BEAUTIFUL QUESTS & SEND OFFS
SEAN COMBS
“Do you know how powerful you are?” Combs asked. “When you leave here today, go forth with the knowledge that you have the power to change the world. Embrace your power and turn your dreams into reality.”
“I want you to take the craziest dream in your head – the dream that you’re too embarrassed to tell anyone else about, and I want you to go after it.”
Combs received an honorary Doctorate of Humanities in recognition of his achievements as an entrepreneur and champion of education.
Watch the video of Sean Combs’ Howard University 2014 commencement speech.
BILL NYE
“You are UMass Lowell graduates, you are really among the best in the world at thinking about new arrangements, new tools and new elegantly engineered designs to reach for what I like to call ‘the high-hanging fruit’ – the big prizes and great big prizes. That’s what we want you to do for us. I’m not kidding; change the world in new, exciting and big ways.”
“So Class of 2014, here’s wishing you the joy of discovery. Keep reaching. Keep seeking. Keep using your abilities to bring out the best in those around you, and let them bring out the best in you. As you do, you can and you will, dare I say it, change the world!”
Watch the video of Bill Nye’s University of Massachusetts, Lowell, 2014 commencement speech.
JILL ABRAMSON
Referring to her Father: “‘Show what you are made of,' he would say. Graduating from Wake Forest means all of you have experienced success already. And some of you — and now I'm talking to anyone who's been dumped, not gotten the job you really wanted, or received those horrible rejection letters from grad school — you know the sting of losing or not getting something you badly want. When that happens, show what you are made of."
Of course it’s all the more meaningful that Abramson gave this speech just shortly after she got “dumped” from her post as executive editor of the New York Times.
Watch the video of Jill Abramson’s Wake Forest University 2014 commencement speech.
ERIC STOUGH
“A great life is fulfilled. It's a soaked sponge that has been present for all sorts of emotions. From fear to laughter, sadness to happiness and one must be open and present to have all these. Don't look to Friday to hope they pass; instead, take them on. Learn from them in the moment and balance them over your foundation.”
"Your diploma is an inanimate object. So be the animator and bring it to life.”
Watch the video of Eric Stough’s University of Colorado: Boulder 2014 commencement speech.
JANET NAPOLITANO
“In whatever it is you decide to pursue, I want you to keep one thought in mind: It’s not how much you make in life. It’s whether you make a difference.”
“Beware the tyranny of the straight line.”
Watch the video of Janet Napolitano’s Northeastern University 2014 commencement speech.
SHERYL SANDBERG
“I've seen over and over how much self-belief drives outcomes. And that's why I force myself to sit at the table, even when I am not sure I belong there - and yes, this still happens to me.”
“Getting from point A to point Z can be daunting unless you remember that you don't have to get from A to Z. You just have to get from A to B. Breaking big dreams into small steps is the way to move forward.”
Watch the video of Sheryl Sandberg’s City Colleges of Chicago 2014 commencement speech.
JIMMY PAGE
"Music has so much power across so many avenues. To be in a position where you've done the thing that you're pretty much best at, which is making music, and bringing joy and pleasure to other people, it can't really be much better than that, can it? I pass that on to all of you."
Watch the video of Jimmy Page’s Berklee College of Music 2014 commencement speech.
JAY LENO
“Do not judge your own success by the success of others. I was very fortunate - when I was starting out as a comedian, I was the only comedian I knew, so consequently, I had no idea how terrible I was."
Watch the video of Jay Leno’s Emerson College 2014 commencement speech.
JOHN LEWIS
“Never hate, live in peace.”
"You must find a way to get in the way, you must find a way to get into trouble — good trouble, necessary trouble."
"As young people, you must understand that there are forces that want to take us back to another period. But you must say that we’re not going back … we’ve made too much progress. There may be some setbacks, some delays, some disappointment … but you must never, ever give up or give in. You must keep the faith and keep your eyes on the prize. That is your calling, that is your mission, that is your moral obligation, that is your mandate."
“So go out there and do your best to seek justice. And never, ever turn back; never, ever give up; but keep the faith and continue to work for what is right, for what is fair, and for what is just."
Watch the video of John Lewis’ Emory University 2014 commencement speech.
FOREST WHITAKER
“Our day-to-day lives are shaped by the sum of countless inconspicuous acts; acts of sacrifices from generations of anonymous heroes who came before us, acts of love from our parents, acts of kindness from random strangers. Behind every worthwhile human achievement, big or small, there is, at least, one small act of kindness.”
Watch the video of Forest Whitaker’s Miami University 2014 commencement speech.
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Photo Credit:
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Photo: by Marcus Møller Bitsch. Incredible Surreal Photography.
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Photo: by European Southern Observatory. “Starry Night at Paranal.”
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Photo: by James Jordan. “Balance of Nature.”
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Photo: Courtesy of the Twilight Zone Expedition Team. Sponges in Caribbean Sea.
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Photo: by Matthew Kenrick. Passing.
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Photo: by Moyan Brenn. “Dreaming.”
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Photo: Courtesy of PC Werth. Rock Band.
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Photo: by Beverly. Graduation.
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Photo: by Greg Bishop. “Never Give Up.” Grass growing through a parking lot.
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Photo: by David Cartier. Spiral Aurora Borealis.
