Fred Rogers

Dartmouth College, June 9, 2002 Fred Rogers, a Dartmouth alumnus, gave the graduates what he called the gift of a silent minute to think about those who had helped them become who they were. Then he actually waited while the crowd sat in silence. It is the boldest structural choice in any speech on this list: the most memorable part has no words at all. He closed by reciting his song It's You I Like, telling a crowd of high achievers that they never needed to do anything sensational to be loved. It is the one to share with someone who feels they have not done enough.