Imagination is cultivated, above all, by courses in the arts and humanities. It is in some ways the most essential of all, if we are to work toward a world in which we see distant lives as spacious and deep.
Martha Nussbaum
Connecticut College Commencement 2009, 2009
The humanities and the arts only do what is much more precious than making money: they make a world that is worth living in.
Martha Nussbaum
Connecticut College Commencement 2009, 2009
Sometimes it is important to wake up and stop dreaming. When a really great dream shows up, grab it!
Larry Page
University of Michigan Commencement 2009, 2009
It is often easier to make progress on mega-ambitious dreams. Since no one else is crazy enough to do it, you have little competition.
Larry Page
University of Michigan Commencement 2009, 2009
Always remember that the moments we have with friends and family, the chances we have to make a difference in the world — all those wonderful chances that life gives us, life also takes away. It can happen fast, and a whole lot sooner than you think.
Larry Page
University of Michigan Commencement 2009, 2009
I believe that if people are not laughing at your ambitions and your goals, then your dreams are not big enough.
Jarl Mohn
USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism Commencement 2009, 2009
As painful as it is, failure has been my friend. And it can be your friend too.
Jarl Mohn
USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism Commencement 2009, 2009
Life is too short to have anything but delusional notions about yourself.
Jarl Mohn
USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism Commencement 2009, 2009
Do not confuse dreams with wishes. Dreams are where you visualize yourself being successful at what's important to you to accomplish. Dreams build convictions because you work hard to pay the price to make sure that they come true. Wishes are hoping good things will happen to you, but there's no fire in your gut.
Dolly Parton
University of Tennessee Commencement 2009, 2009
One thing is for sure — if you never try, you're never going to win.
Dolly Parton
University of Tennessee Commencement 2009, 2009
You should always listen to that God core and care for others, and then you truly will be something special.
Dolly Parton
University of Tennessee Commencement 2009, 2009
Follow your passion, stay true to yourself. Never follow someone else's path unless you're in the woods and you're lost and you see a path. Then by all means, you should follow that.
Ellen DeGeneres
Tulane University Commencement 2009, 2009