Anybody can toss their hat in the air. But few have dared to make it actually fly.
creativity courage wonder
Mark Rober
MIT Commencement 2023, 2023
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
People often ask me how I got into acting. The truth is I didn't get into acting. I got into everything.
speech graduation curiosity
John Krasinski
Brown University Baccalaureate 2019, 2019
You have to have insane confidence in yourself, even if it's not real. You need to be your own cheerleader now, because there isn't a room full of people waiting with pom-poms to tell you you did it.
speech graduation courage
Mindy Kaling
Dartmouth College Commencement 2018, 2018
You can call me Arnold. You can call me Schwarzenegger. You can call me the Austrian Oak. You can call me Schwarzy. You can call me Arnie. But don't ever, ever call me the self-made man.
speech graduation humility
Arnold Schwarzenegger
University of Houston Commencement 2017, 2017
It's hard to fail 10 times in a row.
speech graduation failure
Steven Levitan
University of Wisconsin-Madison Commencement, 2017, 2017
Nobody knows what they're doing. Nobody does. Everyone's winging it out there. Some people are just better at pretending to be confident.
speech graduation humility
Kumail Nanjiani
Grinnell College Commencement 2017, 2017
Trust your gut, keep throwing darts at the dartboard. Don't listen to the critics and you will figure it out.
speech graduation perseverance
Will Ferrell
University of Southern California Commencement 2017, 2017
The real danger is all that smoke that's been blown up your graduation gowns about how freaking smart you are. Well, you are that smart, but don't believe the hype.
speech graduation humility
Matt Damon
MIT Commencement 2016, 2016
You are about to enter the most uncertain and thrilling period of your lives. The stories you are about to live are the ones you will be telling your children and grandchildren and therapists.
speech graduation courage
Lin-Manuel Miranda
University of Pennsylvania Commencement 2016, 2016
The life lessons that I learned at Cushing Academy, I carry with me every single day like you'd carry a cell phone, and I use them every single day like you use Instagram.
speech graduation education
John Cena
Cushing Academy Commencement 2015, 2015
Enjoy today, because it only happens once. And this has been one hell of a ride.
speech graduation gratitude
John Cena
Cushing Academy Commencement 2015, 2015