wpostServer: http://css.washingtonpost.com/wpost
Inspiring quotes from graduation speakers of 2012 Highlights from the commencement addresses given by politicians, celebrities and other notables this year.
Jane Lynch, Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning actress, Smith College, May 20
“Let life surprise you. Don’t have a plan. Plans are for wusses. If my life went according to my plan, I would never ever have the life I have today. You are obviously good planners, or you wouldn’t be here. Stop it! Stop it now! Don’t deprive yourself of the exciting journey your life can be when you relinquish the need to have goals and a blueprint.”
Sam Masinter
/
AP
Related Content
Chuck Hagel, former senator from Nebraska, Marymount University, May 20
“The longer you live, the more you will realize that the three indispensable requisites in life are faith, character and courage. Never lose them. Life is not worth much without them.”
Nati Harnik
/
AP
Ira Glass, Host, This American Life, Goucher College, May 19
“You will be stupid. You will worry your parents as I worried mine. You will question your own choices. You will question your relationships, your jobs, your friends, where you live, what you studied in college, that you went to college at all. The thing I want to say is: That is totally okay. That is totally normal. If that happens, you’re doing it right.”
Marvin Joseph
/
The Washington Post
Kathleen Sebelius, U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services, Georgetown Public Policy Institute Tropaia Ceremony, May 18
“I’m an accidental feminist who learned that girls can do anything by attending an all-girls school where we had to do everything. I ended up in Kansas because that’s where my husband grew up. I began my political career because our part-time legislature was a better fit for me, as a mother with two young children, than the 60-hour a week job I had.”
Charles Dharapak
/
AP
President Obama, Barnard College, May 14
“My first piece of advice is this: Don’t just get involved. Fight for your seat at the table. Better yet, fight for a seat at the head of the table.”
Mandel Ngan
/
AFP/Getty Images
Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts, Republican presidential candidate, Liberty University, May 12
“What we have, what we wish we had – ambitions fulfilled, ambitions disappointed … investments won, investments lost … elections won, elections lost – these things may occupy our attention, but they do not define us. And each of them is subject to the vagaries and serendipities of life. Our relationship with our Maker, however, depends on none of this.”
Jae C. Hong
/
AP
Ed Catmull, president, Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios, University of Utah, May 4
“There is a phrase used about Steve [Jobs]. It’s called the reality distortion field. I never liked the phrase because it was kind of used in a kidding way, but it also had a negative connotation to it. But there is a sense in which I do like it. If you believe, as I do, that your actions make a difference, then this means that you do modify your reality. You do change the future.”
Matt Sayles
/
AP
Maria Shriver, former California first lady, author and journalist, USC Annenberg School of Journalism and Communication, School of Communication ceremony, May 11
“Remember to pause and reflect before you sign on with someone, or some organization, whose work you do not admire and don’t respect and you can’t stand up for. Who you work for is as important as what you do.”
Damian Dovarganes
/
AP
Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize-winning South African activist, Gonzaga University, May 13
“I have to tell you, I can’t resist young people. I am addicted. I have to tell you that they are some of the most incredible creatures in God’s world. And I mean you, you. You are actually the distinguished, the really distinguished VIPs here today.”
Ashwini Bhatia
/
AP
Mike Bloomberg, mayor, New York City, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, May 13
“In the game of life, when the final buzzer sounds, the only stat you carry with you is the number of assists you made. So help other people put some points on the board.”
Seth Wenig
/
AP
Leymah R. Gbowee, Nobel Peace Laureate, executive director of the Women Peace and Security Network Africa, Vassar College, May 20
“I have never been to a place or a country on this Earth where my curious eyes — and trust me I look around — has not seen a situation in need of change, even in this great America.”
Shannon Stapleton
/
Reuters
Henry “Hank” Aaron, Baseball Hall of Famer, Marquette University, May 20
“There are absolutely no acceptable shortcuts to success in life.”
Bill O'Leary
/
The Washington Post
Aaron Sorkin, playwright, screenwriter, producer, Syracuse University, May 13
“Baseball players say they don't have to look to see if they hit a home run, they can feel it. So I wish for you a moment — a moment soon — when you really put the bat on the ball, when you really get a hold of one and drive it into the upper deck, when you feel it.”
Evan Agostini
/
AP
Eric Schmidt, chairman of Google, University of California, Berkeley, May 12
“For those who say you’re thinking too big … be smart enough not to listen. For those who say the odds are too small … be dumb enough to give it a shot. And for those who ask, ‘how can you do that?’… look them in the eyes and say, I’ll figure it out.”
Justin Sullivan
/
Getty Images
FEATURED PHOTO GALLERIES
Flexing their muscles
Dozens of bodybuilders came out to Silver Spring to compete in the 2013 Musclemania Capital Tournament of Champions.
Photos of the day
Oklahoma tornado wreckage, London terrorism attack, NASA’s Dream Chaser, Triton unmanned aircraft and more.
The Herndon Climb
The Herndon Monument climb is the traditional culmination of plebe year at the U.S. Naval Academy.
Animal views
Fun and fascinating creatures around the world.
???initialComments:true! pubdate:03/20/2012 08:19 EDT! commentPeriod:14! commentEndDate:4/3/12 8:19 EDT! currentDate:5/23/13 8:0 EDT! allowComments:false! displayComments:true!
Section:/national/on-leadership
![“There is a phrase used about Steve [Jobs]. It’s called the reality distortion field. I never liked the phrase because it was kind of used in a kidding way, but it also had a negative connotation to it. But there is a sense in which I do like it. If you believe, as I do, that your actions make a difference, then this means that you do modify your reality. You do change the future.”](/rf/image_606w/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/05/22/Conversations/Images/AP090512038333.jpg)
Loading...
Comments