Never let others define you. Define yourselves.
speech graduation independence
Ed Helms
University of Virginia Commencement 2015, 2015
The stumbler doesn't build her life by being better than others, but by being better than she used to be.
speech graduation growth
Ed Helms
University of Virginia Commencement 2015, 2015
The world is not a meritocracy, but merit still matters. The world isn't fair, but being fair still matters. The world is unkind, but being kind still matters, perhaps more than anything.
speech graduation empathy
Ed Helms
University of Virginia Commencement 2015, 2015
Every day, wake up and say to yourself, this little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine.
speech graduation courage
Ed Helms
University of Virginia Commencement 2015, 2015
Never let others define you. Define yourselves.
speech graduation authenticity
Ed Helms
University of Virginia Commencement 2015, 2015
You are millennials, which is the biggest generation of the United States. I thought it was hard for me to find a job. It's going to be like The Hunger Games out there for you guys.
speech graduation career
Ed Helms
University of Virginia Commencement 2015, 2015
How many times do we label someone with our first impressions only to be proven wrong? The tattooed motorcycle guy who turns out to be a teddy bear, the buttoned-up co-worker who actually knows how to party.
speech graduation empathy
Ed Helms
University of Virginia Commencement 2015, 2015
The world will tell you that it's time to grow up and leave those foolish, youthful diversions behind. But don't fall for that. I'm here to tell you those foolish diversions are the real nectar of life. Put up a fight. Be a fool.
speech graduation courage
Ed Helms
Cornell University Commencement 2014, 2014
When you try hard at everything you do, even if it feels utterly foolish to do so, you're opening up future doors and possibilities that you might not be seeing in the moment.
speech graduation perseverance
Ed Helms
Cornell University Commencement 2014, 2014
I wish there was a way to know you're in the good ol' days before you've actually left them. Good ol' days are marked by relatively high levels of foolishness. Case in point: college.
speech graduation gratitude
Ed Helms
Cornell University Commencement 2014, 2014
Fear is good. Fear is good because it is our brain's way of identifying the things about which we are ignorant. We should look at our fear not as a reason to avoid the things that frighten us, but as a reason to engage them.
speech graduation courage
Ed Helms
Knox College Commencement 2013, 2013
A life oriented toward discovery is infinitely more rewarding than a life oriented toward not blowing it.
speech graduation curiosity
Ed Helms
Knox College Commencement 2013, 2013