May 19, 2015

Take inspiration from their words [the best commencement speeches]


J.K Rowling at Harvard 

Get in the spirit of commencement speeches, since it is that time of the year again. Some of the last years commencement speeches have been really inspiring and worth rereading or listening to again. I love the ones from Oprah, J.K. Rowling and the late Steve Jobs, among others. Red Magazine recently put together the perfect list of some of the most memorable speeches. See them all here. 

A few of my favourite words:

J.K. Rowling, Harvard Commencement Speech (2008)
‘We do not need magic to transform our world; we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already.’
Patti Smith, Pratt Commencement Speech (2010)
"We might ask ourselves, what tools do we have? What can we count on? You can count on yourself. Believe me, your self is your best ally.
You know who you are, even when sometimes it becomes a little blurry and you make mistakes or seem to be veering off, just go deeper. You know who you are. You know the right thing to do. And when you make a mistake, it’s alright — just as the song goes, pick yourself up, brush yourself off, and start all over again."
Steve Jobs, Stanford Commencement Speech (2005)
"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.
They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."