Responsibility

You are now fully prepared to begin living out your hopes and aspirations. And with all the immense challenges we face, the necessity for you to do so right away is more important than ever.

Help the world find its way ahead.

Don't ever forget that you're a citizen of this world. 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.

Hopes, dreams, and aspirations are evenly distributed throughout the entire world. But what is not is justice, opportunity, and working systems.

A good education in the United States of America, one of the wealthiest and most powerful nations on this planet, remains a gift for some when it should be a right for all.

I believe that education is the civil rights issue of our generation, and we must strive to make equality in education a reality, not just a theory.

You have so much power, so much opportunity. Make sure this education, this amazing gift, doesn't go to waste.

A connection should probably make you feel a little uneasy. Because if you make a connection it means you're beginning to take responsibility for that person's life.

Never put on a piece of clothing without curiosity, without thinking: what kind of risks are the people taking so that I can have an affordable shirt?

May you thrive in a way that enhances the justice, and the safety, and the dignity of every person who has made the clothes that you are wearing today.

Without hard work, we are not entitled to a good life—and without compassion, we will not attain the good life in a world-majority population of have-nots.

Go forth. Think. Save the world.