Seven Commencement Speeches Worth Watching to Make Up for Your Graduation Rites
Commencement addresses that have the right mix of wisdom, encouragement, humor, and wit to keep you inspired
Although I had already graduated from college two years ago, I still find myself allured to commencement speeches because of the timeless nuggets of wisdom they share. Instead of binge-watching a TV show, I binged on over 400 minutes worth of commencement addresses from a range of personalities — authors, politicians, comedians, CEOs, hosts, and celebrities — searching for hints of inspiration during these trying times. Most speakers are renowned in their respective fields, making me feel that their lives are impossible to reach. However, their speeches are rooted in their own experiences of failure, courage, and innovativeness, reminding me that despite all their accolades, they are somehow just like all of us. With this, I would like to share my seven favorite commencement speeches with you that have the right mix of wisdom, encouragement, humor, and wit, and are definitely worth watching to make up for your canceled graduation rites.
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NEVER SETTLE
I started with Steve Jobs’ commencement speech at Stanford in 2005 based on a friend’s recommendation. Undeniably, it is the most viewed on YouTube for a good reason. During his speech, he shared three personal stories about his life that led to his success. It was not a college degree, but a calligraphy class. It was not Apple’s smash hit, but his resignation. It was not his life, but his close experience with death. These moments made him the visionary that we know he is. If you want to kickstart the commencement speech bandwagon right, I recommend that you begin here.
“And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.” — Steve Jobs, 2005
KEEP YOUR LIGHT SHINING
Sterling Brown, known for his appearances in the award-winning Black Panther and the NBC series This is Us, was also a Stanford graduate in 1998. He used timeless quotes from famous philosophers and expressed his own “I’m not good enough” struggle in writing his Stanford commencement speech in 2018, which turned it into an ultra-relatable internal debate for all the perfectionists out there. His unique style gave his address more personality, making it the most soulful and energetic I’ve seen. Go ahead and watch this if you need to keep your spirits high!
“But then I take a breath, and I remember, my speech doesn’t have to look like anybody else’s. My speech, is MY speech. They can’t do what I can do, any more than I can do what they do. So why try? And it’s not FOR them. It’s not even for me … it’s for you. It is a reflection OF me, and hopefully, it is AUTHENTIC to who I am as a person. But when I place the focus on where it truly belongs, on this gorgeous opportunity to be of service to the future of this country, the future of the world, I stop worrying about how I compare to others, and I just give you the best that I got.” — Sterling Brown, 2018
BE TRUE TO YOURSELF
Everybody loves Ellen — a fun comedian with a big heart. But before she became the successful celebrity we know today, she lived an unglamorous life in a basement apartment, waiting tables and serving drinks. In her commencement speech at Tulane in 2009, she shared how she got into comedy through a tragic event, and how staying true to her personality was what allowed her to get to where she was. But Ellen being Ellen, she would place hilarious anecdotes in the middle of a statement, right before you would start to tear up from her story. With an outstanding balance between fun and solemnity, I found myself laughing at all her subtle jokes and feeling moved by her journey at the same time. Spoiler alert: be prepared for a fun surprise at the end!
“For many of you, today, success is being able to hold down 20 shots of tequila. For me, the most important thing in your life is to live your life with integrity and not to give in to peer pressure to try to be something that you’re not, to live your life as an honest and compassionate person, to contribute in some way.” — Ellen Degeneres, 2009
BE AWARE OF WHAT IS ESSENTIAL AND REAL
Despite being the least famous person in this list, David’s speech at Kenyon in 2005 has made a tremendous impact. He deviated from the usual clichés and words of inspiration that one would expect in a commencement speech. Instead, he presented the reality (and perceived burden) of staying educated, exercising freedom, and being aware of your thinking. His reminders might sound seemingly simple, yet can be excruciatingly difficult. Watch this if you want a no-bullshit speech that will keep you on your feet thinking endlessly.
“Learning how to think really means learning how to exercise some control over how and what you think. It means being conscious and aware enough to choose what you pay attention to and to choose how you construct meaning from experience. Because if you cannot exercise this kind of choice in adult life, you will be totally hosed. Think of the old cliché about ‘the mind being an excellent servant but a terrible master.’” — David Foster Wallace, 2005
WEAR SUNSCREEN
As unusual as its title, Mary Schmich, an American journalist, did not officially address this commencement speech in a certain university. Instead, she wrote a speech that she would hypothetically give if she were invited to become a speaker. Her work was published in the Chicago Tribune in 1997 and quickly went viral via email since social media did not exist at that time. Baz Luhrmann, the director of Great Gatsby and Moulin Rouge, even released the song “Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen),” using the article word for word as the lyrics. Although it is an exception to most addresses, I wanted to include it in the list because of its simplicity and relatability. If you want an easy read or listen, this would be perfect for you.
“Don’t worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 p.m. on some idle Tuesday.” — Mary Schmich, 1997
IMAGINE BETTER
We live in a world filled with instant gratification and perfectionism, and because of this, we are often afraid to fail even before we begin. In J.K. Rowling’s Harvard commencement speech in 2008, she shares how this mindset sets us up for failure and poses one strong note that is unique to her life story: we do not need fictional magic to save the world. Our capacity to even watch and comprehend these speeches and videos show that we have a privilege and responsibility to use wisely. Our magic — our imagination — is all we genuinely need to start making a difference. Give this speech a go if you need a spellbinding experience.
“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.” — J.K. Rowling, 2008
CHANGE THE STATUS QUO
I couldn’t be prouder of my friends who are graduating this season. We face so much uncertainty with the pandemic, and the job market has become unstable, with freeze hires mostly taking place. Through his short but motivating 2020 commencement speech, Obama reminds us that we have also faced challenging situations in the past, such as slavery, war, and disease, among others, and we have come out of each struggle stronger and better than we were before. Indeed, amid these difficulties, we can shake up the status quo and create true change. I’m also looking forward to the scheduled Youtube virtual graduation ceremony with commencement addresses by Barack and Michelle Obama on June 6. Pick this one if you need an uplifting speech and want to become a conduit for change during the pandemic.
“Nobody can tell you ‘no, you’re too young to understand’ or ‘this is how it’s always been done.’ Because with so much uncertainty, with everything suddenly up for grabs, this is your generation’s world to shape.” — Barack Obama, 2020
It doesn’t matter if you’re reading and watching this at twenty, thirty, forty, fifty or sixty years old, because we all have something to learn from each other, especially during times of new chapters and crises. Never forget that life-learning only begins once graduation ends.
Now, who would you have wanted to speak at your graduation?
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