More from Natalie Portman

To be or not to be is not the question. The vital question is how to be and how not to be.

NP

Natalie Portman

Harvard Senior Class Day 2015, 2015

19:54

Video starts at 19:54 — the moment this quote was spoken

The Story Behind This Quote

Portman closed her speech by quoting Abraham Joshua Heschel, the Jewish theologian and philosopher. After twenty minutes of personal stories about impostor syndrome, the pursuit of meaning, the value of inexperience, and the importance of friendship, she distilled it all into this single reframing of Shakespeare's most famous question. The original Hamlet question — to be or not to be — is about existence itself, about whether life is worth living. Heschel's revision shifted the question entirely: existence was a given, but the quality and character of that existence was up to you. It was a fitting capstone for a speech that had been entirely about the 'how' — how to find meaning rather than prizes, how to use ignorance as a strength, how to define your own reasons rather than borrowing someone else's. Portman told the graduates, 'I can't wait to see how you do all the beautiful things you will do.'

Collect Your Favorite Quotes

Save quotes that inspire you. Build your personal collection of wisdom in Minditly — available on both platforms.