Guidance for the Class of 2023: From Today and the Past
As the class of 2023 celebrates, consider commencement views from today and the past by Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Shonda Rhimes, U.S. Navy Admiral William H. McRaven, Steve Jobs and President John Kennedy.
Bill Gates (Microsoft co-founder): Northern Arizona University, 2023
“Your life isn’t a one-act play … what you do tomorrow—or for the next ten years—does not have to be what you do forever.
“You are never too smart to be confused … the first step to learning something new is embracing what you don’t know, instead of focusing on what you do know
“Gravitate toward work that solves an important problem … When you spend your days doing something that solves a big problem, it energizes you to do your best work. It forces you to be more creative, and it gives your life a strong sense of purpose.
"You are not a slacker if you cut yourself some slack … there is more to life than work Take time to nurture your relationships, to celebrate your successes, and to recover from your losses."
Oprah Winfrey (media executive, entrepreneur): Tennesse State University, 2023
“How we treat other people matters. You start by being good to at least one other person every single day. Just start there. That’s how you begin to change the world. By just being good to one other person.
"We also need generosity of spirit; we need high standards and open minds and untamed imagination. That’s how you make a difference in the world.
“There will be times when making the next right decision will be scary. I’ll tell you a secret: That’s how I’ve gotten through every challenge without being overwhelmed. By asking what is the next right move. You don’t have to know all the right moves—you just need to know the next one.”
Shonda Rhimes (screenwriter, producer, author): Dartmouth College, 2014
“I think a lot of people dream. And while they are busy dreaming, the really happy people, the really successful people, the really interesting, engaged, powerful people, are busy doing.
“Be a doer, not a dreamer … You just have to keep moving forward. You just have to keep doing something, seizing the next opportunity, staying open to trying something new.
“Perfect is boring and dreams are not real. Just … do."
U.S. Navy Admiral William H. McRaven: University of Texas, 2014
“If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another. By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that little things in life matter. If you can’t do the little things right, you will never do the big things right.
"Know that life is not fair and that you will fail often. But if take you take some risks, step up when the times are toughest, face down the bullies, lift up the downtrodden and never, ever give up — if you do these things, then the next generation and the generations that follow will live in a world far better than the one we have today."
Steve Jobs (Apple co-founder): Stanford University, 2005
"Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.
"Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.
"Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition ... Everything else is secondary."
President John F Kennedy: American University, 1963
“Our problems are man-made, therefore, they can be solved by man. And man can be as big as he wants. No problem of human destiny is beyond human beings. Man's reason and spirit have often solved the seemingly unsolvable - and we believe they can do it again.
“Genuine peace must be the product of many nations, the sum of many acts. It must be dynamic, not static, changing to meet the challenge of each new generation. For peace is a process - a way of solving problems."