Every year at graduation ceremonies across the country, politicians, entertainers and other notables bestow their wisdom on a fresh set of bright-eyed, wistful college graduates. This year, students may need their sage advice more than ever. With the weak economy, job numbers heading south and fears the economy may slip back into recession, this year’s commencement speakers challenged the Class of 2011 to stop complaining and work harder. The idea of perseverance in the face of adversity punctuated many of the remarks, along with the usual talk of taking risks to pursue one’s dream. The overall message: Brace yourselves, kids, because making your way in the “real” world is not going to be easy.
We compiled snippets from some of the best speeches of the year, because even those for whom college is a distant memory, it’s nice to be reminded of the values, hopes and lessons that inspire us and can help us pull the country out of its slump.
Barack Obama, President of the United States, Booker T. Washington High School (Memphis, Tenn.), 05/16/11
Believe it or not, when you go out there looking for a job, you’re not just competing against people in Nashville or Atlanta. You’re competing against young people in Beijing and Mumbai. That’s some tough competition. Those kids are hungry. They’re working hard. And you’ll need to be prepared for it.
And as a country, we need all of our young people to be ready. We can’t just have some young people successful. We’ve got to have every young person contributing; earning those high school diplomas and then earning those college diplomas, or getting certified in a trade or profession. We can’t succeed without it.
Bill Clinton, former President of the United States, New York University, 05/18/11
As you celebrate today your graduation from one of the great universities in this or any nation, there are two things you need to remember. First, college graduates this year will have more personal debt than any class before you. And second, in the last decade, the United States, which still ranks first in the world in the percentage of our young people going on to university -- dropped from first to twelfth in the percentage of young people actually achieving four-year college degrees, in no small measure because of the shrinking economy and rising cost… the world you live in is unstable. Not just because violence can cross borders and non-state actors can cause trouble, but because disease can cross borders. Because the financial crisis, which sadly began here, spread almost instantaneously, first to the United Kingdom then Ireland then Iceland then to the exporting countries because people couldn’t afford to buy their products. We have to find a way to reduce the negative instability of modern life without going into a totally static world where nothing would grow.
Jon Huntsman, former Utah governor and U.S. Ambassador to China, University of South Carolina, 05/07/11
You see, your generation will have your own unique set of circumstances that make you feel like your future has somehow been derailed. Wars, economic recessions, social upheaval, revolutions around the globe … and yet, in each case, we recover, we learn lessons and become ever more resilient.
I know there are many in China who think their time has come, that America’s best days are over. And there are probably some in this country who have lost confidence and think that China is the next best thing. But these people aren’t seeing things from my earlier vantage point of 10,000 miles away.
The real test of a nation is not how well it does when times are good, but how well it does when times are tough. The way I saw it from overseas, America’s passions remain as strong today as ever.
Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer of Facebook, Barnard College, 05/17/11
You are the promise for a more equal world. You are our hope. I truly believe that only when we get real equality in our governments, in our businesses, in our companies and our universities, will we start to solve this generation’s central moral problem, which is gender equality. We need women at all levels, including the top, to change the dynamic, reshape the conversation, to make sure women’s voices are heard and heeded, not overlooked and ignored.
Jimmy Carter, former President of the United States, Georgia State University, 05/07/11
Looking to the future America that you will shape, you graduates, we might ask what are the characteristics of a superpower? They might well mirror those of a person and would demonstrate a commitment, to truth, peace, justice, freedom, human rights, generosity and utilize the innate characteristics or talents of every citizen. There is no inherent reason that our powerful country cannot be the international paragon of these virtues. Whenever any people in any country face a challenge or a problem, they should naturally look to Washington as a partner or as a sterling example.
Gwen Ifill, author and correspondent at The NewsHour, Lafayette College, 05/21/11
You heard about the book I wrote a couple of years ago about breakthrough political candidates. I discovered as I was reporting and writing that book that they had a lot in common. Most of all, that they said yes when they had the chance, especially when people told them no. They were always told to wait their turn, that they were not something enough, that they would never win. They each said no, and then yes, and they broke through.
David Brooks, New York Times columnist, Rice University, 05/14/11
Over the past few years, we’ve learned a lot about happiness. We’ve learned that the relationship between money and happiness is weak; once you hit middle class, getting richer doesn’t make you that much happier. The relationship between friendship and happiness is strong. Joining a club that meets just once a month produces the same happiness gain as doubling your income. Getting married produces the same happiness gain as an extra $100,000 a year of income. The daily activity that contributes most to happiness is having dinner with friends. The daily activity that detracts most from happiness is commuting.
Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of New York City, George Washington University, 05/15/11
But as you think about your career, whatever you do, don't worry about mapping it all out. Just don't play it safe. Don't be the person who quits a startup company, or a band, before giving it a chance to make it big. And don't be afraid to start over or change direction. The more risks you take, the happier you will be, even if they don't work out. And I can assure you, sometimes they won't. But I can also assure you this: No matter what job you have, no matter who your employer is, the harder you work, the luckier you will get.
Denzel Washington, Academy Award-winning actor, University of Pennsylvania, 05/16/11
You will fail at some point in your life. Accept it. You will lose. You will embarrass yourself. You will suck at something. There’s no doubt about it. And I know that’s probably not a traditional message for a graduation ceremony, but hey, I’m telling you. Embrace it, because it’s inevitable.
Amy Poehler, comedian, Harvard, 05/25/11
You’re all smart and sophisticated people. You know the world in a way that my generation never did. Because of that, I realize I don’t have much advice to give to you. In many ways, I learn from you. I don’t have many answers, just questions. Specifically, when I use FaceTime on my iPad and I’m talking to someone, and I take a picture, sometimes the screen freezes -- how do I fix that?
Related Links:
I Want a Refund: Grads Who Would Return their Degree (The Fiscal Times)
Parents Are Losing Faith in the American Dream (The Fiscal Times)
Dazed and Confused Students Land $24,000 in Debt (The Fiscal Times)
