I learned not to be disillusioned by failure, not to be burdened by perfection, and not to be intimidated by greatness.
failure resilience perseverance
John McEnroe
Stanford University Commencement, 2023
If you want to cross the river of life, you're gonna get wet. And that's not a bug — that's a feature.
failure resilience growth
Mark Rober
MIT Commencement 2023, 2023
While perfection is elusive, humanity is certain. And it will get you where you want to go, where you need to be.
speech graduation authenticity
Idina Menzel
University of Pennsylvania Commencement 2023, 2023
Learning how to fall teaches you how to land, and learning to land gives you the courage to jump higher.
speech graduation failure
Michelle Yeoh
Harvard Law School Class Day 2023, 2023
My experience has been that my mistakes led to the best things in my life. And being embarrassed when you mess up, it's part of the human experience. Getting back up, dusting yourself off and seeing who still wants to hang out with you afterward and laugh about it, that's a gift.
speech graduation failure
Taylor Swift
New York University Commencement 2022, 2022
My experience has been that my mistakes led to the best things in my life. And being embarrassed when you mess up is part of the human experience. Getting back up, dusting yourself off, and seeing who still wants to hang out with you afterward and laugh about it — that's a gift.
speech graduation failure
Taylor Swift
New York University Commencement 2022, 2022
Getting canceled on the internet and nearly losing my career gave me an excellent knowledge of all the types of wine.
speech graduation resilience
Taylor Swift
New York University Commencement 2022, 2022
There may be more failures than victories. I've been blessed to have 24 Grammys, but I've lost 46 times. That meant rejection 46 times. Please don't ever feel entitled to win — just keep working harder.
speech graduation failure
Beyoncé
Dear Class of 2020 Virtual Commencement, 2020
It would be better to fail doing something challenging, something worthwhile, something I was excited to show the world, than to succeed doing something safe that wouldn't actually inspire much at all.
speech graduation failure
Josh Groban
High Point University Commencement 2018, 2018
Failure is not something to be ashamed of, it's something to be powered by. Failure is the highest octane fuel your life can run on.
speech graduation failure
Abby Wambach
Barnard College Commencement 2018, 2018
Everyone gets knocked down. What matters is whether you get back up and keep going.
speech graduation resilience
Hillary Clinton
Yale University Class Day 2018, 2018
Failure is not something to be ashamed of, it's something to be powered by. Failure is the highest octane fuel your life can run on. You gotta learn to make failure your fuel.
speech graduation failure
Abby Wambach
Barnard College Commencement 2018, 2018