Great necessities call out great virtues. We live in a time of great necessities — a time when we cannot avoid the burdens of global leadership.
speech graduation courage
Robert M. Gates
University of Georgia Commencement 2009, 2009
If wise men decline it, others will not; if honest men refuse it, others will not.
speech graduation responsibility
Robert M. Gates
University of Georgia Commencement 2009, 2009
It was too late for 'talk-teaching' — 'do-teaching would be a lot faster.'
speech graduation education
Robert M. Gates
University of Georgia Commencement 2009, 2009
Find the smartest people you can and surround yourself with them. Smart people will challenge you to think harder and in entirely different ways.
speech graduation leadership
Marissa Mayer
Illinois Institute of Technology Commencement 2009, 2009
Find allies rather than adorers. Adorers are people who fawn over you but never tell you when you screw up. Instead, seek out allies who are honest with you when you feel you are not living up to your potential.
speech graduation relationships
Marissa Mayer
Illinois Institute of Technology Commencement 2009, 2009
You should also know there are a lot of really mean, stupid bosses out there. But there are also some really good ones that do good things.
speech graduation career
Mike Judge
UC San Diego Commencement 2009, 2009
Learn humility and wisdom when you stumble, because it will help you when you succeed.
speech graduation humility
Rahm Emanuel
George Washington University Commencement 2009, 2009
A Conscious Business has a deeper purpose beyond only making profits. Just like individual people, by following their hearts, can discover their own sense of deeper purpose, so can the business enterprise.
speech graduation purpose
John Mackey
Bentley College Commencement 2008, 2008
The barrier to change is not too little caring. It is too much complexity.
speech graduation empathy
Bill Gates
Harvard University Commencement 2007, 2007
We are all mortal. What divides us is the use we make of the time and opportunities we have.
speech graduation mortality
Madeleine Albright
Wellesley College Commencement 2007, 2007
Real leadership comes from the quiet nudging of an inner voice. It comes from realizing that the time has come to move beyond preparing to doing.
speech graduation leadership
Madeleine Albright
Wellesley College Commencement 2007, 2007
Nothing in life is more liberating than to fight for a cause that encompasses you but is not defined by your existence alone.
speech graduation purpose
John McCain
Liberty University Commencement 2006, 2006