The top quotes and jokes from 2015 commencement speakers
Graduation season is here. This doesn’t just mean an influx of families clogging city sidewalks and highways, however. It also means that some inspirational, influential, and entertaining leaders are doing their best to deliver tips to the newest members of the real world, one graduation speech at a time.
Here are a few who offered resonant advice, not to mention some decent one-liners.
Madeleine Albright at Tufts University
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Albright stressed that the tests of college are over, but the test of real life continues. She explained that being a citizen of the 21st century involves a global outlook. She encouraged advocacy, humility, tenacity, and leadership, and she challenged the graduates to embody these characteristics.
In a quote…
“I insist that you also be a defender and an enricher of [liberty], employing your talents to heal, help, and teach — both here at home and abroad. I insist that you be doers, not just hearers. I insist that you put your opinions to the test, [and] when required, you dare — as Tufts’s motto suggests — to be voices crying for peace and light. Because your choices will make all the difference to you and to us all.’’
Best joke:
“I arrived at Wellesley College about halfway between the invention of the Apple watch and the discovery of fire.’’
Neil deGrasse Tyson at UMass Amherst
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Tyson’s speech was really a list of “things you should know,’’ including the fact that GPA no longer matters (at all) and that science really does. The overall theme was an invitation to question everything from politicians (and the people who elect them) to America’s culture of surveillance.
In a quote:
“It actually takes effort to inquire about the truth of something. Effort!’’
Best joke:
“Five books later, I get a letter — mail used to come in paper envelopes — I got a letter from the Educational Testing Service in New Jersey. They are the purveyors of the SATs. Just to show you the kind of grip these institutions have on us, I get the letter and say ‘Gasp! Was there an error in my SAT scores?’ I’m a full-grown adult reacting to this in this way.’’
David Muir at Northeastern University
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Muir used anecdotes about stories he’s covered. He described driving past families in the streets during Hurricane Katrina who shouted “We need help!’’ at himself and his cameras. He said at the time he felt deeply ashamed, but he later reflected that his reporting gave voice to those in need.
In a quote:
“I simply ask all of you here today to go out there after today, and help me report. Go out there, and discover the world that awaits, find the opportunities. Don’t forget to let others know about the people in need that you meet along the way.’’
Best joke:
Muir joked about his hesitation to get off the bus on the first day of kindergarten. His bus driver walked him to the door, promising to drive him home if he really didn’t want to stay.
“I took a few steps into the classroom, and I remember the voices, the hive of activity already. And it wasn’t long before I decided, ‘This isn’t for me.’ I raced back to the doorway, and the bus driver was gone. She’d left me.’’
Meredith Vieira at Boston University
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Vieira talked through her career trajectory and encouraged the grads to take the first step, even if they couldn’t “see the whole staircase.’’ One of her strongest points encouraged graduates to be unique. She brought “the left shark’’ from the Super Bowl halftime show to underscore the importance of dancing to your own beat.
In a quote:
“How boring would the journey be if you already knew for sure the final destination? Listen, you’re terriers. When terriers go for a car ride, they don’t know where they’re going, they don’t care where they’re going. They stick their head out the window, they let the wind rush over them, and they enjoy the ride.’’
Best joke:
“So when you take off your cap and gown today, I sincerely hope you have clothes on underneath.’’
Gov. Charlie Baker at Suffolk University
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Bringing an overall message of optimism, Baker spoke about his wife’s positivity and his parents’ strength while Baker’s mother suffered from Alzheimer’s. He closed with an anecdote about world-renowned tennis player and AIDS activist Arthur Ashe, invoking the Grand Slam winner’s quote: “Start where you are, use what you have, do what you can.’’
In a quote:
“Be constructive, be positive, and try to focus on what works instead of what doesn’t.’’
Best joke:
“The State House doesn’t have Wi-Fi. The State House doesn’t have Wi-Fi! And we’re in the process of working to install it. But one of the things that came up in working with the legislators was, I said to them, ‘So what do you guys do?’ and they said, ‘We borrow it from Suffolk.’ So I want to thank Suffolk for providing that unique service to members of the legislature, free of charge.’’
2015 Commencement Speakers in Massachusetts
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