speech at Stanford University

In the speech, Rae pulled lyrics from Boosie Badazz, Foxx, and Webbie's "Wipe Me Down," which she said she and her friends played on a boombox during  the "Wacky Walk" portion of their own 2007 graduation ceremony at Stanford, to illustrate the importance of seeing "every opportunity as a VIP — as someone who belongs and deserves to be here." 

Rae particularly drew attention to one line from the song: "I pull up at the club, VIP, gas tank on E, but all dranks on me. Wipe me down."

"To honor the classic song that has guided my own life — as you leave this room, don't forget to ask yourself what you can offer to make the 'club of life' go up. How can you make this place better, in spite of your circumstances?" she said. "And as you figure those things out, don't forget to step back and wipe yourselves down, wipe each other down and go claim what's yours like the VIPs that you are."

"My experience has been that my mistakes led to the best things in my life." — Taylor Swift's 2022 speech at New York University

In her first public appearance of 2022, Taylor Swift poked fun at her "cringe" fashion moments and her experience of growing up in the public eye, which led to receiving a lot of unsolicited career advice.

"I became a young adult while being fed the message that if I didn't make any mistakes, all the children of America would grow up to be perfect angels. However, if I did slip up, the entire Earth would fall off its axis and it would be entirely my fault and I would go to pop star jail forever and ever," Swift said in her speech. "It was all centered around the idea that mistakes equal failure and ultimately, the loss of any chance at a happy or rewarding life."

"This has not been my experience," she continued. "My experience has been that my mistakes led to the best things in my life."

She also alluded to her past feud with Kanye West, joking that "getting canceled on the internet and nearly losing my career gave me an excellent knowledge of all the types of wine."

She elaborated, saying that losing things doesn't just mean losing.

"A lot of the time, when we lose things, we gain things too," she said. 

"Your future is in your hands—all you have to do is listen." — Oprah Winfrey's 2023 speech at Harvard University

Winfrey also spoke to the graduating class of Harvard University about how God has guided her throughout her life, and the importance of listening.

"Life is always talking to us," she said in her speech. "When you tap into what it's trying to tell you, when you can get yourself quiet enough to listen — really listen — you can begin to distill the still, small voice, which is always representing the truth of you, from the noise of the world. You can start to recognize when it comes your way. You can learn to make distinctions, to connect, to dig a little deeper. You'll be able to find your own voice within the still, small voice—you'll begin to know your own heart and figure out what matters most when you can listen to the still, small voice. Every right move I've made has come from listening deeply and following that still, small voice, aligning myself with its power."

Winfrey also discussed avoiding imposter syndrome, tapping into who you are, and treating others with integrity. 

"We also need generosity of spirit; we need high standards and open minds and untamed imagination," she continued. "That's how you make a difference in the world. Using who you are and what you stand for to make changes big and small."

"The soul of America is what makes us unique among all nations." — Joe Biden's 2023 speech at Howard University

The president received an honorary degree and spoke of the values of America at the HBCU, the alma mater of his vice president, Kamala Harris.

"We're the only country founded on an idea — not geography, not religion, not ethnicity, but an idea. The sacred proposition, rooted in Scripture and enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, that we're all created equal in the image of God and deserve to be treated equally throughout our lives," Biden said. "While we've never fully lived up to that promise, we never before fully walked away from it."

Biden also addressed many of the causes his campaign has pushed over the years, including the right to choose and "to put democracy on the ballot."

"We can finally resolve those ongoing questions about who we are as a nation. That puts strength of our diversity at the center of American life," he continued. "A future that celebrates and learns from history. A future for all Americans. A future I see you leading. And I'm not, again, exaggerating. You are going to be leading it."

"Humor is the most powerful, most survival-essential quality you will ever have or need to navigate through the human experience." — Jerry Seinfeld's 2024 speech at Duke University

Seinfeld's commencement speech made headlines after students walked out of his speech in protest of the war in Gaza. Seinfeld has been public about his support for Israel.

Despite the controversy, the speech offered valuable pieces of advice. The comedian and sitcom star's speech addressed the value of not losing your sense of humor, no matter what life throws at you.

"I totally admire the ambitions of your generation to create a more just and inclusive society," he said. "I think it is also wonderful that you care so much about not hurting other people's feelings in the million and one ways we all do that."

"What I need to tell you as a comedian: Do not lose your sense of humor," he continued. "You can have no idea at this point in your life how much you are going to need it to get through. Not enough of life makes sense for you to be able to survive it without humor."

Seinfeld also offered his "three keys to life": "Number one. Bust your ass. Number two. Pay attention. Number three. Fall in love."

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Top 10 Commencement Speeches of All Time

April 2, 2021 - Dom Barnard

In need of some inspiration or motivation? We’ve compiled five of the best commencement speeches on overcoming doubt, fear, failure, hardship, and tackling the working world with confidence.

Our greatest writers, philanthropists, and business leaders tell great stories and give very good advice, which is relevant no matter what stage you are in life, so read on.

1. Chadwick Boseman – Howard University (2018)

Howard University alumnus Chadwick Boseman provides words of inspiration to the Class of 2018 during Howard University’s 150th Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, May 12 in Washington, D.C.

Chadwick Boseman was an American actor and playwright, who achieved international fame for playing superhero Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He appeared in four MCU films, including an eponymous 2018 film that earned him an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance. As the first black actor to headline an MCU film, he was also named in the 2018 Time 100.

In 2016, Boseman was diagnosed with colon cancer. Boseman kept his condition private, continuing to act while also extensively supporting cancer charities until his death in 2020 from the illness.

2. J.K. Rowling – Harvard University (2008)

J.K.Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series, gave this incredible commencement speech about never fearing failure and learning to embrace it in order to achieve success.

She told the students about her  rejections  and the dark period she went through, “I was jobless, a lone parent, and as poor as it is possible to be in modern Britain, without being homeless” before going on to become a best-selling author (Rowling recently released her rejection letters from her recent Robert Galbraith series).

“You might never fail on the scale I did, but some failure in life is inevitable. It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all — in which case, you fail by default.”

3. Steve Jobs – Stanford University (2005)

Steve Jobs, CEO and co-founder of Apple Computer and acquirer of  Pixar Animation Studios , urges graduates to pursue their dreams, not settle down and live each day as if it is their last. Much like J.K. Rowling, Steve highlights the opportunities in life’s setbacks during this commencement address.

He talks about how he used to cope with important life choices, by remembering that he’ll be dead soon and that his decisions don’t really matter in the long run.

“The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.”

4. Barack Obama – Class of 2020 (2020)

President Obama shares a message of optimism with the Class of 2020 as a part of “Dear Class of 2020,” a virtual commencement to celebrate graduates, their families, and their communities.

As uncertain as these times may be, President Obama calls on the Class of 2020 to seize the opportunity to create a new normal, one that is fairer, gives everyone opportunity, treats everyone equally, and builds bridges between people instead of dividing them.

5. Oprah Winfrey – Stanford University (2008)

Oprah Winfrey , global media leader and philanthropist, spoke to the Class of 2008 at Stanford’s 117th Commencement.

In this inspirational speech, she talks about trusting your gut and following it fearlessly throughout life, “If it doesn’t feel right, don’t do it. That’s the lesson. And that lesson alone will save you, my friends, a lot of grief.” She also highlights an important point about not sacrificing satisfaction and happiness for money.

“And how do you know when you’re doing something right? How do you know that? It feels so… When you’re supposed to do something or not supposed to do something, your emotional guidance system lets you know. The trick is to learn to check your ego at the door and start checking your gut instead.”

6. Jeff Bezos – Princeton University (2010)

Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and CEO gave the  Baccalaureate address  to Princeton University’s Class of 2010. Bezos graduated from Princeton in 1986 with a degree in computer science and electrical engineering, so this commencement speech was particularly poignant and meaningful.

Bezos highlights the importance of being kind in life, mentioning his belief in its importance over intellectual ability. One’s character, he suggested, is reflected not in the gifts they are endowed with at birth but rather by the choices they make over the course of a lifetime.

“There’s a difference between gifts and choices. Cleverness is a gift, kindness is a choice.”

7. Bill Gates – Harvard University (2007)

Bill Gates, business magnate and co-founder of Microsoft, addresses the Harvard Alumni Association in Tecentenary Theater at Harvard University’s 2007 Commencement.

In classic Gates style, he starts with some humor, stating that he was a  bad influence  on students, in particular Steve Ballmer, to drop out of college and join him.

He dropped out of Harvard in the mid-1970’s and went on to co-found Microsoft with Paul Allen. He subsequently has committed huge amounts of money to Philanthropy causes, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. This commencement speech is definitely worth watching from start to finish.

“Dad, I always told you I’d come back and get my degree. I want to thank Harvard for this honor. I’ll be changing my job next year and it will be nice to finally have a college degree on my resume.”

8. Beyoncé – Class Of 2020 (2020)

“Your blackness is beautiful. Your compassion, your understanding, your fight for people who may be different from you is beautiful. I hope you continue to go into the world and show them that you will never stop being yourself. That it’s your time now, make them see you.”

9. Elon Musk – Caltech (2012)

“If you go back say, 300 years, the things we take for granted today, you’d be burned at stake for. Being able to fly. That’s crazy. Being able to see over long distances, being able to communicate, having effectively with the Internet as a group mind of sorts, and having access to all the world’s information instantly from almost anywhere on the earth. This stuff that really would be magic – that would be considered magic in times past.”

10. Natalie Portman – Harvard University (2015)

Academy Award-winning actress Natalie Portman ’03 addresses graduating seniors at Harvard’s Senior Class Day ceremony on May 27, 2015 at Tercentenary Theatre.

These Great Commencement Speeches Will Change How You Look at Success and Failure

Our greatest actors, writers, musicians, and leaders give really great advice—but it's not just for college graduates.

It's easy to dismiss the lessons delivered in a college commencement speech as reserved for bright, privileged kids with a degree at a fancy school who have their whole lives ahead of them. Anyone still grinding through college or living in the real world probably doesn't exactly feel like the target audience for these inspiring words. And that's not wrong!

But the point of these speeches isn't to give those bright-eyed youngsters lessons for that given moment in time. No one needs advice on how to relax after a lifetime of school and tests and teachers. This advice is for graduates to store away somewhere and remember once real life beats their ass. Because that'll happen. This is advice for the hard times to come. This is advice for the people still struggling away to kick off careers, to make dreams come true, etc., etc.

Barack Obama

School: Howard University

Class: 2016

Most inspiring quote: "So don't try to shut folks out, don't try to shut them down, no matter how much you might disagree with them. There's been a trend around the country of trying to get colleges to disinvite speakers with a different point of view, or disrupt a politician's rally. Don't do that—no matter how ridiculous or offensive you might find the things that come out of their mouths. Because as my grandmother used to tell me, every time a fool speaks, they are just advertising their own ignorance. Let them talk. If you don't, you just make them a victim, and then they can avoid accountability."

Ellen DeGeneres

School:  Tulane University

Class:  2009

Most inspiring quote:  "It was so important for me to lose everything because I found what the most important thing is. The most important thing is to be true to yourself."

School:  Los Angeles Trade Technical College

Class:  2015

Most inspiring quote:  "When you're the absolute best, you get hated on the most."

School:  Smith College

Class:  2012

Most inspiring quote:  "Life is just one, big improvisation." 

Amy Poehler

School:  Harvard University

Class:  2011

Most inspiring quote:  "Try putting your iPhones down every once in awhile and look at people's faces."

Elizabeth Warren

School:  Suffolk University

Class:  2016

Most inspiring quote:  "Knowing who you are will help you when it's time to fight. Fight for the job you want, fight for the people who mean the most to you and fight for the kind of world you want to live in. It will help when people say that's impossible or you can't do that. Look, if you take the unexpected opportunities when they come up, if you know yourself, and if you fight for what you believe in, I can promise that you will live a life that is rich with meaning."

David Byrne

School:  Columbia University

Class:  2013

Most inspiring quote:  "I believe that there is a way to have a very, very satisfying, enriching and creative life in the arts, but it depends on what criteria you use to look at that. But I would say that if you're being creative, with happiness, satisfaction, all that—you're succeeding."

Stephen Colbert

School:  Northwestern University

Most inspiring quote:  "If everybody followed their first dreams in life, the world would be ruled by cowboys and princesses."

Oprah Winfrey

Most inspiring quote:  "It doesn't matter how far you might rise. At some point you are bound to stumble because if you're constantly doing what we do, raising the bar. If you're constantly pushing yourself higher, higher the law of averages not to mention the Myth of Icarus predicts that you will at some point fall. And when you do I want you to know this, remember this: there is no such thing as failure. Failure is just life trying to move us in another direction."

Jon Stewart

School:  The College of William and Mary

Class:  2004

Most inspiring quote:  "So how do you know what is the right path to choose to get the result that you desire? And the honest answer is this: You won't."

George Saunders

School:  Syracuse University

Most inspiring quote:  "What I regret most in my life are failures of kindness. Those moments when another human being was there, in front of me, suffering, and I responded… Sensibly. Reservedly. Mildly."

Meryl Streep

School:  Barnard College

Class:  2010

Most inspiring quote:  "This is your time and it feels normal to you but really there is no normal. There's only change, and resistance to it and then more change."

Neil Gaiman

School:  University of the Arts

Most inspiring quote:  "Husband runs off with a politician? Make good art. Leg crushed and then eaten by mutated boa constrictor? Make good art. IRS on your trail? Make good art. Cat exploded? Make good art. Someone on the Internet thinks what you're doing is stupid or evil or it's all been done before? Make good art. Probably things will work out somehow, and eventually time will take the sting away, but that doesn't matter. Do what only you can do best. Make good art."

Conan O'Brien

School:  Dartmouth College

Most inspiring quote:  "I did a lot of silly, unconventional, spontaneous, and seemingly irrational things, and guess what? With the exception of the blue leather suit, it was the most satisfying and fascinating year of my professional life."

Toni Morrison

School:  Wellesley College

Most inspiring quote:  "Of course, you're general, but you're also specific. A citizen and a person, and the person you are is like nobody else on the planet. Nobody has the exact memory that you have. What is now known is not all what you are capable of knowing. You are your own stories and therefore free to imagine and experience what it means to be human without wealth. What it feels like to be human without domination over others, without reckless arrogance, without fear of others unlike you, without rotating, rehearsing and reinventing the hatreds you learned in the sandbox. And although you don't have complete control over the narrative—no author does, I can tell you—you could nevertheless create it."

Class:  2007

Most inspiring quote:  "Don't let complexity stop you. Be activists. Take on the big inequities. It will be one of the great experiences of your lives."

David Foster Wallace

School:  Kenyon College

Class:  2005

Most inspiring quote:  "The capital-T Truth is about life BEFORE death. It is about the real value of a real education, which has almost nothing to do with knowledge, and everything to do with simple awareness; awareness of what is so real and essential, so hidden in plain sight all around us, all the time, that we have to keep reminding ourselves over and over: 'This is water.'"

Denzel Washington

School:  University of Pennsylvania

Most inspiring quote:  "Fall forward. This is what I mean: Reggie Jackson struck out 2,600 times in his career, the most in the history of baseball. But you don't hear about the strikeouts. People remember the home runs. Fall forward. Thomas Edison conducted 1,000 failed experiments. Did you know that? I didn't know that because the 1,001st was the light bulb. Fall forward. Every failed experiment is one step closer to success."

Zadie Smith

School:  The New School

Class:  2014

Most inspiring quote:  "Walk down these crowded streets with a smile on your face. Be thankful you get to walk so close to other humans. It's a privilege. Don't let your fellow humans be alien to you, and as you get older and perhaps a little less open than you are now, don't assume that exclusive always and everywhere means better. It may only mean lonelier. There will always be folks hard selling you the life of the few: the private schools, private plans, private islands, private life. They are trying to convince you that hell is other people. Don't believe it. We are far more frequently each other's shelter and correction, the antidote to solipsism, and so many windows on this world."

School:  Stanford University

Class: 2005

Most inspiring quote:  "Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose."

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Soft Skills

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20 Inspiring Takeaways From Top Graduation Speeches

Kat Boogaard

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Be the change you wish to see in the world.

Are you rolling your eyes yet? There are plenty of beloved quotes, ancient proverbs, and tired clichés that find their way into graduation speeches.

But, some speeches that happen at that prestigious podium on the graduation stage? They’re actually downright enlightening and moving.

So, we’ve pulled together some of the best graduation speeches from recent years—that won’t result in any groans or eye rolls.

Whether you’re a recent graduate or are more established in your career, we all have something to learn from these inspiring, encouraging, and sometimes even hilarious messages.

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1. Amy Poehler, Harvard University

All I can tell you today is what I have learned. What I have discovered as a person in this world. And that is this: you can't do it alone. As you navigate through the rest of your life, be open to collaboration. Other people and other people's ideas are often better than your own.

Read the full transcript here

2. Madeleine Albright, Wellesley College

None of us have full title to the truth. Wisdom comes from the ability to believe in ideas while maintaining respect for the rights and beliefs of others. As critics point out, this quality can sometimes lead to intellectual mush. At its best, however, it can generate triumphs that encompass both mind and spirit.

3. Steve Jobs, Stanford University

Again, you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.

4. Stephen Colbert, Wake Forest University

Of course, any standards worth having will be a challenge to meet. And most of the time, you will fall short. But what is nice about having your own set of standards is that from now on, you fill out your own report card. So do yourself a favor: Be an easy grader. Score yourself on a curve. Give yourself extra credit. You have the power. You are your own professor now.

5. Arianna Huffington, Smith College

The founding fathers wrote about the pursuit of happiness, and if you go back to the original documents—as I'm sure all of you have done—happiness did not mean the pursuit of more ways to be entertained. It was the happiness that comes from feeling good by doing good.

6. Barack Obama, University of Michigan

But we cannot expect to solve our problems if all we do is tear each other down. You can disagree with a certain policy without demonizing the person who espouses it. You can question someone’s views and their judgment without questioning their motives or their patriotism.

7. Oprah Winfrey, Howard University

Your calling isn't something that somebody can tell you about. It's what you feel. It's a part of your life force. It is the thing that gives you juice. The thing that are you supposed to do. And nobody can tell you what that is. You know it inside yourself.

8. Peter Dinklage, Bennington College

R aise the rest of your life to meet you. Don’t search for defining moments because they will never come. Well, the birth of your children, OK, of course, forget about it, that’s just six months. My life is forever changed, that’s most defining moment ever. But I’m talking about in the rest of your life and most importantly in your work. The moments that define you have already happened. And they will already happen again. And it passes so quickly.

Peter's Bennington College alumni page

9. Meryl Streep, Barnard College

Pretending is not just play. Pretending is imagined possibility. Pretending or acting is a very valuable life skill and we all do it. All the time, we don’t want to be caught doing it but nevertheless it’s part of the adaptations of our species, we change who we are to fit the exigencies of our time, and not just strategically, or to our own advantage, sometimes sympathetically, without our even knowing it for the betterment of the whole group.

10. Neil deGrasse Tyson, Rice University

So many people can’t wait till school ends, can’t wait until the summer holidays. What are you in a hurry to do, to stop learning? This is the only time in your life when your job was to learn. That was your job. That’s what was expected of you. Now you’re being cast forth and I’m hoping, I’m expecting that you’re not saying to yourself ‘I’m done learning.

11. Marissa Mayer, Illinois Institute of Technology

Finding something you are passionate about gives you a sense of purpose and is a big part of happiness. To find it though, you need to be honest with yourself, observant, and make the most of the situation. Which brings me to my next piece of advice on finding things. Find the smartest people you can and surround yourself with them.

12. Sanjay Gupta, University of Michigan

We do not think of our lives in a linear way. If I ask you to tell me about your days as a University student, it’s unlikely you would start at the beginning and describe every moment all the way to the end. We remember series of moments, memorable moments; and together these moments make up the meshwork of our lives.

13. Sheryl Sandberg, Barnard College

So my hope for all of you here, for every single one of you, is that you’re going to walk across the stage and get your diploma. You’re going to go out tonight or maybe all summer and celebrate. You deserve it. And then you’re going to lean way into your career. You’re going to find something you love doing, and you’re going to do it with gusto. You’re going to pick your field and you’re going to ride it all the way to the top.

14. Will Ferrell, University of Southern California

To those of you graduates sitting out there who have a pretty good idea of what you’d like to do with your life, congratulations. For many of you who maybe don’t have it all figured out, it’s okay. That’s the same chair that I sat in. Enjoy the process of your search without succumbing to the pressure of the result. Trust your gut, keep throwing darts at the dartboard. Don’t listen to the critics and you will figure it out.

15. Abigail Washburn, Colorado College

An open heart and curious mind creates miracles. I believe we discover our true calling not because we intellectually know what it is (even if we think we do) but because we are curious enough & open enough to be found by our true calling.

16. Ben Bernanke, Princeton University

Nobody likes to fail but failure is an essential part of life and of learning. If your uniform isn't dirty, you haven't been in the game.

17. Diana Nyad, Middlebury College

But I’m asking you, what are you going to do with this one wild and precious life of yours?

18. Aaron Sorkin, Syracuse University

To get where you’re going, you have to be good, and to be good where you’re going, you have to be damned good. Every once in awhile, you’ll succeed. Most of the time you’ll fail, and most of the time the circumstances will be well beyond your control.

19. Barbara Bush, Wellesley College

For several years, you've had impressed upon you the importance to your career of dedication and hard work. And, of course, that's true. But as important as your obligations as a doctor, a lawyer, a business leader will be, you are a human being first. And those human connections—with spouses, with children, with friends—are the most important investments you will ever make. At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, winning one more verdict, or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a child, a friend, or a parent.

20. Conan O’Brien, Dartmouth College

Your path at 22 will not necessarily be your path at 32 or 42. One’s dream is constantly evolving, rising and falling, changing course.

Wrapping it up

You’ve just had a front-row seat to some of the best nuggets of wisdom from these graduation speeches. And now, it’s time to give you a well-deserved round of applause because you have reached the finish line of an amazing chapter—not the end of the journey.

Now, a challenging world is waiting. But don’t panic. You’ll be able to roll with the punches if you don’t stop doing one thing: learning. These inspiring speeches have proved that you don’t only need knowledge but also ‘people’ skills to surf everyday waves.

So, what’s next? At GoSkills, we’ve got a bunch of soft skills courses waiting for your to dive into, so you can keep your learning party going after your graduation. After all, every end is just a brand-new beginning!

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Kat is a writer specializing in career, self-development, and productivity topics. When she escapes her computer, she enjoys reading, hiking, golfing, and dishing out tips for prospective freelancers on her website.

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Bridging social distance, embracing uncertainty, fighting for equity

Harvard Staff Writer

Student Commencement speeches to tap into themes faced by Class of 2024

Part of the Commencement 2024 series

A collection of stories covering Harvard University’s 373rd Commencement.

Three graduating students selected in a University-wide competition will deliver speeches Thursday at Tercentenary Theatre as part of the one of the oldest traditions of Commencement.

The student orators are Blake Alexander Lopez, a senior from the College who will deliver the Latin Salutatory; Shruthi Kumar, also a College senior, who will deliver the Senior English Address; and Robert Clinton, J.D. ’24, a Harvard Law School graduate who will deliver the Graduate English Address.

Overcoming those 6 feet of separation

Blake Alexander Lopez Undergraduate Latin  

When Lopez arrived on campus in the fall of 2020, six months into the COVID pandemic, first-year students could live in dorms, but they had to attend classes online and keep social distance as part of public health guidelines to slow the spread of the virus.

A joint classical languages and literature and linguistics concentrator with a secondary field in medieval studies, Lopez will address “that sort of nearer distance that we found ourselves within” in the Latin oration he will deliver during the Morning Exercises of Commencement.

“Being a student on campus in the fall of 2020 felt like we were in the proximity of all these things we had so long dreamed about, and yet there was an inherent separation between us,” said Lopez, a Kirkland House resident. “We were physically rather close, living in rooms next to each other and seeing each other on our computer screens because we had to stay socially distant.”

But as the pandemic eased its grip, members of the Class of 2024 returned to normal life and built closer relationships with one another. Celebrating graduation in person and together is a reason to celebrate, said Lopez.

“What I would like the audience to take away from my speech is that whatever difficulties were posed to us, we were able to meet them, adapt and exhibit a resilience that allowed us to thrive,” said Lopez. “There is so much our class has to be proud of, in view of what we faced. It is because what we faced, we faced together.”

Lopez, who fell in love with Latin in high school, said the language will serve him well to talk about both separation and closeness. Latin is considered a dead language because there are no native speakers. During his speech, subtitles will appear on screens in the Yard, and an English translation will be included in the program flyer.

“There’s a layer of separation between the reader of the speech’s English translation and myself delivering it in Latin,” said Lopez, who grew up in Chicago. “But being able to communicate my ideas and the feelings behind them across the linguistic boundary is reflective in a lot of ways of the fact that in spite of the barriers separating the Class of 2024 when we first arrived on campus, we were able to traverse that distance.”

At Harvard, Lopez strengthened his love of Latin and the classics. His senior thesis focused in part on ancient graffiti inscriptions found in Pompeii, which include jokes, riddles, literary quotations, and the customary “I was here.” The subject fascinates him because it provides a glimpse into the intimate relationship between Latin and the way common people made use of it.

After graduation, Lopez will pursue a master’s degree in classics at Oxford University. For now, he cherishes the fact that he was able to realize the dream he started nurturing when he was applying to Harvard.

“The fact that hundreds of years going on, we still do a Latin oration at Commencement really captivated me,” said Lopez. “I would sort of daydream about it. I’d like to go back to 17-year-old me and tell him, ‘Hey, we did it.’ Or as they’d say in Latin, ‘Vicimus.’ ”

The power of not knowing

Shruthi Kumar Undergraduate English

Kumar’s speech explores a subject she knows all too well.

Coming to Harvard as a pre-med student, Kumar took a history of science class on health disparities in the U.S., and she had a change of heart.

By embracing uncertainty, she found her passion for public health. “I didn’t know something like history of science existed,” said Kumar, a joint history of science and economics concentrator with a secondary in human evolutionary biology. “But I fell in love with that class, and I realized that history of science was what I really wanted to study to find ways to address the world’s biggest health problems.”

A Mather House resident, Kumar is glad she took risks during her time at Harvard and challenged societal and parental expectations when she switched pre-med studies for classes on health inequities and public health issues. In hindsight, Kumar said her decision made sense. After all, she had been interested in public health since high school, when she was involved in a mental health education program for youth.

In College, Kumar started a campaign to ensure that all Harvard bathrooms supply free menstrual products. Thanks to her advocacy, 817 bathrooms across the University are fully stocked with free tampons and sanitary pads on a regular basis.

Navigating the uncertainty of choosing a new career concentration could be nerve-racking, but Kumar found strength when she decided to follow her inner voice. “You’re supposed to make money, you’re supposed to have a family, you’re supposed to do this, that, or the other,” she said. “But at the end of the day, I think we owe it to ourselves to listen to that voice inside that tells us, ‘Oh, this is what I’m passionate about.’”

Kumar is confident her message will resonate with the Class of 2024, which started their first year amid the uncertainty of the pandemic. “There is a lot you don’t know in your first year, and on top of that, there was COVID,” said Kumar, who grew up in Omaha, Nebraska. “Our class had to grapple with not knowing what was going to happen in the next few years of our College experience. … We have gone through College with this chaos, and we have developed a strength to deal with uncertainty, and that’s what makes us powerful.”

The power of not knowing can be revelatory, said Kumar. After graduation, she will work on public health entrepreneurship and after that, she plans to attend law school or pursue a Ph.D.

“We are all people walking through the world, not really knowing what’s going to happen,” Kumar said. “But the power of not knowing is about how you can turn that space of fear and anxiety into something that is empowering, uplifting, and exciting. It’s a conscious shift that you must make pretty much all the time every day.”

‘Working hard’ vs. ‘doing good’

Robert Clinton Graduate English

Growing up in Richmond, California, in an African American middle-class family, Clinton felt the call to public service early on. He is not sure where it came from, but he believes that both being the child of civil servants and being Black in the U.S. may have contributed to his commitment to the common good.

In his Commencement speech, Clinton will urge students to use their privilege and power to better the lives of fellow citizens and create a more equitable society. Privilege comes with social responsibility, he said.

“Some people who graduate from Harvard are going to be presidents or senators, but most people are going to be managers, professors, and even if they are not at the very top, they will still have a lot of power,” said Clinton. “We will be people with good jobs because we went to Harvard. And that means that we must be on the lookout for opportunities to help people.”

Harvard graduates should put their education to good use, said Clinton, who found inspiration in the work of actor and activist Harry Belafonte, who used his fame to support the Civil Rights struggle. Clinton was also stirred by the words of a Law School professor who exhorted students to find something bigger than themselves and be part of it.

“There’s a difference between working hard and doing good,”he said. “People here know how to work really hard, but working hard doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re making the world better or doing your part.”

Before coming to the Law School, Clinton worked for the city of San Francisco in the Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs. But he began thinking seriously about the law when he became involved with efforts to remove a citizenship question from the 2020 U.S. Census questionnaire. A coalition of immigrant groups challenged former President Donald Trump’s administration before the Supreme Court, which ruled in favor of the petitioners.

“I got to see how lawyers can use the law to help people and to hold people accountable,” Clinton said. “It was really inspiring.”

After graduation, Clinton will clerk for Judge Dale Ho of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. By coincidence, Ho was the lawyer representing the immigrant groups that challenged Trump’s plan to include the citizenship question on the 2020 Census. Clinton is elated over that twist of fate.

“It was the first legal case that I followed from beginning to end,” said Clinton. “I read the briefs even though I didn’t know what they meant, I listened to the oral argument, and I was shocked when against all the odds, they won the case.

“And it just so happens that Judge Ho is going to be my first boss after law school. I joked with him in the interview that he was one of the reasons why I went to Law School. It feels like a wonderful full-circle moment.”

Also in this series:

One journey behind them, grads pause to reflect before starting the next

Nobel Peace Prize-winning journalist puts values first in Commencement address focused on threats to democracy

‘Be that voice for compassion, learning, understanding, and unity’

Burns and others deliver call to action – and empathy – at Class Day ceremonies

Six receive honorary degrees

Harvard recognizes educator, conductor, theoretical physicist, advocate for elderly, writer, and Nobel laureate

A joyful noise

Ringing of bells marks 373rd Commencement

Ready to serve

New officers ‘join a long crimson line that goes back to the very founding of this country.’

Harvard awards 9,262 degrees

Totals reflect the 2023-24 academic year

Time to stand up, defend American higher education, Faust says

President emerita invokes spirit of Emerson, pushes back against recent criticisms

Maria Ressa will speak her troubled mind

‘Democracy dies quickly,’ warns Nobel laureate ahead of Commencement, where she hopes to find students committed to protecting it

‘Seek inspiration in one another’

Garber praises graduates’ resilience, urges them to maintain and cherish lasting bonds

‘I haven’t really had a proper weekend in a long time’

Longtime supporter of grads Kathy Hanley caps 13-year quest with a Commencement of her own

Party like it’s 2020

Class of ’24 gets a do-over on high school prom that pandemic took away

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During west point commencement speech, biden applauds u.s. military role abroad.

Juliana Kim

President Biden speaks to the Class of 2024 during commencement exercises at West Point on Saturday in West Point, N.Y. Spencer Platt/Getty Images hide caption

In his first commencement speech to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point as as commander-in-chief, President Biden on Saturday spoke directly about the ongoing conflicts in Europe and the Middle East.

"There's never been a time in history we've asked our military to do so many different things in so many different places around the world all at the same time," Biden said in West Point, N.Y.

In his address to the Army's newest officers, the president reaffirmed his commitment to fight against tyrants and threats to peace, freedom and openness. He vowed to support Ukraine and called for an immediate cease-fire between Israel and Hamas that includes the return of all hostages. Biden also condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iran for escalating conflicts in their regions.

He ended his speech by urging the graduating cadets to hold true to the oaths made at West Point.

"On your very first day at West Point, you raised your right hands and took an oath," he said. "Not to a political party, not to a president, but to the Constitution of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic."

At Morehouse, Biden says dissent should be heard because democracy is 'still the way'

Biden's remarks come amid growing scrutiny over U.S. foreign policy, especially as it relates to Israel's war in Gaza. At a graduation ceremony at Morehouse College last week , some students turned their backs to Biden during his commencement speech in protest.

Biden says U.S. is "standing strong" with Ukraine

In his speech, Biden repeated his support for Ukraine, adding that Russia's military was no match for the full force of NATO.

The president vowed to continue U.S. efforts to train Ukrainian soldiers on how to use advanced weapons systems, as well as teach Ukrainian medics on tactical combat and casualty care. But in the same vein, Biden underscored that he did not plan to put U.S. troops on the front lines.

"There are no American soldiers at war in Ukraine and I'm determined to keep it that way," he said. "But we are standing strong with Ukraine and we will stand with them."

Biden cites U.S. role in the Middle East

Biden also spoke highly about the U.S. involvement in the Middle East, applauding food drop operations to Gaza and diplomacy efforts with Arab nations in the region. He did not touch on Israel's war in Gaza, except to say he supported an "immediate cease-fire that brings hostages home."

In Georgia, Biden’s coalition has frayed since his narrow win in 2020

Instead, Biden focused on America's swift response to Iran, describing the U.S. involvement in helping to intercept missiles and drones during Iran's attack against Israel last month. He also briefly spoke about the unmanned drone attack in Jordan launched by Iran-backed militants, which killed three American reservists and injured several other U.S. service members.

"When anyone targets American troops, we will deliver justice to them. That happened earlier this year when three heroic members of the U.S. Army Reserve were killed in an unmanned drone attack in northeast Jordan," Biden said.

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High school valedictorian delivers poignant graduation speech hours after father's funeral

High school class valedictorian Alem Hadzic was unusually somber before delivering his commencement speech on May 16.

“People were coming over to wish me luck and I was kind of blowing them off,” Hadzic, who lives in Texas, tells TODAY.com . “In my head, I was thinking, ‘Can I do this?’”

Unbeknownst to his peers, Hadzic, 18, had just come from his father's funeral. Miralem Hadzic died of pancreatic cancer at age 52. 

Somehow, Hadzic's legs carried him to the podium. Then he delivered a powerful speech that has been seen and shared by thousands on social media.

“My father died yesterday, May 15, 2024, and I attended his funeral today, right before graduation,” Hadzic told the audience, his voice thick with emotion. “That’s why my shoes are muddy and my arms are shaking. I had to carry him to his grave and bury him."

Hadzic’s revelation was met with audible gasps. He had only told a few close friends that his dad had passed away.

“I can’t stand up here and pretend I want to be doing this speech right now,” he continued. “But I can’t throw something away that he worked so hard for me to achieve.”

Hadzic will study chemical engineering at the University of Texas at Austin in the fall. And he plans to make his late father proud.

"I am going to spend every hour of every day working as hard as I can to achieve all my goals because that’s what he wanted and I’m going to do it for him,” he added.

The Early College High School graduate received a standing ovation. 

Hadzic says he had his speech written out, but he went rogue when speaking about his dad. 

“I had a new influx of emotions and I couldn’t just read off a script,” he tells TODAY.com 

A few weeks before his passing, Miralem called out for his son to come downstairs. He was watching basketball, and needed Hadzic to narrate the game.  

“He couldn’t see the screen and he asked me to tell him what was going on,” Hadzic recalls. “So I stayed there with him and I did just that.” 

It was particularly poignant for Hadzic. 

“One of my favorite memories from growing up is watching the Mavericks with my dad,” he says. "It was so comforting to be able to do that with him one last time."

Since Hadzic’s speech went viral, he has been inundated with emails from people across the country. 

“It’s so comforting. Strangers are sharing their experiences with me so that I don’t feel so alone,” he says. “I’m responding to every single person.” 

Rachel Paula Abrahamson is a lifestyle reporter who writes for the parenting, health and shop verticals. Her bylines have appeared in The New York Times, Good Housekeeping, Redbook, and elsewhere. Rachel lives in the Boston area with her husband and their two daughters. Follow her on Instagram .

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Rabbi Zarchi Confronted Maria Ressa, Walked Off Stage Over Her Harvard Commencement Speech

Harvard Chabad Rabbi Hirschy Zarchi confronted Nobel laureate and journalist Maria A. Ressa toward the end of Thursday’s Commencement ceremonies , telling The Crimson that he had asked Ressa to publicly clarify a remark in her speech that he found antisemitic.

Zarchi said he could not properly hear Ressa’s response due to the ongoing address but said that when he felt it was clear she would not oblige, he left early. Zarchi, who was seated on stage, was seen confronting Ressa during the benediction delivered by Pusey Minister Matthew Ichihashi Potts.

Ressa, Harvard’s featured Commencement speaker , did not respond to a request for comment. University spokesperson Jonathan L. Swain did not comment for this article.

Zarchi took issue with Ressa’s statement that after she accepted Harvard’s invitation to speak at Commencement, she was “called antisemitic by power and money because they want power and money.”

Ressa followed the comment up by saying “the other side” was already critical of her decision to speak on a stage with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who has been critical of pro-Palestine protesters.

“But I’d already survived information operations from my own government — free speech used to pound you to silence,” Ressa said.

Ressa addressed Zarchi’s comments on X after the event, saying the phrase “money and power” referenced Rep. Elise M. Stefanik ’06 (R-N.Y.) — who accused Ressa of antisemitism in early May. Stefanik had cited a report in the Washington Free Beacon that said an editorial published by Ressa’s media company, Rappler, compared the actions of Israel to Hitler.

In statements to TIME Magazine at the time, Rappler said that the Free Beacon had inaccurately characterized the piece, which was originally written in Filipino (Tagalog), and Ressa forcefully denied the antisemitism allegations.

During the event, two of the three student speakers expressed support for their classmates who were blocked from graduating for participating in the pro-Palestine encampment in Harvard Yard. Ressa said in her speech that she “loved” the students’ remarks.

Zarchi criticized Ressa’s support for the students in a statement, arguing that she had ignored how the students had “hijacked” the Commencement ceremony to support protesters who had violated Harvard policies . The student speakers had both diverged from the script they provided to the University to express support for sanctioned students.

He was also critical of the University’s slate of speakers, saying he wished there had been more pro-Israel representation in the featured voices.

“It would have been nice to have had at least one speaker representing the overwhelming majority of students and guests disgusted by the disruptors and hateful violators,” he wrote.

Ressa’s speech largely centered around the influence of technology and social media on free speech and repression. She also referenced the loss of life in Gaza, and emphasized the importance of peaceful protests while encouraging graduates to abide by the “golden rule.”

She had previously referred to “power and money” to describe entities exploiting social media platforms for surveillance.

Ressa was the recipient of a Nobel Peace Prize for her investigative journalism on the Rodrigo Duterte regime in the Philippines. The repression she experienced at the hands of the Philippine government was a recurring theme in her remarks.

—Staff writer Neil H. Shah can be reached at [email protected] . Follow him on X @neilhshah15 .

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Harrison Butker Doubles Down on Commencement Speech at Catholic Gala

’It it is not people, but Jesus Christ, who I am trying to please,’ Butker, a three-time Super Bowl champion and the 2019 NFL scoring leader, said May 24.

Kansas City Chiefs’ kicker Harrison Butker doubled down on his May 11 Benedictine College commencement speech comments during a Catholic home-schooling association’s gala in Nashville, Tennessee, on Friday.

“If it wasn’t clear that the timeless Catholic values are hated by many, it is now,” Butker, a three-time Super Bowl champion and the 2019 NFL scoring leader, said during the May 24 Regina Caeli Academy’s Courage Under Fire Gala.

Butker faced some pushback on social media and from commentators and celebrities for comments about gender ideology, gender roles, homosexuality, abortion and other hot-button issues during the commencement speech.

Much of the criticism was in response to his warning to female graduates about “diabolical lies told to [them].”

“How many of you are sitting here now about to cross this stage and are thinking about all the promotions and titles you are going to get in your career?” Butker said at the commencement. “Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.”

At the gala Friday evening, Butker acknowledged the backlash, saying that “many people expressed a shocking level of hate” after his speech. He said, however, that “as days went on, even those who disagreed with my viewpoints shared their support for my freedom of religion.”

“The more I’ve talked about what I value most, which is my Catholic faith, the more polarizing I have become,” he added. “It’s a decision I’ve consciously made and one I do not regret at all. If we have truth and charity, we should trust in the Lord’s providence and let the Holy Ghost do the rest of the work.”

Butker reflected on the persecution faced by many saints and prophets, such as Daniel, who was thrown into a lion’s den . Being “disliked” and “mischaracterized by some,” Butker said, are “not so bad.”

“Our love for Jesus and thus our desire to speak out should never be outweighed by the longing of our fallen nature to be loved by the world,” Butker added. “Glorifying God and not ourselves should always remain our motivation, despite any pushback or even support. I lean on those closest to me for guidance, but I can never forget that it is not people, but Jesus Christ, who I am trying to please.”

The 28-year-old kicker, who holds the record for most career field goals in Super Bowl games, encouraged the faithful to be “unapologetic of their Catholic faith and never be afraid to speak out for truth, even when it goes against the loudest voices.”

“If heaven is our goal, we should embrace our cross, however large or small it may be, and live our life with joy to be a bold witness for Christ,” Butker said.

Although the secular response to Butker’s speech was mostly negative, the response from Catholic figures has been predominantly positive , though reactions varied .

Butker’s bishop, Bishop James Johnston of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, Missouri, told CNA two weeks ago that he supported the athlete’s “right to share his faith and express his opinions — including those that are critical of bishops.”

Bill Donohue of the Catholic League said in a statement that the kicker “nailed it” and praised “his courage and his commitment to Catholicism.”

Reactions from within the NFL were mixed. Jonathan Beane, NFL senior vice president and chief diversity and inclusion officer, distanced the league from Butker’s comments, saying that “his views are not those of the NFL as an organization.”

However, Butker received support from Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and from the wife of the team’s owner, Tavia Hunt, and their daughter, Gracie Hunt, among others.

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