Items10The creator’s order
  1. 1Steve Jobs Stanford Commencement Address (2005)Steve Jobs Stanford Commencement Address (2005)Delivered at Stanford University in 2005, Steve Jobs's address remains a masterclass in narrative economy. Jobs structured his fifteen-minute talk around three personal stories: dropping out of Reed College, being fired from Apple, and confronting a cancer diagnosis. Instead of dispensing generic…0
  2. 2David Foster Wallace Kenyon Commencement Address (2005)David Foster Wallace Kenyon Commencement Address (2005)Delivered at Kenyon College in 2005 and later published as This Is Water, David Foster Wallace's address rejects breezy commencement optimism to examine adult existence at its most mundane. Wallace begins with a parable about fish asking what water is, then moves into the real work of adult life:…0
  3. 3J.K. Rowling Harvard Commencement Address (2008)J.K. Rowling Harvard Commencement Address (2008)Speaking at Harvard University in 2008, J.K. Rowling turned what could have been a triumphal victory lap into a candid discussion of poverty, failure, and moral duty. Titled The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination, the address recounts the years after her own graduation,…0
  4. 4Denzel Washington Penn Commencement Address (2011)Denzel Washington Penn Commencement Address (2011)Delivered at the University of Pennsylvania in 2011, Denzel Washington's celebrated 'Fall Forward' address brings theatrical magnetism to the messy reality of failure. Rejecting the standard advice to always keep a safety net, Washington challenges graduates to discard the cushion: 'If I'm going to…0
  5. 5Conan O'Brien Dartmouth Commencement Address (2011)Conan O'Brien Dartmouth Commencement Address (2011)Delivered at Dartmouth College in 2011, Conan O'Brien's address blends dazzling stand-up comedy with a remarkably candid exploration of public career heartbreak. Speaking barely a year after losing The Tonight Show, O'Brien confronts the terror of watching a lifelong dream crumble in full view of…0
  6. 6Neil Gaiman University of the Arts Commencement Address (2012)Neil Gaiman University of the Arts Commencement Address (2012)Delivered at the University of the Arts in 2012, Neil Gaiman's address has become a modern touchstone for creators in every discipline. Gaiman argues that early career ignorance is actually an enormous asset, freeing beginners from conventional rules because they do not yet know what is considered…0
  7. 7George Saunders Syracuse Convocation Address (2013)George Saunders Syracuse Convocation Address (2013)Speaking at Syracuse University's College of Arts and Sciences convocation in 2013, author George Saunders delivered an affectionate, self-effacing address centered on a single candid question: what do you regret most when looking back on your life? Dismissing youthful financial hardship and…0
  8. 8Tim Minchin University of Western Australia Address (2013)Tim Minchin University of Western Australia Address (2013)Speaking at the University of Western Australia in 2013, Australian composer and performer Tim Minchin offered a delightfully irreverent yet deeply philosophical counterpoint to graduation pieties. Minchin packages his counsel into nine sharp, practical principles, warning against obsessive grand…0
  9. 9William H. McRaven University of Texas Commencement Address (2014)William H. McRaven University of Texas Commencement Address (2014)Delivered at the University of Texas at Austin in 2014, Admiral William H. McRaven's address translates the grueling trials of Navy SEAL training into ten universal rules for everyday life. McRaven begins with a deceptively modest habit: make your bed every morning to start your day with a task…0
  10. 10Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Wellesley Commencement Address (2015)Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Wellesley Commencement Address (2015)Delivered at Wellesley College in 2015, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's address dismantles the stifling expectations routinely placed upon women. Adichie targets the insidious demand to be universally likable, arguing that prioritizing pleasantness forces people to silence their convictions and hide…0