BARACK
OBAMA
"Never underestimate
the power of your example."
In
his commencement address at Barnard this week, President Obama gave the senior
class a message reminiscent of his 2008 campaign slogan: Yes you can. "The
very fact that you are graduating, let alone that more women now graduate from
college than men, is only possible because earlier generations of women—your
mothers, your grandmothers, your aunts—shattered the myth that you couldn't or
shouldn't be where you are," he noted, setting up a parable. "I think
of a friend of mine who's the daughter of immigrants. When she was in high
school, her guidance counselor told her, 'You know what, you're just not
college material. You should think about becoming a secretary.' Well, she was
stubborn, so she went to college anyway. She got her master's. She ran for
local office, won. She ran for state office, she won. She ran for Congress, she
won. And lo and behold, Hilda Solis did end up becoming a secretary—she is
America's Secretary of Labor."
OPRAH WINFREY
"If it doesn't feel
right, don't do it."
Like
a good talk show host, Oprah Winfrey distilled her 2008 Stanford commencement
address to some simple principles: "The three lessons that have had the
greatest impact on my life have to do with feelings, with failure, and with
finding happiness," Winfrey explained, encouraging the students to trust
their instincts. "If it doesn't feel right, don't do it. That's the
lesson. And that lesson alone will save you, my friends, a lot of grief. Even
doubt means don't. This is what I've learned. There are many times when you
don't know what to do. When you don't know what to do, get still, get very
still, until you do know what to do. And when you do get still and let your
internal motivation be the driver, not only will your personal life improve,
but you will gain a competitive edge in the working world as well."
DENZEL
WASHINGTON
"Fall
forward."
"I've
never understood that concept, having something to fall back on," Denzel
Washington told Penn's class of 2011 in his commencement address. "If I'm
going to fall, I don't want to fall back on anything, except my faith. I want
to fall... forward. At least I figure that way I'll see what I'm about to hit.
Fall forward. Here's what I mean: Reggie Jackson struck out 2,600 times in his
career—the most in the history of baseball.
But you don't hear about the strikeouts. People remember the home runs.
Fall forward. Thomas Edison conducted 1,000 failed experiments. Did you know
that? I didn't either—because No. 1,001 was the lightbulb. Fall forward.
Every failed experiment is one step closer to success."
i love this
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