Best Commencement Speech Quotes | Short & Famous Sayings

“Carve your name on hearts, not tombstones. A legacy is etched into the minds of others and the stories they share about you.”

“And remember that whatever discipline you are in, whether you are a musician or a photographer, a fine artist or a cartoonist, a writer, a dancer, a designer, whatever you do you have one thing that's unique. You have the ability to make art. And for me, and for so many of the people I have known, that's been a lifesaver. The ultimate lifesaver. It gets you through good times and it gets you through the other ones. Life is sometimes hard. Things go wrong, in life and in love and in business and in friendship and in health and in all the other ways that life can go wrong. And when things get tough, this is what you should do. Make good art. I'm serious. Husband runs off with a politician? Make good art. Leg crushed and then eaten by mutated boa constrictor? Make good art. IRS on your trail? Make good art. Cat exploded? Make good art. Somebody on the Internet thinks what you do is stupid or evil or it's all been done before? Make good art. Probably things will work out somehow, and eventually time will take the sting away, but that doesn't matter. Do what only you do best. Make good art. Make it on the good days too.”

Good Art Neil Gaiman Commencement Speech Make Good Art

Author:Neil Gaiman

“You, enlightened, self-sufficient, self-governed, endowed with gifts above your fellows, the world expects you to produce as well as to consume, to add to and not to subtract from its store of good, to build up and not tear down, to ennoble and not degrade. It commands you to take your place and to fight your fight in the name of honor and of chivalry, against the powers of organized evil and of commercialized vice, against the poverty, disease, and death which follow fast in the wake of sin and ignorance, against all the innumerable forces which are working to destroy the image of God in man, and unleash the passions of the beast. There comes to you from many quarters, from many voices, the call of your kind. It is the human cry of spirits in bondage, of souls in despair, of lives debased and doomed. It is the call of man to his brother ... such is your vocation; follow the voice that calls you in the name of God and of man. The time is short, the opportunity is great; therefore, crowd the hours with the best that is in you.”

Princeton Commencement Speech Crowd The Hours

Author:John Hibben

“Your need for acceptance can make you invisible in this world. Don't let anything stand in the way of the light that shines through this form. Risk being seen in all of your glory.”

“The commencement speech is not, I think, a wholly satisfactory manifestation of our culture.”

Thinking Culture Speech Manifestation Commencement Commencement Speech

Author:John Kenneth Galbraith

“George W. Bush gave a commencement speech at Southern Methodist University this weekend. It was pretty inspirational. He said, 'As I like to tell the 'C' students, you too can be president.' Even George W. Bush has George W. Bush comedy material in his act.”

Said President Comedy Students Materials Speech University Southern Weekend Commencement Methodists Commencement Speech

Author:Jimmy Fallon

“You will never see a U-Haul behind a hearse.”

Behinds Haul Commencement Speech U Haul

Author:Denzel Washington

“President Bush delivered a commencement speech at a university in Wisconsin. A very inspirational speech. Apparently Bush told the students, 'You can do anything in life if your parents work hard enough.'”

Ifs Hard Enough Parent President Can Do Students Hard Work Speech University President Bush Wisconsin Commencement Anything In Life Commencement Speech Very Inspirational Inspirational Speech

Author:Conan O'Brien

“Just remember, you can't climb the ladder of success with your hands in your pockets.”

Failing Failure Climbs Pockets Costumes Ladders Funny Graduation Funny Commencement Ladder Of Success Great Graduation Commencement Speech Graduation Commencement Good High School Graduation Halloween Costume High School Graduation Speech Climbing The Ladder

Author:Arnold Schwarzenegger

“Don't be afraid to fail big, to dream big.”

Dream Bigs Failing Afraid To Fail Commencement Speech

Author:Denzel Washington

“The question I have is out of all these commencement speeches that are happening, what`s the really worthwhile advice that a 21, 22 year old person will walk away from the speech and say, I can apply this maybe five years, 10 years later. How many speeches actually push the button like that, other than yours?”

Years Persons I Can Walks Five Advice Speech Happenings Five Years Worthwhile Buttons Commencement Old Person Commencement Speech

Author:David Corn

“Nothing is as important as passion. No matter what you want to do with your life, be passionate.”

“I did work well with Hillary Clinton when she was my colleague in the Senate, and I certainly don't bear her any ill will. But when I listened carefully to her commencement speech, what I heard was a laundry list of very expensive new programs that our country simply cannot afford, and that would add to our already overwhelming $17 trillion debt. I'm also disturbed by the mismatch in her answers to the questions about her e-mail server and what the FBI Director Comey says that the FBI's investigation found.”

Country Program Clinton Ill Overwhelming Fbi Disturbed Laundry Commencement Server Commencement Speech

Author:Susan Collins

“One of the panelists on CNN, after the Hillary Clinton commencement speech, literally started crying, "I can't believe, I can't believe the election actually happened and she lost." I don't need to see that. I don't need to see a bunch of whimpering leftists who themselves are incapable of grounding themselves in reality, whining and moaning.”

Believe Reality Cry Election Clinton Whining Commencement Moaning Commencement Speech

Author:Rush Limbaugh

“It's just like when Trump made his speech, his commencement speech at Liberty University, I saw something that I've never seen. ABC News was there, and they're running around asking the parents of students at Liberty University what about Donald Trump they don't like. Are you upset that Trump is here? Do you ever remember any such reporting at an Barack Obama or Michelle Obama commencement? Of course not. And Trump was loved and adored at this thing, and he had some great things to say.”

Running Remember Parent Liberty Students Great Things Barack Upset Commencement Commencement Speech

Author:Rush Limbaugh

“My daughter went to the school, and it's a very, very progressive and liberal school, and my commencement speech was telling the kids just to always be willing to quit, and that they need to quit a lot in their lives, and keep on quitting, because all the happiness I've ever got was when I turned my back on things that everybody else thought would make you happy. I can smell parents' stomach acid right now, but they know that whole "You gotta get a job and you gotta settle for what people perceive as success" thing is really absurd.”

People Kids School Daughter Quitting Absurd Perceive Settling My Daughter Progressive Make You Happy Commencement Commencement Speech

Author:Bobcat Goldthwait

“If you aren't fired with enthusiasm, you will be fired with enthusiasm.”

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Book:What it Takes to be Number One

Source: What it Takes to be Number One

“There are few things more liberating in this life than having your worst fear realized.”

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Author:Conan O'Brien

“It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might has well not have lived at all, in which case you have failed by default.”

“You cannot climb the ladder of success dressed in the costume of failure.”

“As is a tale, so is life: not how long it is, but how good it is, is what matters. I wish you all very good lives.”

Life Long Matter Wish Positive Inspire Very Good Tales Good Life What Matters Wish You Ancient Wisdom Commencement Speech Very Good Life

Author:J. K. Rowling

“We are, all of us, exploring a world none of us understands...searching for a more immediate, ecstatic, and penetrating mode of living...for the integrity, the courage to be whole, living in relation to one another in the full poetry of existence. The struggle for an integrated life existing in an atmosphere of communal trust and respect is one with desperately important political and social consequences...Fear is always with us, but we just don't have time for it.”

World Important Whole Political Social Existence Struggle Integrity Speech Consequence Relation Atmosphere Exploring Integrated Ecstatic Commencement Trust And Respect Commencement Speech

Author:Hillary Clinton

“And so rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.”

Source: Very Good Lives: The Fringe Benefits of Failure and the Importance of Imagination

“Make glorious and fantastic mistakes.”

“Go, and make interesting mistakes, make amazing mistakes, make glorious and fantastic mistakes. Break rules. Leave the world more interesting for your being here.”

“Break rules. Leave the world more interesting for your being here.”

Source: The View from the Cheap Seats: Selected Nonfiction

“There is no such thing as failure. Failure is just life trying to move us in another direction.”

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Author:Oprah Winfrey

“Don't be afraid of fear. Because it sharpens you, it challenges you, it makes you stronger; and when you run away from fear, you also run away from the opportunity to be your best possible self.”

Self Running Opportunity Challenges Stronger Running Away Graduation Makes You Stronger Be Your Best Commencement Speech Graduation Speech

Author:Ed Helms

“Life has a very simple plot: first you're here and then you're not.”

Inspirational Firsts Simple Plot Graduation Commencement High School Graduation College Graduation Commencement Speech Graduation Speech Graduation Commencement High School Commencement

Author:Eric Idle

“Life is an improvisation. You have no idea what's going to happen next and you are mostly just making things up as you go along.”

“Commencement speeches were invented largely in the belief that outgoing college students should never be released into the world until they have been properly sedated.”

“Sometimes you find out what you are supposed to be doing by doing the things you are not supposed to do.”

Inspirational Sometimes Supposed To Be Graduation Commencement Speech Graduation Speech

Author:Oprah Winfrey

“The definition of success changes. Success is to live your life with integrity and not give in to peer pressure to be something you're not. Follow your passion, stay true to yourself, never follow someone else's path; unless you're in the woods and you're lost and you see a path, then by all means, you should follow that.”

“Continue to share your heart with people even if it's been broken.”

People Ifs Love Heart Share Broken Commencement Speech

Author:Amy Poehler

“Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don't.”

Knows Inspirational Inspiring Interesting Knowing Learning Wise Words Commencement Life Learning Meeting New People Commencement Speech

Book:Unstoppable: Harnessing Science to Change the World

Source: Unstoppable: Harnessing Science to Change the World

“I learned many great lessons from my father, not the least of which, was that you can fail at what you don't want so you might as well take a chance on doing what you love”

Want Wells Might Father Chance Failing Lessons Take A Chance What You Love Doing What You Love Funny Commencement Commencement Speech Graduation Speech Convocation Graduation Commencement

Author:Jim Carrey

“So many of us choose our path out of fear disguised as practicality.”

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Author:Jim Carrey

“There happen to be whole large parts of adult American life that nobody talks about in commencement speeches. One such part involves boredom, routine, and petty frustration.”

Persons Whole Happens Speech Adults Boredom Frustration Routine Petty American Life Commencement Commencement Speech

Author:David Foster Wallace

“My favorite animal is the turtle. The reason is that in order for the turtle to move, it has to stick its neck out.”

“Never follow anyone else's path, unless you're in the woods and you're lost.”

“President Obama and Mitt Romney both gave commencement speeches over the last few days. Obama was like, 'You can be whatever you want to be,' while Romney was like, 'I can be whatever you want me to be.'”

Want I Can Lasts President Like You Speech President Obama Want Me Romney You Want Me Commencement Commencement Speech

Author:Jimmy Fallon

“You might as well take a chance on doing what you love.”

Wells Might Chance Graduation Take A Chance What You Love Commencement Doing What You Love Funny Commencement Commencement Speech Graduation Speech Convocation Graduation Commencement Memorable Graduation

Author:Jim Carrey

“One must search diligently to find laudatory comments on education (other than those pious platitudes which are fodder for commencement speeches). It appears that most persons who have achieved fame and success in the world of ideas are cynical about formal education. These people are a select few, who often achieved success in spite of their education, or even without it. As has been said, the clever largely educate themselves, those less able aren't sufficiently clever or imaginative to benefit much from education.”

Commencement Speech Quotes

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Commencement Speech Quotes