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21 valuable pieces of advice from the best graduation speeches of all time
21 valuable pieces of advice from the best graduation speeches of all time
Rachel Gillett,Richard Feloni,Erin McDowellMay 18, 2020, 19:25 IST
"You inherit a world that has already proven that progress is possible," Bill and Melinda Gates wrote in a Wall Street Journal essay addressed to the class of 2020.Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Most commencement speeches follow a similar formula, but some are so inspiring that we remember them long after we graduate.
Personalities as varied as John F. Kennedy, Conan O'Brien, Steve Jobs, and Oprah have been offering life advice and words of encouragement to graduates for decades.
Many commencement ceremonies nationwide have been canceled or postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, but these inspiring words still ring true.
Many commencement speeches are forgettable, filled with the same clichéd advice.
However, some are so good — so inspiring and poignant — that they stick with us forever.
In these trying times when we could all use a little inspiration, we put together a list of the best pieces of advice from the greatest speeches of all time.
Here are 21 of the most valuable pieces of advice from commencement speeches you wish you'd heard on your graduation day.
Rachel Sugar and Ivan De Luce contributed to an earlier version of this article.
"Whatever your professional goals, wherever you live, whoever you are, there are ways, big and small, that you can participate in making the world better for everyone." — Bill and Melinda Gates, Wall Street Journal essay "The Better World That You Will Build."
Bill and Melinda Gates.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
"We’re going to put a little fuel in your bus." — Robert F. Smith's 2019 speech at Morehouse College
Robert F. Smith at Morehouse College.
Getty Images
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"Call upon your grit. Try something." — Tim Cook's 2019 speech at Tulane University
Tim Cook at Tulane University.
Josh Brasted/Getty Images
"Empathy and kindness are the true signs of emotional intelligence." — Will Ferrell's 2017 speech at the University of Southern California
Will Ferrell at the University of Southern California.
Jerritt Clark/Getty Images
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"I wake up in a house that was built by slaves." — Michelle Obama's 2016 speech at the City College of New York
Michelle Obama at the City College of New York.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
"There are few things more liberating in this life than having your worst fear realized." — Conan O'Brien's 2011 speech at Dartmouth College
Conan O'Brien at Dartmouth College.
Dartmouth College
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"You are your own stories." — Toni Morrison's 2004 speech at Wellesley College
Toni Morrison at Wellesley College.
Lisa Poole/AP Images
"Our problems are manmade — therefore, they can be solved by man." — John F. Kennedy's 1963 speech at American University
John F. Kennedy at American University.
Ted Streshinsky Photographic Archive/Getty Images
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"Identity is something that you are constantly earning." — Joss Whedon's 2013 speech at Wesleyan University
Joss Whedon at Wesleyan University.
Wesleyan/YouTube
"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." — J.K. Rowling's 2008 speech at Harvard University
J.K. Rowling.
Suzanne Plunkett/Reuters
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"Your job is to create a world that lasts forever." — Stephen Spielberg's 2016 speech at Harvard
Steven Spielberg at Harvard.
Harvard
"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
Atul Gawande.
Neilson Barnard/Getty Images
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"If it doesn't feel right, don't do it." — Oprah Winfrey's 2008 speech at Stanford University
Oprah Winfrey at Stanford University.
YouTube/Stanford University
"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
Kurt Vonnegut at Agnes Scott College.
C-SPAN
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"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
Steve Jobs at Stanford University.
Linda A. Cicero/Stanford News Service
"Be the heroine of your life, not the victim." — Nora Ephron's 1996 speech at Wellesley College
Nora Ephron.
Joe Corrigan/Stringer/Getty Images
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"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
Stephen Colbert.
Joshua Lott/AP Images
"Err in the direction of kindness." — George Saunders' 2013 speech at Syracuse University
George Saunders.
Evan Agostini/Invision/AP Images
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"Not everything that happens to us happens because of us." — Sheryl Sandberg's 2016 speech at UC Berkeley
Sheryl Sandberg speaks during a forum in San Francisco.
AP Photo/Eric Risberg
"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
David Foster Wallace at Kenyon College.
Steve Rhodes
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"Ditch the dream and be a doer, not a dreamer." — Shonda Rhimes' 2014 speech at Dartmouth College
Shonda Rhimes at Dartmouth College.
Dartmouth/YouTube