More from John Legend

Love should be your North Star. Let it guide you. What does it mean to love people we don't know? It means letting go of fear and embracing our shared humanity.

JL

John Legend

Duke University Commencement 2021, 2021

18:36

Video starts at 18:36 — the moment this quote was spoken

The Story Behind This Quote

Legend's third lesson — 'Lead with Love' — is the emotional heart of the speech. He acknowledges it might sound more like song lyrics than a serious point, but insists he believes it with every fiber of his being. To love your neighbors means being curious about their lives, genuinely wanting the best for them, investing in their success. On a planetary scale with 8 billion strangers, loving people you don't know means letting go of fear — the same fear that drives zero-sum thinking — and embracing shared humanity. He connects love to concrete policy: ensuring universal access to vaccines, protecting communities from the climate crisis. Then he invokes Cornel West: 'Love in public takes the shape of justice.' It's not sentimentality; it's a political philosophy.

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