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Words of wisdom from a selection of commencement speeches compiled by Ann-Marie Imbornoni A graduating class of the Fairmount School. (Source/Library of Congress) Related Links Average Monthly Earnings by Field of Degree Academic Costume: Colors Associated With Fields Four-Year Colleges and Universities by State Largest College and University Endowments Top 50 Colleges for Black Students Major Universities of the World by Date of Founding Foreign Language Enrollment in Colleges Major U.S. College and University Libraries  

  It’s commencement time for many college and university students across the country. To mark the occasion, we’ve gathered a variety of humorous, insightful, and oftentimes surprising words of wisdom from distinguished speakers in recent years.

When I was growing up in Richmond, Virginia, in the 1950s, segregation was the law of the state. . . . I was not allowed to grow up thinking of myself as a victim, and if you look anything like me, neither should you. Just let us all agree on what the rules are, judge fairly, and reward results consistently.

Arthur Ashe, tennis player Kean College Union, New Jersey May 24, 1990  

You will never make a good leader unless you have learned to follow. On those initial journeys when you are asked to pull your oar while another leads, learn what it takes to be a team player. Learn how to get along with others. Learn what loyalty and honesty are all about.

Dr. Robert D. Ballard, deep-sea explorer Worcester Polytechnic Institute Worcester, Massachusetts May 23, 1992  

Serve your country. . . . Convince your government that the real threat comes from within, just as Abraham Lincoln said. Governments always forget that. Insist that we support science and the arts, especially the arts. They have absolutely nothing to do with the defense of the countryâthey only make our country worth defending.

Ken Burns, filmmaker Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, Ohio May 23, 1993  

Who are the rich? . . . A rich person is someone with a home and a modicum of education and a chance, at least, for a job. A rich person is one who believes that if he makes a decision it will have some effect, at least, in his own life, and who believes that the police and the judges are on his side. Those are the rich people.

Jimmy Carter, former U.S. President Rice University Houston, Texas May 8, 1993  

What is going on here? . . . I think a lot of this is due to the phenomenon of compartmentalization of our lives. We have become disintegrated. Our lives are split up so that when we go to business, when we go to work, our task there is to earn a living. Our task there is solely economic. We’re told to leave or values at the door.

Ben Cohen, co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Ice Cream Vassar College Poughkeepsie, New York May 23, 1993  

If you see a need, do not ask why doesn’t somebody do something, ask why don’t I do something. Hard work and persistence and initiative are still the non-magic carpets to success for most of us.

Marian Wright Edelman, founder and president of the Children’s Defense Fund Washington University St. Louis, Missouri May 15, 1992  

Let yourself regraduate every four years. Celebrate what you have done. Admit what you are not doing. Think about what is important to you and make some changes. If you give yourself a chance to move on, you can do anything.

Cathy Guisewite, cartoonist University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Michigan April 30, 1994  

I believe most passionately that in each one of you lies a Jefferson, a Lincoln, an Eleanor Roosevelt, a Mother Teresa, and a Martin Luther King, Jr. None of these great men and women accepted the failures and inequities of the world in which they were born, and neither should you!

Daniel K. Inouye, politician The University of Hawaii Honolulu, Hawaii December 20, 1992  

The privilege of attending so fine a university as this one must bear with it an unceasing responsibility to use your knowledge and training for improving the lives of others.

Thurgood Marshall, associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court University of Virginia Charlottesville, Virginia May 21, 1978  

Words like “leadership,” “resolve,” and “determination” are just words until they are brought to life by men and women who dedicate themselves to the profession of arms and the security and well-being of the nation.

General Colin Powell, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff United States Military Academy West Point, New York May 31, 1990  

Get all the knowledge and skill you can, in whatever professions you enter; but remember that most of your education must be self-education, in learning the things women need to know, and in calling up the voices we need to hear within ourselves.

Adrienne Rich, poet Smith College 1979  

One of the most important tools is skeptical or critical thinking. Put another way, equip yourself with a baloney-detection kit. . . . Part of the job of education is to be able to tell what is baloney and what is not.

Carl Sagan, Wheaton College Norton, Massachusetts May 22, 1993  

Do not confuse passion with success. Passion is the joy of getting there. Success can be a trap. I think this country and our culture glorifies and deifies the goddess Success to the point that whenever we try and fail, we hear our own inner voices say, “Shame on you.” If there is any shame, it is in the fact that we inflict such heavy punishment on ourselves.

Neil Simon, playwright Williams College Williamstown, Massachusetts June 3, 1984  

One more point. This is the last period of time that will seem lengthy to you at only three or four years. From now on, time will pass without artificial academic measure. It will go by like the wind. Whatever you want to do, do it now. For life is time, and time is all there is.

Gloria Steinem Tufts University Medford, Massachusetts May 17, 1987   P. J. O’Rourke Change magazine, May/June 2008

 

.com/spot/commencement1.html

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Our Common Sources

Words of wisdom from a selection of commencement speeches

It’s commencement time for many college and university students across the country. To mark the occasion, we’ve gathered a variety of humorous, insightful, and oftentimes surprising words of wisdom from distinguished speakers in recent years.

  • Average Monthly Earnings by Field of Degree
  • Academic Costume: Colors Associated With Fields
  • Four-Year Colleges and Universities by State
  • Largest College and University Endowments
  • Top 50 Colleges for Black Students
  • Major Universities of the World by Date of Founding
  • Foreign Language Enrollment in Colleges
  • Major U.S. College and University Libraries

 

Arthur Ashe, tennis player Kean College Union, New Jersey May 24, 1990  

Dr. Robert D. Ballard, deep-sea explorer Worcester Polytechnic Institute Worcester, Massachusetts May 23, 1992  

Ken Burns, filmmaker Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, Ohio May 23, 1993  

Jimmy Carter, former U.S. President Rice University Houston, Texas May 8, 1993  

Ben Cohen, co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Ice Cream Vassar College Poughkeepsie, New York May 23, 1993  

Marian Wright Edelman, founder and president of the Children’s Defense Fund Washington University St. Louis, Missouri May 15, 1992  

Cathy Guisewite, cartoonist University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Michigan April 30, 1994  

Daniel K. Inouye, politician The University of Hawaii Honolulu, Hawaii December 20, 1992  

Thurgood Marshall, associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court University of Virginia Charlottesville, Virginia May 21, 1978  

General Colin Powell, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff United States Military Academy West Point, New York May 31, 1990  

Adrienne Rich, poet Smith College 1979  

Carl Sagan, Wheaton College Norton, Massachusetts May 22, 1993  

Neil Simon, playwright Williams College Williamstown, Massachusetts June 3, 1984  

Gloria Steinem Tufts University Medford, Massachusetts May 17, 1987  

P. J. O’Rourke

When I was growing up in Richmond, Virginia, in the 1950s, segregation was the law of the state. . . . I was not allowed to grow up thinking of myself as a victim, and if you look anything like me, neither should you. Just let us all agree on what the rules are, judge fairly, and reward results consistently.

You will never make a good leader unless you have learned to follow. On those initial journeys when you are asked to pull your oar while another leads, learn what it takes to be a team player. Learn how to get along with others. Learn what loyalty and honesty are all about.

Serve your country. . . . Convince your government that the real threat comes from within, just as Abraham Lincoln said. Governments always forget that. Insist that we support science and the arts, especially the arts. They have absolutely nothing to do with the defense of the countryâthey only make our country worth defending.

Who are the rich? . . . A rich person is someone with a home and a modicum of education and a chance, at least, for a job. A rich person is one who believes that if he makes a decision it will have some effect, at least, in his own life, and who believes that the police and the judges are on his side. Those are the rich people.

What is going on here? . . . I think a lot of this is due to the phenomenon of compartmentalization of our lives. We have become disintegrated. Our lives are split up so that when we go to business, when we go to work, our task there is to earn a living. Our task there is solely economic. We’re told to leave or values at the door.

If you see a need, do not ask why doesn’t somebody do something, ask why don’t I do something. Hard work and persistence and initiative are still the non-magic carpets to success for most of us.

Let yourself regraduate every four years. Celebrate what you have done. Admit what you are not doing. Think about what is important to you and make some changes. If you give yourself a chance to move on, you can do anything.

I believe most passionately that in each one of you lies a Jefferson, a Lincoln, an Eleanor Roosevelt, a Mother Teresa, and a Martin Luther King, Jr. None of these great men and women accepted the failures and inequities of the world in which they were born, and neither should you!

The privilege of attending so fine a university as this one must bear with it an unceasing responsibility to use your knowledge and training for improving the lives of others.

Words like “leadership,” “resolve,” and “determination” are just words until they are brought to life by men and women who dedicate themselves to the profession of arms and the security and well-being of the nation.

Get all the knowledge and skill you can, in whatever professions you enter; but remember that most of your education must be self-education, in learning the things women need to know, and in calling up the voices we need to hear within ourselves.

One of the most important tools is skeptical or critical thinking. Put another way, equip yourself with a baloney-detection kit. . . . Part of the job of education is to be able to tell what is baloney and what is not.

Do not confuse passion with success. Passion is the joy of getting there. Success can be a trap. I think this country and our culture glorifies and deifies the goddess Success to the point that whenever we try and fail, we hear our own inner voices say, “Shame on you.” If there is any shame, it is in the fact that we inflict such heavy punishment on ourselves.

One more point. This is the last period of time that will seem lengthy to you at only three or four years. From now on, time will pass without artificial academic measure. It will go by like the wind. Whatever you want to do, do it now. For life is time, and time is all there is.

.com/spot/commencement1.html

Sources +

Our Common Sources

Our Common Sources

Quotes from Famous Native Americans

  • Quotes from Famous Native Americans

TrendingHere are the facts and trivia that people are buzzing about.

Did Birds Evolve from Dinosaurs?

The Twelve Dancing Princesses

Current Events This Week: January 2023

African Americans by the Numbers

Andersen’s Fairy Tales: Contents

The Celtic Twilight: A Teller of Tales

TrendingHere are the facts and trivia that people are buzzing about.

Did Birds Evolve from Dinosaurs?

The Twelve Dancing Princesses

Current Events This Week: January 2023

African Americans by the Numbers

Andersen’s Fairy Tales: Contents

The Celtic Twilight: A Teller of Tales

  • Did Birds Evolve from Dinosaurs?
  • The Twelve Dancing Princesses
  • Current Events This Week: January 2023
  • African Americans by the Numbers
  • Andersen’s Fairy Tales: Contents
  • The Celtic Twilight: A Teller of Tales