Yesterday the New York Times devoted a page to excerpts from recent college commencement speeches. It’s an annual treat that always yields good nuggets of wisdom.
Here are a few that I really appreciate (with my own emphasis added):
“Buy a subscription to a newspaper or a magazine that will tell you the most important news of the day. Install an app on your phone that doesn’t just filter the news by your social network, but by what you need to read. Not only will these habits make you a better citizen, they’ll make you a more interesting husband or wife, and certainly a more informed job applicant.”
- Chris Hughes, cofounder of Facebook and owner of The New Republic (speaking at Georgia State University)
“I wish you perspective when situations or people seem more important than they really are, and the ability to detect those people or events who have much to offer but don’t inherently draw your attention. In other words, charisma is not character. This is also very good dating advice.”
- Actress Laura Linney (at Juilliard)
“There is no such thing as failure. Failure is just life trying to move us in another direction.”
- Oprah Winfrey, entrepreneur (at Harvard University)
“Technology is just a tool. It’s a powerful tool, but it’s just a tool. Deep human connection is very different. It’s not a tool. It’s not a means to an end. It is the end — the purpose and the result of a meaningful life — and it will inspire the most amazing acts of love, generosity, and humanity. … I want you to connect because I believe it will inspire you to do something, to make a difference in the world. Humanity in the abstract will never inspire you in the same way as the human beings you meet. Poverty is not going to motivate you. But people will motivate you.”
- Melinda Gates, philanthropist (at Duke University)
See also: Graduation wisdom ’13: Find and follow your passion
Your career is not a ladder; it’s a jungle gym (Commencement ’012)








