English Speeches with Audio & Transcripts | Books & Articles
Please, class of 2023, make every day a good one. Make every day and everything you do. Be good. We need you as a nation to remember the mandate of this university: Princeton in the nation’s service and in the service of humanity.
I urge you to take chances, experiment and understand that there is no single path forward in a meaningful life. There is just taking stock at each stage of your life, to make sure you are in a role that allows you to be the change you want to see in the world, and that every day, you are doing work that you actually love to do.
I have no idea what is the right amount of space in your head for you to keep for yourself and how much you owe the world. That’s for you to say. I don’t know what to tell you. Nobody does. You have all you need: You have minds of your own.
I hope that in this moment you all can find something, whatever that may be, to be excited about. Not to be corny, but passion for your craft really is one of the greatest things about a Princeton student.
Live a life that would make your younger self proud, your older self grateful, even if it confuses everyone in between.
At the heart of Princeton’s undergraduate and graduate degree programs is a commitment to inculcate a fierce independence of mind.
Your life matters—to the people you love and to the broader world. Fifty years from now, you will want to be able to look in the mirror and know that you did what you thought was right, in every part of your life. At the end of the day, your integrity is all you have. Guard it carefully.
When I say kindness, I’m not talking about “being nice.” I’m talking about being able to hold your own heartbreak, so we can go on living — go on resisting, go on building, go on healing.
Curiosity, Creativity, and Self-Improvement: These are Penn values. They are your values. Use them often, keep them sharp, and they will serve you well, whatever shape the future takes.
When a university is at its best – when Stanford is at its best – the campus is an unparalleled place for freedom, truth, and enlightenment.
You can’t go the distance alone. Continue to surround yourself with people who will challenge you, support you, and make you laugh. Make sure you spend time with the people who matter to you.
Dame Jacinda Ardern urged Yale College seniors to embrace self-doubt and the humility that accompanies it (and took note of their playful headwear).
The greatest thing you build in your life will be yourself, and trust me on this you are not done yet, I know I’m not. But what you will be building is not just a toolkit. You will be building a person, and you will be doing it for people.
MIT President Sally Kornbluth urges graduates to become ambassadors for scientific thinking, discovery, and global community.
I ask that you keep MIT’s values and mission at the center of your efforts: to be bold and imaginative in tackling these big problems and to do so with compassion and generosity.
Abraham Verghese underscored the vital role of immigrants in the life of the nation at Harvard’s 374th Commencement Thursday at Tercentenary Theatre.
It’s the series of decisions you make when your values conflict: GPA or Family. Creativity or security. Loyalty or personal growth. Love or Money. Your path is guaranteed to be paved with these decisions.
You are ready and able to do beautiful things in this world and after you walk through those doors today, you will only ever have two choices: love or fear. Choose love, and don’t ever let fear turn you against your playful heart.
You are future record-breakers and world travelers… future volunteers and philanthropists… future winners and future leaders. I’m here to tell you… from the other side of graduation… that leaving a familiar world behind and finding new ones is incredibly, deeply, wonderfully exciting.
Run, don’t walk. Remember, either you’re running for food, or you are running from becoming food. And often times you can’t tell which. Either way, run! And for your journey, take along some of my learnings, that you will have the humility to confront failure, admit a mistake, and ask for help.