Graduation season is a time to reflect on the past and the future. It’s a time to feel inspired and today, I was feeling inspired. I wanted to bring you some of the best graduation speeches of all time to make you feel like you can go after what you want while also receiving some solid advice. Check out some of the best graduation speeches below! Have you heard these before? What do you think? Let me know in the comments section below!
Barack Obama, University of Michigan, 2010- When invited to the University of Michigan to give a graduation speech, Obama focused on the landscape of the country at the time. In the past decade, the country had been in a period of flux and the world had a tumultuous time getting back on track. Obama emphasized these difficulties. He requested that the graduates make an attempt at becoming good citizens of the nation, to open their hearts and stay empathetic to the stories of those around them. It’s a great speech.
Amy Poehler, Harvard, 2011– As an SNL cast member and star of her own show, Amy Poehler knows a thing or two about working hard. She’s lived life and isn’t afraid to tell it like it is while making a joke or two in between. She’s a strong woman yet she encouraged the Harvard class of 2011, that you can’t do it alone. She also urged them to let things go and to be open to new experiences; to open their hearts. She left graduates in stitches with her great jokes and big heart. Check it out.
Best Line- “Don’t treat your heart like an action figure wrapped in plastic and never used.”
JK Rowling, Harvard, 2008- JK Rowling is a big believer in failure. She was living on welfare when she made the decision to write Harry Potter. Fast-forward a couple of years and she’s one of the world’s number 1 best-selling authors. Harvard asked to give a speech in 2008, and she joked that she was so nervous leading up to the event that she actually lost weight. In her speech she asks the graduates to use their imaginations and learn from their failures. She encourages them to experience heartbreak and difficulties in their lives. She requests that they let go of their fears in order to set themselves free.
Best Line- “It’ is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all — in which case, you fail by default.”
