Obama's final point was both a political philosophy and a personal creed. He told graduates that whatever path they chose — business, nonprofits, government, education, the arts — they would face setbacks, foolish people, and frustration. 'You won't always get everything you want — at least not as fast as you want it.' He illustrated the principle with history: it took Thurgood Marshall and the NAACP decades to win Brown v. Board of Education, then another decade for the Civil Rights Act. Alice Paul spent years of 'organizing marches and hunger strikes and protests' before women won the right to vote. 'Each stage along the way required compromise. Sometimes you took half a loaf.' The counsel against cynicism was pointed: quoting Bruce Springsteen, he warned against those who 'spend their lives waiting for a moment that just don't come.' Then the summary: 'Don't let that be you. Don't waste your time waiting.'