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Graduation by Maya Angelou Analysis

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• Maya Angelou Graduation Essay

Maya Angelou’s “The Graduation” is a powerful poem about the experience of black people in America. It addresses the issue of racism and discrimination faced by African Americans, and highlights the strength and resilience of the black community. The poem is an inspiration to all who have faced adversity, and a reminder that we can overcome anything if we stand together.

As Maya Angelou and other children attending grammar school know, graduation is an essential time in everyone’s life. It signals a move to something bigger and better, where you can put your knowledge to use to reach your dreams.

She was one of the few African American students in her class. Despite the racism she and other black people faced, Maya Angelou was determined to graduate and make something of herself.

Maya Angelou’s “The Graduation” is a story about overcoming adversity and succeeding against all odds. Maya Angelou was raised in the racially segregated South during the 1930s and 1940s. She experienced firsthand the racism that black people faced on a daily basis. But she didn’t let that stop her from achieving her goals.

In “The Graduation,” Maya Angelou tells the story of her graduation from eighth grade. She describes how excited she and her classmates were to be moving on to high school. But she also describes the racism that they faced from their white classmates and teachers.

Despite the odds, Maya Angelou graduated from high school and went on to have a successful career as a writer, poet, and civil rights activist. She is an inspiration to all who face adversity in their lives. Her story is one of hope and determination. No matter what obstacles you face in life, remember that anything is possible if you set your mind to it. Just like Maya Angelou.

The story Graduation has ethos from Lili’s perspective because, like everyone else standing on the stage or in the auditorium when Mr. Edward Donleavy casually denigrated everything the pupils had worked so hard to accomplish, she shared the same sentiments and feelings as Lili did.

Angelou’s use of first person also aids in creating pathos as the reader experiences what she went through.

Being one of the only black students in her class, and with a father who was not around, Angelou had to fend for herself a lot. She had to deal with things that other kids didn’t have to, like having enough money for food or getting good grades so she could graduate. Even though she was one of the valedictorians, she still didn’t feel like she deserved it because she was “just a Negro.” Mr. Donleavy’s words just made her feel even worse about herself.

The way Angelou responds to Mr. Donleavy’s racism shows her character to be intelligent and strong. She does not let his words get to her and instead uses them as motivation to prove him wrong. When she gives her graduation speech, she shows everyone that she is just as good as they are, if not better.

Angelou’s story is a great example of how someone can overcome racism and achieve success. It is inspiring and shows that no matter what people say or do, you can still reach your goals.

This is the story of a woman who has overcome every obstacle in her life to reach this day, and through her narrative, learned, and personal figurative, and descriptive writing, she has been able to pass on both the ill feelings and warm sentiments from Mr. Donleavy’s speech to that of Henry Reed.

Mr. Donleavy’s speech is one that degrades the black people, and African Americans especially. He talks about how they are not to be trusted and how they are nothing more than animals. Henry Reed, on the other hand, speaks kindly of the black people and states how they have made many advances in their fight for equality. Through her writing, Maya Angelou was able to show both the good and bad sides of that day, which helped give readers a more clear understanding of what it was like to be a black person during that time period.

Angelou excels at evoking emotions and empathy in her readers. She emphasizes her sense of being wronged by relating to them and broadcasting her feelings for everyone to see. When she’s talking about the people around her getting excited and nervous, she’s describing what it’s like when you’re about to graduate.

It is a time of both great hope and great fear. We all want to succeed, but we are also afraid of what lies ahead.

She also does an excellent job of capturing the racism that was prevalent in America at the time. She talks about how the black people in her town were treated like second-class citizens. They were not given the same opportunities as white people, and they were constantly reminded of their place in society. This is something that many people can relate to, even if they have not experienced it themselves. Racism is still a problem today, and Angelou’s words ring just as true now as they did then.

“The youngsters in Stamps shook visibly with eagerness…The entire young population had fallen sick with the graduation fever.” (22). This is how the story begins. What comes to mind as soon as you hear it? The word “graduation.” Your own graduation, whether it occurred in the past or will take place in the future. This helps her establish a link with her audience from the start, before they know anything about the tale’s backdrop or who she is.

It also gives the reader a sense of what the story will be about. Angelou then goes on to describe her town and how poor it was. She states, “There were no paved sidewalks, no city hall, no library, no churches with steeples” (22). This quote is important because it helps set the scene for the reader and allows them to better understand the setting in which Angelou grew up. It also paints a picture of just how poor her town was.

She continues by describing her family and their living conditions. She writes, “We lived in one room…my brother Bailey and I slept in homemade beds…Momma had built us a bookcase out of orange crates…” (22). This quote is important because it provides more insight into Angelou’s childhood and her family’s poverty. It also helps the reader understand the type of family she came from and how they interacted with each other.

In the next few paragraphs, Angelou goes on to describe her graduation day. She writes about how excited she was and how she felt like a princess. She states, “I wanted to wear my new dress and shoes…I wanted everyone in town to see me…I would be the only eighth grader graduating in a real high school graduation ceremony” (22-23). This quote is important because it shows how proud she was of her accomplishment. It also helps the reader understand how significant this event was for her.

After graduation, Angelou’s family throws her a party. However, she is quickly brought back down to reality when her father tells her that she can’t go to high school in San Francisco like she had planned. He tells her that she has to stay in Stamps and help take care of her younger brother.

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Maya Angelou's "Graduation" : Themes of Racism and Segregation

Analysis of themes in Maya Angelou's "Graduation"

• Angelou, M. (1969). I know why the caged bird sings. Random House LLC.
• Cudjoe, S. (1991). Maya Angelou: A critical companion. Greenwood Press.
• Holtzman, M. (2017). Maya Angelou’s “Graduation”. Salem Press Encyclopedia.
• Inoue, M. (2017). Maya Angelou’s “Graduation”: Power in the Margins. Journal of Black Studies, 48(7), 643-658.
• Lupton, M. G. (2006). Maya Angelou: A critical reader. Wiley-Blackwell.

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Diagnostic Essay: Analysis of Maya Angelou's "Graduation" (483-490)

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Maya Angelou Had Some Beautiful Advice For Grads

Maya Angelou passed away Wednesday, but she leaves with us an enduring legacy. Angelou was a poet, an essayist, an author, a Civil Rights activist, and an icon. Throughout her decades in the public eye, Angelou also gave a whopping 18 commencement addresses to graduating classes. And who better, really, to give advice on jumping into life and seizing the best of it than Maya Angelou ?

Angelou spent her young adulthood having more experiences than most people have in a lifetime. By the time she published her first memoir in her 40's, she'd already worked as a fry cook, a nightclub performer, a madam for lesbian prostitutes, an opera cast member for Porgy and Bess , and a journalist in Ghana and Egypt during decolonialization. There was nothing small or uninteresting about the life of Maya Angelou, even before every student in America learned her name .

Angelou's words have resonated throughout the decades, with a timelessness making them as relevant now as they were on the days she spoke them. She spent her life as a teacher, after all, whether through the words she wrote and recited for the country, or through her years as a professor at Wake Forest University.

Here is some of our favorite advice that Maya Angelou gave to young grads.

"Commencement Address," Letter To My Daughter

Of all your attributes — youth, beauty, wit, kindness, mercy — courage is your greatest achievement. For you, without it, can practice no other virtue with consistency.

Wellesley College Commencement Address, 1982

It is upon you to increase your virtue, the virtue of courage—it is upon you. You will be challenged mightily, and you will fall many times. But it is important to remember that it may be necessary to encounter defeat, I don’t know. But I do know that a diamond, one of the most precious elements in this planet, certainly one in many ways the hardest, is the result of extreme pressure, and time. Under less pressure, it’s crystal. Less pressure than that, its coal, less than that, its fossilized leaves are just plain dirt.

You must encounter, confront life. Life loves the liver of it, ladies. It is for you to increase your virtues. There is that in the human spirit which will not be gunned down even by death. There is no person here who is over one year old who hasn’t slept with fear, or pain or loss or grief, or terror, and yet we have all arisen, have made whatever absolutions we were able to, or chose to, dressed, and said to other human beings, “Good morning. How are you? Fine, thanks.”

Therein lies our chance toward nobleness—not nobility—but nobleness, the best of a human being is in that ability to overcome.

Quinnipiac University Commencement Speech, 1996

You cannot be consistently fair or just or kind or generous or loving without courage. It is time for you to decide privately, secretly, in your own place inside yourselves, what you will do. You have to come to peace with a peaceful heart.

Holton Arms Commencement Speech, 2011

I'm telling you now, when you prepare to walk out [on someone or something], try to make sure you have your keys. But there are ways in which you can develop courage. One way is to speak to people. Speak to people you don’t know. Say good morning, good morning. You have no idea what you may have done for someone. She may have just hung up the phone from having a nurse say, Miss Jones the doctor wants you to come back in he's not satisfied with these x-rays. You don’t know.

University of California, Riverside Commencement Speech, 1977

It seems to me that a commencement address always comes after the fact, after the long hours, after the tedious work, after trying to come to grips with somebody else’s ideas, after trying to stimulate one’s own brain so that it may come up with some ideas of its own. After all that, and even after the institution of higher education says to you, 'You have done well, and to prove it I’m going to give you a diploma. After all that, then along comes a stranger who says, 'I’m going to give you a commencement address.' It seems a contradiction, or else a little presumptuous. However, (pauses for laughter) there is a challenge that faces you that is incredible. And the challenge is not new. However it has not abated. The challenge is how to create a sense of adventure toward life and how to maintain that sense of adventure.

There is an African statement that says, 'The trouble for the thief is not how to steal the bugle, but where to blow it.' And it would seem that the trouble for you is not just how to get out of this institution, but once out, what does one do? Does one simply sit with that diploma and say, 'I have found the one way, the true way for myself and I call all the others false.' Or do you indeed join life, that is the challenge.

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An Analysis of the Story Graduation by Maya Angelou

Anticipation.

The story “Graduation” by Maya Angelou explores the experience of a young black girl who eagerly awaits her graduation day, only to have her dreams overshadowed by a speech given by Mr. Donleavy, a white man, in which he puts down her race. However, the valedictorian, Henry Reed, later offers words of encouragement that uplift the entire audience and make them feel empowered. Throughout the story, Maya Angelou effectively uses tone as a key literary element.

In this story, the speaker is a young black girl who initially expresses pride and self-confidence. She believes that even at twelve years old and just graduating from eighth grade, she will excel in fine hand sewing. Her happiness is evident when she mentions her hard work has led to being among the top students and one of the first called during graduation.

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In the middle of the narrative, the girl expresses her anger and disappointment about her graduation. As mentioned earlier, during the graduation ceremony, Mr. Donleavy’s speech focused on the accomplishments of white students. He stated that “…the white kids were going to have a chance to become Galileo’s and Madame Curies and Edison’s and Gauguins …” This statement surprised the young girl and made her believe that her graduation had lost its importance. She felt that Donleavy had revealed their lack of achievements. This sentence effectively captures her frustration and anger. However, as we approach the end of the story, there is a change in the girl’s emotions as she starts feeling proud once again about herself and her race.

During her graduation, the young girl’s class valedictorian, Henry Reed, recited a poem that deeply resonated with her. She specifically remembered Patrick Henry’s powerful words, which made her feel empowered and frightened at the same time. Regarding her future path, she proclaimed, “Give me freedom or give me death…”. This statement represented her pride in being an African American and graduating alongside her peers in 1940. Despite negative remarks from Mr. Donleavy, she rejoiced in her successes and embraced the inspiring words of Henry Reed. Her sense of pride originated from both her racial identity and academic achievements.

In summary, the story “Graduation” was fascinating as it effectively showcases the literary element of tone. From my perspective, the story conveys the message that we should embrace our identity, actions, and roots with pride. Rather than focusing on others’ opinions of us, it is more important to prioritize our own thoughts and goals.

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110 graduation quotes to inspire the class of 2024

Graduations are among life's biggest accomplishments. They speak to hard work , dedication and success.

For the graduate, it's a day well-earned. For friends and loved ones, it's a time to let someone special know that their achievement is recognized and celebrated.

Whether it be a kindergarten , high school or college graduation, honor the grad in your life this year with a thoughtful gift, greeting card or one of these inspirational graduation quotes.

In recognition of commencements of every kind, we’ve gathered a list of the best graduation quotes to post on Instagram , send via text or jot down in a heartfelt note.

To help you find exactly the right words, we've put together a comprehensive collection of sayings from notable figures including Eleanor Roosevelt, Maya Angelou , Mahatma Gandhi, Helen Keller and other luminaries.

You'll find short quotes, funny quotes from the likes of Steve Martin, Tina Fey and Robin Williams, and time-honored quotes from the treasured Dr. Seuss book “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!”

Whatever message you’re searching for to celebrate someone special, you’re sure to find it in the compilation below.

So, without any further pomp and circumstance, here are the best graduation quotes to help you say "hat's off" to the class of 2024.

Best graduation quotes

• “A bright future beckons. The onus is on us, through hard work, honesty and integrity, to reach for the stars.” — Nelson Mandela
• “Your talent determines what you can do. Your motivation determines how much you are willing to do. Your attitude determines how well you do it.” — Lou Holtz
• “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” — Norman Vincent Peale
• “Life loves to be taken by the lapel and be told, ‘I am with you kid. Let’s go!’” Maya Angelou
• “Set your course by the stars, not by the lights of every passing ship.” ― Omar N. Bradley
• “I never dreamed about success. I worked for it.” — Estée Lauder
• “You change the world by being yourself.” — Yoko Ono
• “Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground.” — Theodore Roosevelt
• “You get whatever accomplishment you are willing to declare.” ― Georgia O’Keeffe
• “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” — Eleanor Roosevelt
• “What lies behind you and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what lies inside of you.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson
• “Let us make our future now, and let us make our dreams tomorrow’s reality.” — Malala Yousafzai
• "Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." — Mahatma Gandhi
• “Success is getting what you want, happiness is wanting what you get.” ― W.P. Kinsella
• “It is not where you start but how high you aim that matters for success.” — Nelson Mandela
• "The love of learning, the sequestered nooks, And all the sweet serenity of books." ― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
• “Am I good enough? Yes, I am.” ― Michelle Obama, “Becoming”
• “The only impossible journey is the one you never begin.” — Tony Robbins
• “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” — Helen Keller
• “When you have a dream, you’ve got to grab it and never let go.” — Carol Burnett
• “Nothing is impossible, the word itself says ‘I’m possible!’” ― Audrey Hepburn
• "I scorched the earth with my talent and I let my light shine.” — André Leon Talley
• “There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure.” — Colin Powell
• “I took a deep breath and listened to the old brag of my heart: I am, I am, I am.” — Sylvia Plath, “The Bell Jar”
• “Be the best of whatever you are.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.
• “Forever is composed of nows.” — Emily Dickinson
• “The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.” — Steve Jobs
• “To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly.” ― Henri Bergson
• “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope someday you’ll join us. And the world will live as one.” ― John Lennon, "Imagine"
• “A #2 pencil and a dream can take you anywhere.” — Joyce Meyer
• “Passion first and everything will fall into place.” — Holly Holm
• “You’re off to great places. Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So ... get on your way.” — Dr. Seuss, “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!”
• “The beginning is always today.” — Mary Shelley
• “You don’t become what you want, you become what you believe.” — Oprah Winfrey
• “You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” — A.A. Milne, “Winnie the Pooh”

Short graduation quotes

• “Celebrate endings — for they precede new beginnings.” — Jonathan Lockwood Huie
• “There are no goodbyes for us. Wherever you are, you will always be in my heart.” — Mahatma Gandhi
• “The harder the battle, the sweeter the victory.” — Les Brown
• “A star is a rock that never gave up on its dream to rise.” ― Matshona Dhliwayo
• “Success is loving life and daring to live it.” ― Maya Angelou
• “Your education is a dress rehearsal for a life that is yours to lead.” — Nora Ephron
• “Through discipline comes freedom.” — Aristotle
• “Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.” ― Robert Collier
• “What could we accomplish if we knew we could not fail?” — Eleanor Roosevelt
• “Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.” ― John D. Rockefeller
• “Nothing is impossible. The word itself says, ‘I’m possible!’” — Audrey Hepburn
• “Be so good they can’t ignore you.” — Steve Martin
• “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” — Neale Donald Walsch
• “I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.” — Mark Twain
• “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” — Nelson Mandela
• “Success is not the absence of failure; it’s the persistence through failure.” — Aisha Tyler
• “Accept no one’s definition of your life. Define yourself.” ― Harvey Fierstein
• “Today’s accomplishments were yesterday’s impossibilities.” — Robert H. Schuller
• “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” ― Mahatma Gandhi
• “Your education has prepared you for what lies ahead.” — Conan O’Brien, 2020 Harvard commencement
• “What we learn with pleasure we never forget.” — Alfred Mercier
• “The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to go beyond them into the impossible.” — Arthur C. Clarke
• “It’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great.” — Jimmy Dugan, “A League of Their Own”
• “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” — Lao Tzu
• “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” ― Theodore Roosevelt
• “Persistence is the most powerful force on earth, it can move mountains.” — Albert Einstein
• “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement; nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” — Helen Keller

Funny graduation quotes

• “Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.” — Albert Einstein
• “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” — Ferris Bueller, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”
• “I look to the future because that is where I’m going to spend the rest of my life.” — George Burns
• “Try not to have a good time ... This is supposed to be educational.” — Lucy Van Pelt, “Peanuts”
• “People don’t turn down money. It’s what separates us from the animals.” — Jerry Seinfeld
• “When all else fails, there’s always delusion.” — Conan O’Brien
• “Summer vacation does kind of set up an adulthood of disappointment. That first job, you’re like, ‘I have to go to work in July? What is this, Russia?’”— Jim Gaffigan, “Cinco”
• “Adults are always asking little kids what they want to be when they grow up because they’re looking for ideas.”  —Paula Poundstone
• “A mind is like a parachute. It doesn’t work if it is not open.” — Frank Zappa
• “Do not take life too seriously — you will never get out of it alive.” — Elbert Hubbard
• “You’re only given a little spark of madness, you mustn’t lose it.” — Robin Williams
• “You can’t be that kid standing at the top of the water slide overthinking it. You have to go down the chute.” — Tina Fey
• “All my life, I always wanted to be somebody. Now I see that I should have been more specific.” — Jane Wagner
• “If at first you don’t succeed, then skydiving definitely isn’t for you.” — Steven Wright
• “Never follow anyone else’s path. Unless you’re in the woods and you’re lost and you see a path; then, by all means, you should follow that path.” — Ellen Degeneres
• “You’re still here? It’s over. Go home. Go.” — Ferris Bueller, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”

Inspirational graduation quotes

• “All dreams are within reach. All you have to do is keep moving towards them.” — Viola Davis
• “That’s a great motto for all of us — find somebody to be successful for. Raise their hopes. Rise to their needs.” — Barack Obama, Arizona State University commencement speech 2009
• “Look back on the journey that brought you here. What moments challenged you most? When were you asked to step outside of your familiar territory in order to rise to the occasion of your potential? I want you to remember those moments because they will embolden you.” — Kerry Washington, George Washington University commencement speech 2013
• “Just because you don’t know what you want yet, it doesn’t mean that there’s nothing to want.” — Emily Henry, “The Love That Split the Wind”
• “You educate a man; you educate a man. You educate a woman; you educate a generation.” — Brigham Young
• “You’ll be on your way up! You’ll be seeing great sights! You’ll join the high fliers who soar to high heights.” — Dr. Seuss, “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!”
• “Make a career of humanity. Commit yourself to the noble struggle for equal rights. You will make a better person of yourself, a greater nation of your country, and a finer world to live in.” — Martin Luther King, March for Integrated Schools
•  “Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.” — Dr. Seuss, “Happy Birthday to You!”
• “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go...” — Dr. Seuss, “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!”
• “A great accomplishment shouldn’t be the end of the road, just the starting point for the next leap forward.” — Harvey Mackay
• “If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” — Henry David Thoreau, “Walden”
• “It is you, the young and fearless at heart, the most diverse and educated generation in our history, who the nation is waiting to follow.” — Barack Obama, Selma Anniversary speech 2015
• “It’s opener, out there, in the wide, open air.” ― Dr. Seuss, "Oh, the Places You’ll Go!"
• “Why fit in when you were born to stand out?” ― Dr. Seuss
• “Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today.” — Malcolm X
• “Congratulations! Today is your day. You’re off to Great Places! You’re off and away!” ― Dr. Seuss, “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!”
• “It is our failure to become of perceived ideal that ultimately defines us and makes us unique.” — Conan O’Brien, 2011 Dartmouth College commencement address
• “Ambition is the path to success. Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in.” — Bill Bradley
• “There are two types of people who will tell you that you cannot make a difference in this world: those who are afraid to try and those who are afraid you will succeed.” — Ray Goforth
• “All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.” — Walt Disney
• “Becoming isn’t about arriving somewhere or achieving a certain aim. I see it instead as forward motion, a means of evolving, a way to reach continuously toward a better self. The journey doesn’t end.” — Michelle Obama, “Becoming”
• “I am a firm believer that you don’t achieve greatness on your own. There is always someone there to lend a hand.” — Greg Louganis

Graduation quotes inspired by song lyrics

• “Tonight / We are young /So, let’s set the world on fire / We can burn brighter than the sun.” — Fun, “We Are Young”
• “I’ll spread my wings and I’ll learn how to fly / I’ll do what it takes ‘til I touch the sky / And I’ll make a wish, take a chance, make a change and breakaway.” — Kelly Clarkson, “Breakaway”
• “And I’ll be gone, gone tonight / The ground beneath my feet is open wide.” — One Direction, “Story of My Life’
• “You just gotta ignite the light and let it shine / Just own the night, like the Fourth of July.” — Katy Perry, “Firework”
• “It’s something unpredictable, but in the end, it’s right / I hope you had the time of your life.” — Green Day, “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)”
• “Ain’t about how fast I get there / Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side / It’s the climb.” — Miley Cyrus, “The Climb”
• “I am unwritten / Can’t read my mind / I’m undefined / I’m just beginning / The pen’s in my hand / Ending unplanned.” —Natasha Bedingfield, “Unwritten”
• “As we go on, we remember / All the times we had together / And as our lives change / Come whatever / We will still be friends forever.” — Vitamin C, “Graduation (Friends Forever)
• “I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance / Never settle for the path of least resistance.” — Lee Ann Womack, “I Hope You Dance”
• “School’s out for summer / School’s out forever.” — Alice Cooper, “School’s Out”

This article was originally published on TODAY.com