Graduation Speech Quotes:

The effect you have on others is the most valuable currency there is.

- Jim Carrey

source: Jim Carrey's Commencement Address at Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa, www.mum.edu. May 24, 2014.

topic: Graduation Speech, Currency, Valuable

Risk being seen in all of your glory.

- Jim Carrey

source: Jim Carrey's Commencement Address at Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa, www.mum.edu. May 24, 2014.

topic: Risk, Graduation Speech, Glory

Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.

- Steve Jobs

source: Commencement Address at Stanford University, delivered 12 June 2005, Palo Alto, CA

topic: Love, Inspirational, Life, Inner Voice, Job Growth

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life.

- Steve Jobs

source: Commencement Address at Stanford University, delivered 12 June 2005, Palo Alto, CA

topic: Inspirational, Life, Motivational, Interesting Life, Inner Voice

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.

- Eleanor Roosevelt

topic: Inspirational, Change, Positive, Impossible Dream, Pursue Your Dreams

Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.

- Robert Louis Stevenson

topic: Inspirational, Life, Motivational, Interesting Life, Planting Seeds

Go, and make interesting mistakes, make amazing mistakes, make glorious and fantastic mistakes. Break rules. Leave the world more interesting for your being here.

- Neil Gaiman

source: Neil Gaiman's Commencement Address at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, www.uarts.edu. May 17, 2012.

topic: Inspirational, Graduation, Mistake, Inspirational Graduation, Inspirational High School Graduation

You might as well take a chance on doing what you love.

- Jim Carrey

source: "Jim Carrey Receives Honorary Diploma from Maharishi University of Management". Jim Carrey's commencement speech at Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa, www.iowasource.com. May 24, 2014.

topic: Doing What You Love, Might, Chance, Memorable Graduation, Commencement

You have to trust in something - your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.

- Steve Jobs

topic: Life, Motivational, Karma, Future Success, Innovation And Leadership

Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something - your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.

- Steve Jobs

topic: Inspirational, Life, Trust, Future Success, Innovation And Leadership

Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.

- Steve Jobs

topic: Heart, Follow Your Heart, Intuition, Inner Voice, Business Life

It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might has well not have lived at all, in which case you have failed by default.

- J. K. Rowling

topic: Inspirational, Success, Graduation, Failure In Life, Inspirational Harry Potter

To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.

- Anatole France

source: Introductory speech at a session of the French Academy, December 24, 1896.

topic: Inspirational, Life, Motivational, Journey To Success, Inspiration And Motivation

Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking.

- Steve Jobs

source: Commencement Address at Stanford University, delivered 12 June 2005, Palo Alto, CA

topic: Inspirational, Life, Graduation, Job Growth, Inner Life

I learned many great lessons from my father, not the least of which, was that you can fail at what you don't want so you might as well take a chance on doing what you love

- Jim Carrey

topic: Father, Doing What You Love, Want, Commencement Speech, Convocation

All your dreams can come true if you have the courage to pursue them.

- Walt Disney

source: "How to Be Like Walt : Capturing the Magic Every Day of Your Life". Book by Pat Williams, 2004.

topic: Inspirational, Life, Motivational, Best Success, Young Entrepreneurs

Commencement speeches were invented largely in the belief that outgoing college students should never be released into the world until they have been properly sedated.

- Garry Trudeau

source: "Peace, war, economy dominate graduation speeches" by Patricia McCormack, www.upi.com. May 29, 1982.

topic: Graduation, College, World, Grad, Inspirational High School Graduation

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.

- Nelson Mandela

topic: Inspirational, Change, Inspiring, Social Power, Social Studies

Live all of your life. Understand it, see it, appreciate it. And have fun.

- Joss Whedon

topic: Fun, Appreciate, Funny Graduation, High School Graduation, Graduation Speech

I cannot stress enough that the answer to life's questions is often in people's faces. Try putting your iPhones down once in a while, and look in people's faces. People's faces will tell you amazing things. Like if they are angry, or nauseous or asleep.

- Amy Poehler

topic: Stress, Iphone, People, Graduation Speech, Answers To Life

Sometimes you find out what you are supposed to be doing by doing the things you are not supposed to do.

- Oprah Winfrey

topic: Inspirational, Graduation, Sometimes, Commencement Speech, Graduation Speech

Be compassionate to everyone. Don't just search for whatever it is that annoys and frightens you-see beyond those things to the basic human being. Especially see the child in the man or woman. Even if they are destroying you, allow a moment to see how lost in their own delusion and suffering they are.

- Alice Walker

topic: Graduation, Children, Men, Destroying You, Graduation Speech

Pausing allows you to take a beat to take a breath in your life. As everybody else is rushing around like a lunatic out there, I dare you to do the opposite.

- Maria Shriver

topic: Graduation, Opposites, Rushing, Pausing, Rushing Around

Life has a very simple plot: first you're here and then you're not.

- Eric Idle

source: "17 Funniest Lines from Monty Python Star Eric Idle’s Commencement Speech" By Gillian Frew, www.huffingtonpost.com. May 21, 2013.

topic: Graduation, Simple, Plot, Commencement, Commencement Speech

Don't be afraid of fear. Because it sharpens you, it challenges you, it makes you stronger; and when you run away from fear, you also run away from the opportunity to be your best possible self.

- Ed Helms

topic: Graduation, Running, Opportunity, Commencement Speech, Graduation Speech

This is your time and it feels normal to you, but really, there is no normal. There's only change and resistance to it and then more change.

- Meryl Streep

source: "Meryl Streep Barnard Graduation: ‘You Just Have To Make Your Mother And Father Proud’". Barnard College Commencement Speech, www.huffingtonpost.com. May 18, 2010.

topic: Inspirational, Change, Graduation, Resistance To Change, Graduation Speech

Your need for acceptance can make you invisible in this world. Risk being seen in all of your glory.

- Jim Carrey

source: Commencement Address by Jim Carrey, Maharishi University of Management, www.mum.edu. May 24, 2014.

topic: Graduation Speech

You'll never know what you're capable of if you don't try.

- Sarah Michelle Gellar

source: Biography/Personal Quotes, www.imdb.com.

topic: Graduation, Trying, Ifs, Leaning In, Graduation Speech

If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.

- Henry David Thoreau

source: "Walden". Book by Henry David Thoreau, 1854.

topic: Love, Inspirational, Life, Live For Yourself, Man Of My Dreams

All there will ever be is what's happening here. Decisions we make in this moment are based on either love or fear. So many of us choose our path out of fear, disguised as practicality.

- Jim Carrey

topic: Decisions We Make, Choices, Path, Practicality, Commencement Speech

My favorite animal is the turtle. The reason is that in order for the turtle to move, it has to stick its neck out.

- Ruth Westheimer

source: "‘Other People’s Rejection Letters’: 8 Of The Craziest Rejection Letters" by Bill Shapiro, www.huffingtonpost.com. May 11, 2010.

topic: Moving, Animal, Order, Inspirational High School Graduation, Inspiring Graduation

People will frighten you about a graduation.... They use words you don't hear often: And we wish you Godspeed." It is a warning, Godspeed. It means you are no longer welcome here at these prices."

- Bill Cosby

topic: Graduation, Mean, People, Inspirational Graduation, Commencement

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new.

- Steve Jobs

topic: Inspirational, Death, People, Someone Who Is Dying, Meaningful Death

Never follow anyone else's path, unless you're in the woods and you're lost.

- Ellen DeGeneres

source: "12 Inspiring Graduation Speeches by Amazing Women" by Kelly Conniff, time.com. May 18, 2014.

topic: Woods, Path, Lost, Memorable Graduation, Inspiring Graduation

It is clear the future holds great opportunities. It also holds pitfalls. The trick will be to avoid the pitfalls, seize the opportunities, and get back home by six o'clock.

- Woody Allen

topic: Life, Graduation, Home, Inspiring Graduation, Seize The Opportunity

To those of you who received honours, awards and distinctions, I say well done. And to the C students, I say you, too, can be president of the United States.

- George W. Bush

source: "Bad results?" by Nikki Sheehan, www.theguardian.com. June 11, 2001.

topic: Funny, Graduation, Humor, Inspirational Graduation, Inspirational School

Go and make interesting mistakes, make amazing mistakes, make glorious and fantastic mistakes. Break rules. Leave the world more interesting for your being here.

- Neil Gaiman

topic: Inspirational, Graduation, Mistake, Inspirational Graduation, Inspire Students

A graduation ceremony is an event where the commencement speaker tells thousands of students dressed in identical caps and gowns that 'individuality' is the key to success.

- Robert Orben

source: "A Few Tips for the Graduates". The Topeka Capital-Journal, abcnews.go.com. May 20, 2007.

topic: Funny, Graduation, Education, Master Ceremony, Grad

There are few things more liberating in this life than having your worst fear realized.

- Conan O'Brien

topic: Inspirational, Graduation, Dartmouth, Memorable Graduation, Changing Course

That diploma you hold in your hands today is really just your learner's permit for the rest of the drive through life. Remember, you don't have to be smarter than the next person, all you have to do is be willing to work harder than the next person.

- Jimmy Iovine

source: Jimmy Iovine's Commencement Address at University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California, news.usc.edu. May 17, 2013.

topic: Graduation, Hard Work, Hands, Diploma, Graduation Speech

I gave the graduation speech at my high school. Not because I was valedictorian but because the grade voted for me to do it. And I gave a slightly contentious speech. I was a little critical of the administration. But for a long time it said on Wikipedia that I took my balls out and exposed myself to the crowd.

- Nick Kroll

source: Source: www.avclub.com

topic: School, Long, Speech, Contentious, Valedictorians

This is a perfect example of the power and ridiculousness of a website like Wikipedia. I did give a slightly contentious graduation speech, where I decided not to be funny as my classmates had hoped, which was why I was chosen. I was not valedictorian, that's for sure. Instead, I talked about the failure to communicate between the administration and the teachers and students. That's what was contentious about it. At some point, somebody wrote about that incident on my Wikipedia page. And then somebody added the bit about me exposing my genitals to the crowd.

- Nick Kroll

topic: Teacher, Giving, Perfect, Contentious, Valedictorians