Long

The trick is to listen to your instinct, grab the opportunity when it presents itself, and then give it your all. Like a hangover, neither triumphs nor disasters last forever. They both pass and a new day arrives.

I was born in Iran. At the age of six, my family was forced to flee because of the Iranian Revolution. Today I stand in front of you giving the commencement speech at one of the top universities in America. I am the American dream.

Following your passion is not a secure choice in life, but if you can find the light and go for it, you will see that it is the best choice.

Nobody knows what they're doing. Nobody does. Everyone's winging it out there. Some people are just better at pretending to be confident.

When you stop looking — or when you see only what you want — as a human being you become a stenographer.

It has always been doubt, not certainty, the constant questioning and testing of cherished assumptions, that has moved us closer to a humane and just world.

Don't let our current national tribalism give 'tribe' a bad name. See yours. Show up, leave your phone in the car — your reassuring, here-for-you physical presence. Make that happen.

Purpose is that sense that we are part of something bigger than ourselves, that we are needed, that we have something better ahead to work for. Purpose is what creates true happiness.

Ideas don't come out fully formed. They only become clear as you work on them. You just have to get started.

A change in the world that seems so clear you're sure someone else will do it. But they won't. You will.

My fear of failure never approached in magnitude my fear of what if. What if I never tried at all?

No matter how cliché it may sound, you will never truly be successful until you learn to give beyond yourself. Empathy and kindness are the true signs of emotional intelligence.