good ending quotes for a graduation speech

167 Graduation Quotes That’ll Remind You to Follow Your Dreams

By Kristi Kellogg and Marilyn La Jeunesse

Finding the right graduation quote can be a tedious process. After four years of hard work, you want to commemorate this special moment with the right words. Something that defines who you are and sets the tone for the future. The truth of the matter is, it takes lots of blood, sweat, tears, and ramen to make it to graduation .

But, the day has finally come for you to don your hard-earned graduation robes, decorate your cap, and rewatch your favorite graduation movies to get excited for the big day. Bear your tassel proudly, and find the right motto for graduation captions on Instagram, of course. Hey, you didn’t work this hard in school just to post a captionless photo, right?

From inspirational quotes from Taylor Swift to funny graduation quotes from Timotheé Chalamet , we rounded up the best graduation quotes, best senior quotes, and graduation messages from celebrities, athletes, politicians, writers, cartoon characters and more. These thoughtful bits of advice are perfect to include in graduation cards (that go far beyond your “congratulations graduate” message), a commencement speech , or even to use for senior quotes in your yearbook. The choice is yours! Read on to discover 167 best graduation quotes.

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High school graduation quotes

Funny graduation quotes, college graduation quotes, inspirational graduation quotes, proud graduation quotes, short graduation quotes, graduation quotes for instagram, senior quotes.

• "Your life is your adventure. And the adventure ahead of you is a journey to fulfill your own purpose and potential." —Kerry Washington
• “If you can do what you do best and be happy, you are further along in life than most people.” —Leonardo DiCaprio
• "Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world." —Nelson Mandela
• "Your education is a dress rehearsal for a life that is yours to lead." —Nora Ephron
• "You are about to start the greatest improvisation of all. With no script. No idea what's going to happen, often with people and places you have never seen before. And you are not in control. So say 'yes.' And if you're lucky, you'll find people who will say 'yes' back." —Stephen Colbert
• "You must have some vision for your life. Even if you don't know the plan, you have to have a direction in which you choose to go." —Oprah
• "You don’t go to university so you can punch a clock. You go to university so you can be in a position to make a difference." —Janet Napolitano
• "Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today." —Malcolm X
• "I've learned it's important not to limit yourself. You can do whatever you really love to do, no matter what it is." —Ryan Gosling
• "Fight for what makes you optimistic about the world. Find it, insist on it, dig into it, go after it." —Jennifer Garner
• "Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education." —Martin Luther King Jr.
• "You cannot dream of becoming something you do not know about. You have to learn to dream big. Education exposes you to what the world has to offer, to the possibilities open to you." —Sonia Sotomayor
• "If I must give any of you advice it would be say yes. Say yes, and create your own destiny." —Maya Rudolph
• "Your inexperience is an asset in that it will make you think in original, unconventional ways. Accept your lack of knowledge and use it as your asset." —Natalie Portman
• "Take your risks now. As you grow older, you become more fearful and less flexible … Try to keep your mind open to possibilities and your mouth closed on matters that you don't know about. Limit your 'always' and your 'nevers.' Continue to share your heart with people even if it’s been broken." —Amy Poehler
• "You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward. You have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future." —Steve Jobs
• "Now go, and make interesting mistakes, make amazing mistakes, make glorious and fantastic mistakes. Break rules. Leave the world more interesting for your being here." —Neil Gaiman
• "When you respect the idea that you are sharing the Earth with other humans, and when you lead with your nice foot forward, you’ll win, every time. It might not be today, it might not be tomorrow, but it comes back to you when you need it." —Kristen Bell
• "Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have you, you will never, ever have enough." —Oprah
• "He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life." —Muhammad Ali
• "Go make your big beautiful dent, and as you do so come down on the side of boldness. If you err, may it be for too much audacity, and not too little. For you really are enough. You have untold strengths and resources inside. You have your glorious self." —Sue Monk Kidd
• "It is often easier to make progress on mega-ambitious dreams. I know that sounds completely nuts. But, since no one else is crazy enough to do it, you have little competition." —Larry Page
• "Some life lessons don’t ever change. They need to be highlighted and they need to be remembered throughout our entire lives. But how you embrace them will distinguish you from the pack." —Brooke Shields
• "You and you alone are the only person who can live the life that writes the story that you were meant to tell." — Kerry Washington
• "Be the hardest working person you know. Because if you’re not, someone else will be." —Ian Brennan
• "In response to those who say to stop dreaming and face reality, I say keep dreaming and make reality." —Kristian Kan
• "It’s your turn to choose and define what success means to you. Now, others will try to define it for you, but yours is the only voice that matters." — Octavia Spencer
• Nobody else is paying as much attention to your failures as you are . . . to everyone else, it’s just a blip on the radar screen, so just move on. —Jerry Zucker
• "I am here to tell you that whatever you think your dream is now, it will probably change. And that's okay." —Conan O'Brien
• "Learn from every mistake because every experience, encounter, and particularly your mistakes are there to teach you and force you into being more who you are. And then figure out what is the next right move. And the key to life is to develop an internal moral, emotional G.P.S. that can tell you which way to go." —Oprah
• "If we’d all stuck with our first dream, the world would be overrun with cowboys and princesses. So whatever your dream is right now, if you don’t achieve it you haven’t failed and you’re not some loser." —Stephen Colbert
• "Don’t be afraid of fear. Because it sharpens you, it challenges you, it makes you stronger; and when you run away from fear, you also run away from the opportunity to be your best possible self."—Ed Helms
• “Success is not about wealth or fame, but about inner happiness and fulfillment.” —Margot Robbie
• “There are multiple sides to all of us. Who we are — and who we might be if we follow our dreams. —Miley Cyrus
• “God will never give you anything you can’t handle, so don’t stress.” —Kelly Clarkson
• "We're only here for so long. Be happy, man. You could get hit by a truck tomorrow." —​Timothée Chalamet​
• “Don’t allow people to dim your shine because they are blinded. Tell them to put on sunglasses.” —Lady Gaga
• "Get busy living or get busy dying." —Stephen King
• "You can’t climb the ladder of success with your hands in your pockets." —Arnold Schwarzenegger
• "If you aren't going all the way, why go at all?" —Joe Namath
• "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." —Wayne Gretzky
• "You will stumble and fall, you will experience both disaster and triumph, sometimes in the same day. But it's really important to remember that like a hangover, neither triumphs nor disasters last forever." —Helen Mirren
• "Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." —Thomas Edison
• "You have to dance a little bit before you step out into the world each day, because it changes the way you walk." —Sandra Bullock
• "Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there." —Will Rogers
• "The road to success is always under construction." —Lily Tomlin
• "You're only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it." —Robin Williams
• "Opportunity dances with those who are already on the dance floor." —Jackson Browne
• “Do not take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive.” —Elbert Hubbard
• “If you don’t like the road you’re walking, start paving another one.” —Dolly Parton
• “Sometimes it takes a good fall to know where you stand.” —Hayley Williams
• “Success is nothing if you don’t have the right people to share it with; you’re just going to end up lonely.” —Selena Gomez
• "The meaning of life is to find your gift, the purpose of life is to give it away." —Joy J. Golliver
• "That clock you hear is the sound of your own heart. Sink your teeth into this life, and don’t get let go." —Lin-Manuel Miranda
• "No job or task is too small or beneath you. If you want to get ahead, volunteer to do the things no one else wants to do, and do it better." —Bobbi Brown
• "You can’t do it alone. Be open to collaboration. Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you. Spend a lot of time with them and it will change your life." — Amy Poehler
• "When we show up, act boldly, and practice the best ways to be wrong, we fail forward. No matter where we end up, we’ve grown from where we began." —Stacey Abrams
• "I celebrate you as you remember the power of grace and pride, and I challenge you to choose freedom over fear." —Janelle Monáe
• "Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself." —John Dewey
• "You could travel with the sheep, follow everybody else’s stuff, but then you’re not you. I guess if I want to say anything it’s ‘Be you.’ Be true to you, and that should make the ride a little more interesting." — Whoopi Goldberg
• "There will be times when your best isn’t good enough. There can be many reasons for this, but as long as you give your best you’ll be OK." —Robert De Niro
• "We may live in an age of instant messaging, instant gratification and Instagram, but there is no way to short circuit the path to success." —Tory Burch
• "Now the first suggestion is to aim high, but be aware that even before you have reached your ultimate professional destination, if you always strive for excellence, you can and should have a substantial impact on the world in which you live." —Sandra Day O’Connor
• "As you graduate, as you deal with your excitement and your doubts today, I urge you to try and create the world you want to live in. Minister to the world in a way that can change it. Minister radically in a real, active, practical, get your hands dirty way." —Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
• "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined." —Henry David Thoreau
• "The horizon leans forward, offering you space to place new steps of change." —Maya Angelou
• "There is nothing more beautiful than finding your course as you believe you bob aimlessly in the current. Wouldn’t you know that your path was there all along, waiting for you to knock, waiting for you to become. This path does not belong to your parents, your teachers, your leaders, or your lovers. Your path is your character defining itself more and more everyday like a photograph coming into focus." —Jodie Foster
• "Real leadership comes from the quiet nudging of an inner voice. It comes from realizing that the time has come to move beyond waiting to doing." —Madeleine Albright
• "Dreams are lovely. But they are just dreams. Fleeting, ephemeral, pretty. But dreams do not come true just because you dream them. It's hard work that makes things happen. It's hard work that creates change." —Shonda Rhimes
• "Don't just get involved. Fight for your seat at the table. Better yet, fight for a seat at the head of the table." —Barack Obama
• “Life can be heavy if you carry it all at once. Know what to keep and what to release. Decide what is yours to hold, and let all the other things go." —Taylor Swift
• “A lot of people give up just before they’re about to make it. You know you never know when that next obstacle is going to be the last one.” —Chuck Norris
• “It’s the choice. You have to wake up every day and say, ‘There’s no reason today can’t be the best day of my life’.” —Blake Lively
• “We are all deserving and we don’t need permission or an invitation to exist and to step into our power.” —Ilhan Omar
• “Your self worth is determined by you. You don’t have to depend on someone telling you who you are.” —Beyoncé
• "No matter what happens in life, be good to people. Being good to people is a wonderful legacy to leave behind." —Taylor Swift
• "There’s something so special about a woman who dominates in a man’s world. It takes a certain grace, strength, intelligence, fearlessness, and the nerve to never take no for an answer." —Rihanna
• "Understand that one day you will have the power to make a difference, so use it well." —Mindy Kaling
• "I'm continually trying to make choices that put me out of my own comfort zone. As long as you're uncomfortable it means you're growing." —Ashton Kutcher
• "It's amazing what you can get if you quietly, clearly and authoritatively demand it." —Meryl Streep
• "It's the choice. You have to wake up every day and say 'There's no reason today can't be the best day of my life.'" —Blake Lively
• "I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." —Michael Jordan
• "There may be people that have more talent than you, but there’s no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do." —Derek Jeter
• "My favorite animal is the turtle. The reason is that in order for the turtle to move, it has to stick its neck out. There are going to be times in your life when you’re going to have to stick your neck out. There will be challenges, and instead of hiding in a shell, you have to go out and meet them." —Ruth Westheimer
• "There is no passion to be found in playing small — in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living." —Nelson Mandela
• "When someone who loves you hugs you, hug them back with two arms—don’t do the one-arm hug, because when you hug someone with two arms, it allows you to lean on somebody, and we all need someone to lean on." — Sandra Bullock
• "Frustration, although quite painful at times, is a very positive and essential part of success. —Bo Bennett
• "You can never be the best. The only thing you can be the best at is developing yourself." — Natalie Portman
• "Real courage is holding on to a still voice in your head that says, ‘I must keep going.’ It’s that voice that says nothing is a failure if it is not final. That voice that says to you, ‘Get out of bed. Keep going. I will not quit.'" —Cory Booker
• "Cynicism has never won a war, or cured a disease, or started a business, or fed a young mind, or sent men into space. Cynicism is a choice. Hope is a better choice." —Barack Obama
• "What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us." —Ralph Waldo Emerson
• "When people tell you not to believe in your dreams, and they say 'Why?' say 'Why not?'" —Billie Jean King
• "I encourage you to live with life. Be courageous, adventurous. Give us a tomorrow, more than we deserve." —Maya Angelou
• "There is no such thing as failure. Failure is just life trying to move us in another direction." — Oprah Winfrey
• "I’m a greater believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it." —Thomas Jefferson
• “Sometimes the problem feels so big that changing one life doesn’t feel like enough. But it is.” —America Ferrera
• “Don’t take yourself too seriously. Know when to laugh at yourself, and find a way to laugh at obstacles that inevitably present themselves.” —Halle Bailey
• “Heroes are ordinary people who make themselves extraordinary.” —Gerard Way
• “Every day is a new opportunity to change your life and be who you want to be.” —Demi Lovato
• "Don't be afraid. Be focused. Be determined. Be hopeful. Be empowered." —Michelle Obama
• "Remember this: You are awesome. I’m not suggesting you be boastful. No one likes that in men or women. But I am suggesting that believing in yourself is the first necessary step to coming even close to achieving your potential." —Sheryl Sandberg
• “Don’t ever doubt yourselves or waste a second of your life. It’s too short and you’re too special.” —Ariana Grande
• "Ignore the naysayers. Really the only option is: head down and focus on the job." —Chris Pine
• "Success is only meaningful and enjoyable if it feels like your own." —Michelle Obama
• "The best remedy for those who are frightened, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be alone with the sky, nature, and God. For only then can you feel that everything is as it should be and that God wants people to be happy amid nature’s beauty and simplicity." —Anne Frank
• "It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are." —E. E. Cummings
• "I can’t think of any better representation of beauty than someone who is unafraid to be herself." —Emma Stone
• "You don’t have to be famous. You just have to make your mother and father proud of you, and you already have." —Meryl Streep
• "In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love." —Mother Teresa
• “So often in life things that you regard as an impediment turn out to be great good fortune.” —Ruth Bader Ginsburg
• “It never hurts to keep looking for sunshine.” —Eeyore
• “What do you have to do? What do you want to do? Tomorrow is not promised. Make plans anyway.” —Lin Manuel Miranda
• “There are no regrets in life. Just lessons.” —Jennifer Aniston
• “For the great doesn’t happen through impulse alone, and is a succession of little things that are brought together.” —Vincent Van Gogh
• "Change takes courage." —Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
• "You're never a loser until you quit trying." —Mike Ditka
• "Your imagination is your preview of life's coming attractions." —Albert Einstein
• “Work so hard that you never have to introduce yourself.” —Gigi Hadid
• "It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up." —Babe Ruth
• "There are no regrets in life — just lessons." —Jennifer Aniston
• "Stay hungry. Stay foolish." —Steven Jobs
• "A woman with a voice is, by definition, a strong woman." —Melinda Gates
• "You get in life what you have the courage to ask for." —Oprah Winfrey
• "To give any less than your best is to sacrifice a gift." —Steve Prefontaine
• "Being realistic is the most commonly traveled road to mediocrity." —Will Smith
• "Persistence can change failure into extraordinary achievement." —Matt Bondi
• "If you can’t outplay them, outwork them." —Ben Hogan
• "This above all: To thine own self be true." —William Shakespeare
• "Do. Or do not. There is no try." —Yoda
• "Be bold, be courageous, be your best." –Gabrielle Giffords
• "It is absolutely still possible to make a difference." —Michelle Obama
• “You’re not a slacker if you cut yourself some slack.” —Bill Gates
• “Be persistent and never give up hope.” —George Lucas
• “Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.” —Gloria Steinem
• "It is better to be a failure at something you love than to be a success at something you hate." —George Burns
• “There’s always going to be someone who doesn’t like you.” —Ariana Grande
• "All of our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them." —Walt Disney
• “Started from the bottom, now we’re here.” —Drake
• "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." —Eleanor Roosevelt
• "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." —Sun Tzu
• "Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can." —Arthur Ashe
• "She turned her can’ts into cans and her dreams into plans." —Kobi Yamada
• "There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind." —C.S. Lewis
• "You can never be overdressed or overeducated." —Oscar Wilde
• "Nothing is impossible. The word itself says 'I'm possible.'" —Audrey Hepburn
• "A champion is someone who gets up when he can't." —Jack Dempsey
• “Don’t you ever let a soul in the world tell you that you can’t be exactly who you are.” —Lady Gaga
• “Be kind to yourself a little more every day.” —Dua Lipa
• “You will screw it up sometimes.” —Taylor Swift
• “And here you are living despite it all.” —Rupi Kaur
• “If you don’t have any shadows you’re not in the light.” —Lady Gaga
• “Keep your eyes on the finish line and not on the turmoil around you.” —Rihanna
• “For every winner, there doesn't have to be a loser. In fact, most success stories are less about competition and more about collaboration.” —Michelle Yeoh
• “Time is the most valuable resource on the planet.” —Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
• “Please don’t be afraid, don’t worry yourself. The end and beginning, beginning and end are connected.” —BTS’s Suga
• “Trust your gut, keep throwing darts at the dartboard. Don’t listen to the critics – and you will figure it out.” —Will Ferrell
• “Building your community is how you change the world.” —LeBron James
• “Never let anyone put you in a box or tell you what you can do. Make sure you paint your own picture and go your own path, and continue to think outside the box.” —Magic Johnson
• “If everything was perfect, you would never learn and you would never grow.” —Beyoncé
• “Embrace your uniqueness for it is what makes you truly beautiful.” —Dove Cameron
• “I’ve always done whatever I want and been exactly who I am.” —Billie Eilish
• “Don’t try so hard to fit in, and certainly don’t try so hard to be different, just try hard to be you.” —Zendaya
• “If you were born with the weakness to fall you were born with the strength to rise.” —Rupi Kaur
• “You have to believe in yourself when no one else does.” —Serena Williams
• “You can be everything. You can be the infinite amount of things that people are.” —Kesha
• “Do one thing every day that scares you.” —Eleanor Roosevelt
• “Keep smiling, because life is a beautiful thing and there’s so much to smile about.” —Marilyn Monroe

Want more from   Teen Vogue ? Check this out: Taylor Swift’s Grad Speech: “You Will Screw It Up”

By Kristi Kellogg and Noor Brara

By Liv McConnell

By P. Claire Dodson

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Here are a few quotes for graduation speeches that may help to spark your imagination.

Oftentimes, a quote can inspire a whole graduation speech. Quotes for graduation speeches can be taken from anywhere, then woven into your speech to help make it more memorable for your audience.

So check out the graduation quotes below and see if any of them fire up your imagination. If you would like to submit a quote for a graduation speech that you think is brilliant, use the form at the end of this page and I will place it here with your name as the submitter!

"You don't have to be great to start but you have to start to be great."

- Zig Ziglar ( submitted by Swapna )

"Time and tide waits for none."

- Unknown ( submitted by Ibrahim )

"Reach for the stars, dream for tomorrow, live for today."

- Unknown ( submitted by Caltren )

"Translate the good things of your learning into the welfare of humanity."

- Unknown ( submitted by Bishwanath )

"Never say die."

- Unknown ( submitted by Siddharth )

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."

- Winston Churchill ( submitted by Allie )

"We were all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid."

- Benjamin Franklin ( submitted by Joe )

"Seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave."

- Prophet Mohammad ( submitted by Khulud )

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with but a single step."

- Confucius ( submitted by Jafar )

"Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today."

- Malcom X ( submitted by Liin )

"Life is a journey. Day by day we learn more and this is just the beginning of our journey." ( submitted by Jay )

"Make your dreams happen by working on them and believing in yourself."

( submitted by Mariah )

"Wisdom is power."

( submitted by Marilou )

"Work hard, have fun, make history."

- Jeff Bezos ( submitted by Rajesh )

"Success doesn't happen overnight, it is a product of long term diligence and perseverance."

( submitted by Elena )

"Cherish your education as if it was the last Oreo in the bag."

( submitted by Daniel )

"Never follow someone who is going nowhere."

( submitted by Zam )

"Our future depends on what we do in the present.."

( submitted by King )

"Few will have the greatness to bend history itself; but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation."

- Robert F. Kennedy

"You cannot teach people anything. You can only help them discover it within themselves."

"It's choice - not chance - that determines your destiny."

- Jean Nidetch

"If we did the things we are capable of, we would astound ourselves."

- Thomas Edison

"Success is never final. Failure is never fatal. It is courage that counts."

- Winston Churchill

"Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it."

"You never achieve real success unless you like what you are doing."

- Dale Carnegie

"In any moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing."

- Theodore Roosevelt

"Cherish your visions and your dreams, as they are the children of your soul; the blueprints of your ultimate achievements."

- Napolean Hill

"Life is what we make it. Always has been, always will be."

- Grandma Moses

More quotes for graduation speeches

"Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do."

- Pope John XXIII

"Realize that the reason most people fail isn't because of the competition but because of the limits they place upon themselves, allowing defeat to take over. Take responsibility for your destiny. You can come up with a performance, if you can reach down and dig deep enough into your competitive soul. You can overcome tremendous obstacles."

- Bruce Jenner

"So long as there is breath in me, that long I will persist. For now I know one of the greatest principles on success; if I persist long enough I will win."

- Og Mandino

"You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.' You must do the thing you think you cannot do."

- Eleanor Roosevelt

"As long as you're going to think anyway, think big."

- Donald Trump

"To accomplish great things we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe."

- Anatole France

"My father always used to say that when you die, if you've got five real friends, you've had a great life."

- Lee Iacocca

"If caterpillars can fly, so can you"

- Submitted by Juliet

I hope these quotes for graduation speeches have given you some ideas in helping you to write your graduation speech! If you feel so inclined, send in your own graduation quote using the form below.

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50 Speech Closing Lines (& How to Create Your Own) | The Ultimate Guide

Hrideep barot.

• Public Speaking , Speech Writing

While speech openings are definitely one of the most important components of a speech, something that is equally as important is the way you conclude your speech.

There are few worse ways to end your speech than with a terse ‘thank you’–no elaboration or addition whatsoever.

Speech endings are just as crucial to the success of your speech as speech openings, and you must spend just as much time picking the perfect ending as you do to determine your best possible speech opening.

The words you speak at the beginning and end of your speech are words that your audience will pay the most attention to, and remember longer than any other part of your speech.

Speech endings can put even the most experienced speaker in flux, and increase their anxiousness manifold as they sit there attempting to figure out the perfect way to end your speech.

If you’re someone who’s in flux about your speech ending too, don’t worry. We’ve got some amazing ways to conclude your speech with a bang!

1. Circling Back To The Beginning

The idea behind circling back to the beginning of your speech is to reinforce the idea of your speech being a complete whole. By circling back to the beginning and connecting it to your ending, you let the audience understand that the idea of your speech is complete & standalone.

Circling back to the beginning of your speech also acts as an excellent way of reinforcing the central idea of your speech in the audience’s mind, and makes it more likely that they will remember it after the speech ends.

Need more inspiration for speech opening lines? Check out our article on 15 Powerful Speech Opening Lines & Tips To Create Your Own.

How To Circle Back To The Beginning

The easiest way to do this is to set up your beginning for the conclusion of your speech. That is, if you’re saying something like, say, a story or joke in the beginning, then you can leave your audience in a cliffhanger until the ending arrives.

Another great way to circle back to the beginning is by simply restating something you said at the start. The added knowledge from attending the rest of your speech will help the audience see this piece of information in a new–and better–light.

1. Will Stephen

Ending Line: “I’d like you to think about what you heard in the beginning, and I want you to think about what you hear now. Because it was nothing & it’s still nothing.”

2. Canwen Xu

Speech Ending: My name is Canwen, my favorite color is purple and I play the piano but not so much the violin…

Think of a memorable moment from your life, and chances are you’ll realize that it involved a feeling of happiness–something that we can associate with smiling or laughter. And what better way to generate laughter than by incorporating the age-old strategy of good humor.

The happy and lighthearted feeling you associate with good memories is the kind of emotional reaction you want to create in your audience too. That’s what will make your speech stick in their memory.

Done incorrectly, humor can be a disaster. Done right, however, it can entirely transform a speech.

Humor doesn’t only mean slapstick comedy (although there’s nothing wrong with slapstick, either). Humor can come in many forms, including puns, jokes, a funny story…the list is endless.

How To Incorporate Humor In Your Speech Ending

The simplest way to incorporate humor into your speech ending is by telling a plain old joke–something that’s relevant to your topic, of course.

You can also tell them a short, funny anecdote–may be an unexpected conclusion to a story you set up in the beginning.

Another way would be by employing the power of repetition. You can do this by associating something funny with a word, and then repeating the word throughout your speech. During the end, simply say the word or phrase one last time, and it’s likely you’ll leave off your audience with a good chuckle.

1. Woody Roseland

Ending Line: “Why are balloons so expensive? Inflation.”

2. Andras Arato

Ending Line: “There are three rules to becoming famous. Unfortunately, nobody knows what they are.”

3. Hasan Minhaj

Ending Line: “And you want to know the scariest part? Pretty soon every country on the earth is going to have its own TLC show.”

4. Sophie Scott

Speech Ending: In other words, when it comes to laughter, you and me baby, ain’t nothing but mammals.

5. Tim Urban

Speech Ending: We need to stay away from the Instant Gratification Monkey. That’s a job for all of us. And because there’s not that many boxes on there. It’s a job that should probably start today. Well, maybe not today, but, you know, sometime soon.

6. Hasan Minhaj

Speech Ending: Showing my legs on TV is probably the scariest thing I’ve ever done. And keep in mind last week I went after the Prince of Saudi Arabia.

3. Question

The idea behind posing a question at the end of your speech is to get the wheels in your audience’s minds turning and to get them thinking of your speech long after it has ended. A question, if posed correctly, will make your audience re-think about crucial aspects of your speech, and is a great way to prompt discussion after your speech has ended.

How To Add Questions To Your Speech Ending

The best type of questions to add to your speech ending is rhetorical questions. That’s because, unlike a literal question, a rhetorical question will get the audience thinking and make them delve deeper into the topic at hand.

Make sure your question is central to the idea of your speech, and not something frivolous or extra. After all, the point of a question is to reinforce the central idea of your topic.

1. Lexie Alford

Speech Ending: Ask yourself: How uncomfortable are you willing to become in order to reach your fullest potential?

2. Apollo Robbins

Speech Ending: If you could control somebody’s attention, what would you do with it?

Quotes are concise, catchy phrases or sentences that are generally easy to remember and repeat.

Quotes are an age-old way to start–and conclude–a speech. And for good reason.

Quotes can reinforce your own ideas by providing a second voice to back them up. They can also provoke an audience’s mind & get them thinking. So, if you add your quote to the end of your speech, the audience will most likely be thinking about it for long after you have finished speaking.

How To Use Quotes In Your Speech Ending

While adding quotes to your speech ending, make sure that it’s relevant to your topic. Preferably, you want to pick a quote that summarizes your entire idea in a concise & memorable manner.

Make sure that your quote isn’t too long or complicated. Your audience should be able to repeat it as well as feel its impact themselves. They shouldn’t be puzzling over the semantics of your quote, but its intended meaning.

1. Edouard Jacqmin

Speech Ending: “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.”

2. Chris Crowe

Speech Ending: “It’s more certain than death and taxes.”

3. Olivia Remes

Speech Ending: I’d like to leave you with a quote by Martin Luther King: “You don’ have to see the whole staircase. Just take the first step.”

4. Tomislav Perko

Speech Ending: Like that famous quote says, “In twenty years from now on, you’ll be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the things you did do.

5. Diana Nyad

Speech Ending: To paraphrase the poet, Mary Oliver, she says, “So, what is it? What is it you’re doing with this one wild and precious life of yours?”

5. Piece Of Advice

The point of giving a piece of advice at the end of your speech is not to pull your audience down or to make them feel bad/inferior about themselves. Rather, the advice is added to motivate your audience to take steps to do something–something related to the topic at hand.

The key point to remember is that your advice is included to help your audience, not to discourage them.

How To Add Piece Of Advice To Your Speech Ending

To truly make your audience follow the advice you’re sharing, you must make sure it resonates with them. To do so, you need to inject emotions into your advice, and to present it in such a manner that your audience’s emotions are aroused when they hear it.

Your advice shouldn’t be something extra-complicated or seemingly impossible to achieve. This will act as a counter-agent. Remember that you want your audience to follow your advice, not to chuck it away as something impossible.

Our article, 15 Powerful Speech Ending Lines And Tips To Create Your Own , is another great repository for some inspiration.

1. Ricardo Lieuw On

Speech Ending: “Learn something new, or a new way of approaching something old because there are a few skills are valuable as the art of learning.”

2. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic

Speech Ending: “If we want to improve the competence level of our leaders, then we should first improve our own competence for judging and selecting leaders.”

3. Sharique Samsudheen

Speech Ending: “Some people love money, some people hate money, some people crave money, some people even kill for money. But what they miss is they just need to learn how to manage money well, and that will give them financial freedom.”

4. Kate Simonds

Speech Ending: Teens, you need to believe in your voices and adults, you need to listen.

5. Melissa Butler

Speech Ending: When you go home today, see yourself in the mirror, see all of you, look at all your greatness that you embody, accept it, love it and finally, when you leave the house tomorrow, try to extend that same love and acceptance to someone who doesn’t look like you.

6. Iskra Lawrence

Speech Ending: Speak to your body in a loving way. It’s the only one you got, it’s your home, and it deserves your respect. If you see anyone tearing themselves down, build them back up And watch your life positively grow when you give up the pursuit of perfection.

6. Contemplative Remark

As the name itself suggests, contemplative remarks are intended to make your audience contemplate or mull over something. The ‘something’ in question should be the idea central to your speech, or a key takeaway that you want them to return home with.

The idea is to get your audience thinking and to keep them thinking for a long, long time.

How To Add A Contemplative Remark To Your Speech Ending

To add a contemplative remark to your speech ending, you first need to figure out your key takeaway or main theme. Then, you want to arrange that as a question, and propose it to your audience at the end of your speech.

Remember that your question shouldn’t be something too wordy or complicated to understand. As with the quotes, you don’t want your audience stuck on the semantics. Rather, you want them to focus on the matter at hand.

1. Lisa Penney

Speech Ending: “So I invite you to pay more attention to your thoughts & consider the legacy you leave behind.”

2. Grant Sanderson

Speech Ending: “Some of the most useful math that you can find or teach has its origin in someone who was just looking for a good story.”

3. Greta Thunberg

Speech Ending: “We will not let you get away with this. Right here, right now is where we draw the line. The world is waking up & change is coming whether you like it or not.”

4. Bill Eckstrom

Speech Ending: Now, think about this: it’s not the complexity-triggering individuals or events you should fear the most, but it’s your own willingness to accept or seek discomfort that will dictate the growth of not just you, but our entire world.

5. Robert Hoge

Speech Ending: Choose to accept your face, choose to appreciate your face, don’t look away from the mirror so quickly; understand all the love, and the life, and the pain that is the part of your face, that is the art of your face. Tomorrow when you wake up, what will your choice be?

7. Personal Anecdote

Personal anecdotes, as the name suggests, are anecdotes that are personal to the speaker or instances from their life. Personal anecdotes are a great way to incorporate the magical powers of storytelling in your speech, as well as to make a personal connection with the audience. Using personal anecdotes, you can hit two birds with one stone!

How To Add Personal Anecdotes To Your Speech Ending

To add personal anecdotes to your speech ending, you need to filter through your life experiences to find out ones that directly relate to your topic at hand. You don’t want to include an anecdote, no matter how compelling it is, if it doesn’t relate to your topic.

Remember to not keep your anecdote too long. Your audience will most likely lose their attention if you do so.

1. Sheila Humphries

Speech Ending: “Why do you go work for these people?” My answer to them was, “If I could help one child make it in this world, it’ll be worth it all.”

8. Call To Action

A call-to-action is one of the absolute best ways to conclude a speech with a bang. A well-written speech should aim to alter the audience’s mind or belief system in some way and to make them take an action in that direction. One crucial way to assure your audience does this is by using a call to action.

How To Add A Call To Action To Your Speech Ending

A call to action comes right before the ending of your speech to provide your audience with a clear idea or set of instructions about what they’re supposed to do after your talk ends.

A call to action should provide a roadmap to the audience for their future steps, and to outline clearly what those future steps are going to be.

1. Armin Hamrah

Speech Ending: “So tonight, after you finish your Math homework & before you lay your head down on that fluffy pillow, bring a piece of paper and pen by your bedside…”

2. Graham Shaw

Speech Ending: “So I invite you to get your drawings out there & spread the word that when we draw, we remember more!”

3. Andy Puddicombe

Speech Ending: You don’t have to burn any incense, and you definitely don’t have to sit on the floor. All you need to do is to take out 10 minutes out a day to step back, familiarize yourself with the present moment so that you get to experience a greater sense of focus, calm, and clarity in your life.

4. Amy Cuddy

Speech Ending: Before you go into the next stressful evaluative situation, for two minutes, try doing this in the elevator…

5. Jia Jiang

Speech Ending: When you are facing the next obstacle or the next failure, consider the possibilities. Don’t run! If you just embrace them, they might become your gifts as well.

9. Motivational Remark

As the name clearly explains, a motivational remark motivates your audience to carry out a plan of action. It ruffles the audience’s mind and emotions and has a powerful impact on the steps that your audience will take after you’ve finished speaking.

How To Add A Motivational Remark To Your Speech Ending

The key to a good motivational remark is to inspire your audience. Your motivational remark should act as a ray of hope to your audience and positively inspire them to take a desired course of action.

Your motivational remark should not be negative in any way. You don’t want to guilt or coerce your audience into doing something or feeling a certain way. You want to leave them on a positive note to move forward with their life.

1. Khanh Vy Tran

Speech Ending: “No matter what you’re going through right now & no matter what the future holds for you, please don’t change yourself. Love yourself, accept yourself & then transform yourself.”

2. Mithila Palkar

Speech Ending: “Get a job, leave a job, dance, sing, fall in love. Carve your own niche. But most importantly: learn to love your own randomness.”

3. Andrew Tarvin

Speech Ending: “Anyone can learn to be funnier. And it all starts with a choice. A choice to try to find ways to use humor. A choice to be like my grandmother, to look at the world around you and say WTF–wow, that’s fun.”

4. Laura Vanderkam

Speech Ending: There is time. Even if we are busy, we have time for what matters. And when we focus on what matters, we can build the lives we want in the time we’ve got.

5. Julian Treasure

Speech Ending: Let’s get listening taught in schools, and transform the world in one generation into a conscious listening world, a world of connection, a world of understanding, and a world of peace.

6. Mariana Atencio

Speech Ending: Let’s celebrate those imperfections that make us special. I hope that it teaches you that nobody has a claim on the word ‘normal’. We are all different. We are all quirky and unique and that is what makes us wonderfully human.

10. Challenge

Much like a call to action, the aim of proposing a challenge at the end of your speech is to instigate your audience to take some desired course of action. A challenge should make an appeal to your audience’s emotion, and motivate them to meet it.

How To Add A Challenge To Your Speech Ending

To apply a challenge effectively to your speech ending, you need to make sure that it’s something relevant to your topic. Your challenge should drive the central topic of your speech forward, and make your audience engage in real-life steps to apply your idea in the real world.

While its always a good idea to set a high bar for your challenge, make sure its an achievable one too.

1. Jamak Golshani

Speech Ending: “I challenge you to open your heart to new possibilities, choose a career path that excites you & one that’s aligned to who you truly are.”

2. Ashley Clift-Jennings

Speech Ending: So, my challenge to you today is, “Do you know, would you even know how to recognize your soulmate?” If you are going out in the world right now, would you know what you are looking for?

11. Metaphor

Metaphors are commonly used as a short phrase that draws a comparison between two ideas in a non-literal sense. People use metaphors quite commonly in daily life to explain ideas that might be too difficult or confusing to understand otherwise. Metaphors are also great tools to be used in speech, as they can present your main idea in a simple and memorable way.

How To Add Metaphors To Your Speech Ending

To add a metaphor to your speech ending, you need to first decide on the main idea or takeaway of your speech. Your metaphor should then be organized in such a way that it simplifies your main idea and makes it easier for your audience to understand & remember it.

The key is to not make your metaphor overly complicated or difficult to retain and share. Remember that you’re trying to simplify your idea for the audience–not make them even more confused.

1. Ramona J. Smith

Speech Ending: “Stay in that ring. And even after you take a few hits, use what you learned from those previous fights, and at the end of the round, you’ll still remain standing.”

2. Shi Heng YI

Speech Ending: “If any of you chooses to climb that path to clarity, I will be very happy to meet you at the peak.”

3. Zifang “Sherrie” Su

Speech Ending: “Are you turning your back on your fear? Our life is like this stage, but what scares are now may bring you the most beautiful thing. Give it a chance.”

12. Storytelling

The idea behind using stories to end your speech is to leave your audience with a good memory to take away with them.

Stories are catchy, resonating & memorable ways to end any speech.

Human beings can easily relate to stories. This is because most people have grown up listening to stories of some kind or another, and thus a good story tends to evoke fond feelings in us.

How To Incorporate Stories In Your Speech Ending

A great way to incorporate stories in your speech ending is by setting up a story in the beginning and then concluding it during the end of your speech.

Another great way would be to tell a short & funny anecdote related to a personal experience or simply something related to the topic at hand.

However, remember that it’s the ending of your speech. Your audience is most likely at the end of their attention span. So, keep your story short & sweet.

1. Sameer Al Jaberi

Speech Ending: “I can still see that day when I came back from my honeymoon…”

2. Josephine Lee

Speech Ending: “At the end of dinner, Jenna turned to me and said…”

Facts are another excellent speech ending, and they are used quite often as openings as well. The point of adding a fact as your speech ending is to add shock value to your speech, and to get your audience thinking & discussing the fact even after your speech has ended.

How To Add Facts To Your Speech Ending

The key to adding facts to your speech ending is to pick a fact that thrusts forward your main idea in the most concise form possible. Your fact should also be something that adds shock value to the speech, and it should ideally be something that the audience hasn’t heard before.

Make sure that your fact is relevant to the topic at hand. No matter how interesting, a fact that doesn’t relate to your topic is going to be redundant.

1. David JP Phillips

Speech Ending: 3500 years ago, we started transfering knowledge from generation to generation through text. 28 years ago, PowerPoint was born. Which one do you think our brain is mostly adapted to?

14. Rhethoric Remark

Rhetoric remarks are another excellent way to get the wheels of your audience’s minds turning. Rhetoric remarks make your audience think of an imagined scenario, and to delve deeper into your topic. Rhetoric remarks or questioned don’t necessarily need to have a ‘right’ or one-shot answer, which means you can be as creative with them as possible!

How To Add Rhethoric Remarks To Your Speech Ending

Since rhetorical questions don’t need to have a definite answer, you have much freedom in determining the type of question or statement you wish to make. However, as with all other speech endings, a rhetorical question shouldn’t be asked just for the sake of it.

A rhetorical question should make your audience think about your topic in a new or more creative manner. It should get them thinking about the topic and maybe see it from an angle that they hadn’t before.

Rhetorical questions shouldn’t be too confusing. Use simple language & make sure it’s something that the audience can easily comprehend.

1. Mona Patel

Speech Ending: Pick your problem, ask “What if?” Come up with ideas. Bring them down. Then execute on them. Maybe you’re thinking, “What if we can’t?” I say to you, “What if we don’t?”

2. Lizzie Velasquez

Speech Ending: I want you to leave here and ask yourself what defines you. But remember: Brave starts here.

Another great way to end your speech with a literal bang is by using music! After all, if there’s something that can impact the human mind with just as much force as a few well-placed words, it’s the correct music.

How To Add Music To Your Speech Ending

To add music to your speech ending, you must make sure that the music has something to do with your speech theme. Remember that you’re not playing music in your concert. The piece of music that you choose must be relevant to your topic & work to have a contribution in your overall speech.

1. Tom Thum

Speech Ending: *ends the TED Talk with beat boxing*

16. Reitirate The Title

The title of your speech is its most important component. That’s why you need to pay careful attention to how you pick it, as it is something that your viewers will most likely remember the longest about your speech.

Your title will also act as a guiding hand towards how your audience forms an initial idea about your speech and is what they will associate your entire speech with.

By repeating your title at the end of your speech, you increase the chances that your audience will remember it–and your speech–for a long time.

How To Retierate The Title In Your Speech Ending

Your title is something that your audience associates your entire speech with. However, you don’t want to simply add the title in your speech end for the sake of adding it. Instead, make it flow naturally into your speech ending. This will make it seem less forced, and will also increase the chances of your audience remembering your entire speech ending and not just the title of your speech.

1. Ruairi Robertson

Speech Ending: I feel we can all contribute to this fight worth fighting for our own health, but more importantly, our future generations’ health by restoring the relationship between microbe and man. There is SOME FOOD FOR THOUGHT!

Need more inspiration for speech closing lines? Check out our article on 10 Of The Best Things To Say In Closing Remarks.

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To sum up, speech endings are just as imperative to the success of your speech as speech openings, and you must spend just as much time picking the perfect ending as you do to determine your best possible speech opening. The words you speak at the beginning and end of your speech are words that your audience will pay the most attention to, and remember longer than any other part of your speech.

Still looking for inspiration? Check out this video we made on closing remarks:

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The 13 Best Lines from Graduation Speeches

Do you remember what the speaker said at your graduation ceremony? Maybe you were so excited that it was all a blur. Or maybe you tuned out, assuming it would just be the standard, boring stuff.

Or… maybe you were truly inspired. Often it’s just one little memorable line that strikes the right chord in your brain and your heart – and then you carry it with you forever. Often it’s a clever or funny line that catches us by surprise and snaps us to attention. Great example: “If I could give you one piece of advice, it would be this: Wear Sunscreen .” Or, we’ve always liked the one from Thomas Jefferson: “I find the harder I work, the luckier I get.”

As you venture out to tackle life’s next great adventure, perhaps these classic lines from graduation speeches will accompany you on your journey.

“If you think you are too small to be effective, you have never been in bed with a mosquito.”

~ Bette Reese, American officer and pilot

“Check your ego at the door and start checking your gut instead.”

~ Oprah Winfrey, talk-show host and empire builder

“The unfortunate, yet truly exciting thing about your life is that there is no core curriculum. The entire place is an elective.”

~ Jon Stewart, comedian, writer, producer, media critic

“If you think nobody cares if you're alive, try missing a couple of payments.”

- Earl Wilson, baseball player

“You get to make your own luck. 80% of success in your career will come from just showing up. The world is run by those who show up…not those who wait to be asked.”

~ Steve Blank, entrepreneur

“Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there.”

- Will Rogers, actor, humorist and social commentator

“Have the wisdom to recognize the best in others while always demanding the best from yourself.”

Madeleine Albright, first female U.S. Secretary of State

“If your uniform isn't dirty, you haven't been in the game.”

~ Ben Bernanke, former Chairman of the Federal Reserve

“Don’t let your fears overwhelm your desire… you will never know what you’re capable of unless you try.”

~ Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook

And here’s a bonus quote from Ms. Sandberg, just because we think she’s awesome:

“Careers are not ladders – those days are gone. Careers are jungle gyms.”

“Follow your passion, stay true to yourself, never follow someone 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.”

~ Ellen DeGeneres. Everyone knows who Ellen is.

“I’ve seen a generation eager, impatient even, to step into the rushing waters of history and change its course.”

~ Former President Obama

“Life has no remote. Get up and change it yourself.”

- Mark A. Cooper, author

This next one doesn’t get a ranking, and we’re not even sure it’s from a graduation speech, but we figured no blog would be complete without advice from a frog:

“And once you get that map out, you won’t be able to refold it no matter how smart you are. So forget the map, roll down the windows, and whenever you can, pull over and have a picnic with a pig. And if you can help it, never fly as cargo.” 

~ Kermit the Frog, social commentator and expert on being green

And now… drum roll, please. When we started researching the best graduation advice, we assumed our #1 pick would come from a former president, Nobel Prize winner, or influential philosopher. Or maybe Oprah. We were wrong. The best line came from none other than rock legend, Bono. Which just goes to show – you can make a difference in people’s lives, no matter which career you choose.

Here’s our #1 Best Line from a Graduation Speech:

“This is the time for bold measures and this is the country and you are the generation… That degree of yours is a blunt instrument – go forth and build something with it.”

~ Bono, singer, musician, businessman and philanthropist

Of course, in a blog about graduation advice, we’d be remiss if we didn’t refer back to that classic “song” released in 1999, by  Baz Luhrmann , "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)." If you haven’t heard it, check it out on YouTube. Interesting fact: the song started life as an essay written by  columnist   Mary Schmich , for the Chicago Tribune . It went viral, and was often erroneously described as a commencement speech given by author  Kurt Vonnegut  at MIT. I guess you can’t believe everything you read on the Internet…

In closing, graduates: Congratulations! Now go out and build something, change history, picnic with a pig, and always wear sunscreen.

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12 Powerful Quotes From Inspiring Commencement Speeches

On graduation day, you experience a lot of emotions: Pride because you’ve finally made it. Fear because you don’t know what’s next. And everything in between.

Except you don’t have to be wearing a cap and gown to feel these things. If anything is true in this world, it’s that nobody knows what they’re doing. We’re all just figuring it out as we go.

So when somebody successful is willing to share their advice, you take it and you run with it and you do everything humanly possible to make your own mark with it.

Here are some of our favorite quotes from some of the most inspirational commencement speeches by some of the most inspirational people to help you get started:

1. “We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better.” – J.K. Rowling, Harvard University

2. “to those of you graduates sitting out there who have a pretty good idea of what you’d like to do with your life, congratulations. for many of you who maybe don’t have it all figured out, it’s ok. that’s the same chair that i sat in. enjoy the process of your search without succumbing to the pressure of the result. trust your gut, keep throwing darts at the dartboard. don’t listen to the critics and you will figure it out.” – will ferrell, university of southern california, 3. “the trick is to listen to your instinct, grab the opportunity when it presents itself and then give it your all. you will stumble and fall, you will experience both disaster and triumph, sometimes in the same day, but it’s really important to remember that like a hangover, neither triumphs nor disasters last forever. they both pass and a new day arrives. just try to make that new day count.” – helen mirren, tulane university, 4. “be present. i would encourage you with all my heart just to be present. be present and open to the moment that is unfolding before you. because, ultimately, your life is made up of moments. so don’t miss them by being lost in the past or anticipating the future.” – jessica lange, sarah lawrence college, 5. “you can go slow. allow your dreams and goals to change, but live an intentional life.” – kumail nanjiani, grinnell college, 6. “sometimes you find out what you are supposed to be doing by doing the things you are not supposed to do.” – oprah winfrey, howard university, 7. “i encourage you to live with life. be courageous, adventurous. give us a tomorrow, more than we deserve.” – maya angelou, university of california, riverside, 8. “the most important thing in your life is to live your life with integrity and to not give into peer pressure to try to be something that you’re not.” – ellen degeneres, tulane university, 9. “don’t be afraid of fear. because it sharpens you, it challenges you, it makes you stronger; and when you run away from fear, you also run away from the opportunity to be your best possible self.” – ed helms, knox college, 10. “you will be so many things, and the one thing that i wish i’d known and want to say is, don’t just be yourself. be all of yourselves. don’t just live. be that other thing connected to death. be life. live all of your life. understand it, see it, appreciate it. and have fun.” – joss whedon, wesleyan university, 11. “i’ve found that nothing in life is worthwhile unless you take risks. fall forward. every failed experiment is one step closer to success. you’ve got to take risks. you will fail at some point in your life. accept it. you will lose. you will embarrass yourself. you will suck at something. there is no doubt about it. never be discouraged. never look back. give everything you’ve got. and when you fall throughout life, fall forward.” – denzel washington, university of pennsylvania, 12. “but my dear graduates, let me be frank, the best years are very much ahead of you. and they can be whatever you want them to be… as much as you’ve changed during your time here, more change is coming. you’re going to continue to evolve in unforeseen ways. you are full of complexities and wonders that haven’t even begun to surface. life’s unpredictability will draw these out and what defines you now will be mere shades and hues of a more vibrant you over the next five, 10, 50 years. honestly, i can’t think of anything more liberating than that, knowing that life will look differently than you think it will.” – octavia spencer, kent state university.

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101 graduation quotes to inspire the class of 2024

There are many transitions in life, but few as big as a graduation.

Whether it be kindergarten, high school or college, a graduation symbolizes an end of one chapter and the start of a new one. For graduates, it’s the culmination of years of hard work . And for their loved ones? A moment to celebrate the accomplishments and success of someone dear.

There’s no better way to mark the special occasion than a gathering filled with friends and family , as well as a thoughtful gift or memento that says, “Congratulations on your achievement!”

In recognition of graduates and their loved ones, we’ve gathered a list of the best graduation quotes to post on Instagram , send via text or write in a greeting card.

The ensure you find just the right thing to say, this comprehensive collection includes words by Eleanor Roosevelt, Maya Angelou , Mahatma Gandhi, Helen Keller and other luminaries.

There are also short quotes, funny quotes from the likes of Steve Martin, Tina Fey and Robin Williams, as well as notable quotes from the Dr. Seuss book “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” a beloved classic often given to graduates as gifts.

Whatever message you’re looking for to celebrate someone special’s commencement, you’re sure to find it among the inspirational quotes below.

So, without any further pomp and circumstance ( pun totally intended ), here are the best of the best graduation quotes.

Best graduation quotes

• “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”

Sarah is a lifestyle and entertainment reporter for TODAY who covers holidays, celebrities and everything in between.

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10 Powerful Quotes from Famous Graduation Speeches

While many of us may not remember the commencement addresses we heard as we waited to officially graduate from high school or college, some of the most famous graduation speeches given over the years have become timeless words of wisdom that all may draw upon for inspiration and encouragement, at any season of life!

While many of these inspiring quotes convey familiar truths, such as the importance of perseverance, resilience, and kindness, they also offer a unique perspective and practical life lessons that will help kids and adults alike.

So here are excerpts from some of the most critically acclaimed and popular graduation speeches from the past several years:

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. … 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.”

Steve Jobs ‘ 2005 Stanford Commencement Address

“If you choose to use your status and influence to raise your voice on behalf of those who have no voice; if you choose to identify not only with the powerful, but with the powerless; if you retain the ability to imagine yourself into the lives of those who do not have your advantages, then it will not only be your proud families who celebrate your existence, but thousands and millions of people whose reality you have helped change.”

J.K. Rowling’s 2011 Harvard Commencement Address

“Never give in. Never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense.”

Winston Churchill ’s 1941 Harrow School Commencement Address

“It is unimaginably hard to do this, to stay conscious and alive in the adult world day in and day out. Which means yet another grand cliché turns out to be true: your education really IS the job of a lifetime. And it commences: now.”

David Foster Wallace’s 2005 Kenyon Commencement Address

“You are not born with a fixed amount of resilience . Like a muscle, you can build it up, draw on it when you need it. In that process you will figure out who you really are—and you just might become the very best version of yourself.”

Sheryl Sandberg’s 2016 University of California, Berkeley Commencement Address

“You have a choice. You can either be a passive victim of circumstance or you can be the active hero of your own life. Action is the antidote to apathy and cynicism and despair. You will inevitably make mistakes . Learn what you can and move on. At the end of your days, you will be judged by your gallop, not by your stumble.”

Bradley Whitford’s 2004 University of Wisconsin-Madison Commencement Address

“My last piece of advice—this is simple, but perhaps most important:  Persevere.  Persevere.  Nothing worthwhile is easy. No one of achievement has avoided failure—sometimes catastrophic failures. But they keep at it. They learn from mistakes. They don’t quit.”

President Barack Obama ’s 2012 Barnard College Commencement Address

“The future is not fixed, it’s fluid. You can build your own building, or hut or condo, whatever; this is the metaphor part of the speech by the way. But my point is that the world is more malleable than you think and it’s waiting for you to hammer it into shape.”

Bono’s 2004 University of Pennsylvania Commencement Address

“You can be as earnest and ridiculous as you need to be, if you don’t attempt it in isolation. The ridiculously earnest are known to travel in groups. And they are known to change the world . Look at you. That could be you.”

Barbara Kingsolver’s 2008 Duke Commencement Address

“What I regret most in my life are failures of kindness. Those moments when another human being was there, in front of me, suffering, and I responded…sensibly. Reservedly. Mildly. ….And so, a prediction, and my heartfelt wish for you: as you get older, your self will diminish and you will grow in love. YOU will gradually be replaced by LOVE.”

George Saunders’ 2013 Commencement Address at Syracuse University’s College of Arts and Sciences

Life after school can be full of challenges, but holding on to wise words such as those found in graduation speeches can be helpful reminders of what is really important!

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Home › Graduation Quotes

100 Graduation Quotes for All Grads

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Graduations are always special occasions and these graduation quotes will have you ready for commencement from any stage of learning.

Graduating from any level of school is an exciting milestone that deserves celebrating.

Aside from accomplishing past goals, graduations give us a chance to set new ones and move to bigger challenges.

So take time to enjoy commencement with these great graduation quotes and celebrate all you’ve accomplished in school.

Page Contents

Top 10 Graduation Quotes

Graduation isn’t the closing of a door. It’s the opening of a thousand. Daniel Schultz

Graduation is the beginning of knowing who you are, what you are, why you are, and always knowing where you are going. Lydia Patton

There is a good reason they call these ceremonies ‘commencement exercises.’ Graduation is not the end; it’s the beginning. Orrin Hatch

The man who graduates today and stops learning tomorrow is uneducated the day after. Newton D. Baker

Be excited about your college graduation and career opportunities! Paul B. Hudson

Graduation is not the end but the beginning of our bigger life and bigger challenges in life to face. May Ann

Graduation is the end of theoretical knowledge and the start of practical life. Geetha Laxman

Graduation, a conclusion of one chapter, a beginning of another. Catherine Pulsifer

Quotes about Graduation

Graduation is an important day. It is a significant achievement. Stephanie Ruhle

Graduation is a time to nod at the past and smile at the future, and we’d better smile at it because it’s quite a bit bigger than us. Noah MacDonald

Education is something we have to keep pursuing day after day. Premier Brian Gallant

It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves. Edmund Hillary

Graduation is a process that goes on until the last day of your life. If you can grasp that, you’ll make a difference. Arie Pencovici

Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today. Malcolm X

Having the right mindset is critical to graduation no matter at what age you decide to take the leap. Mike Finley

After years of daily effort and sleepless nights cramming for exams and finishing term papers, the day finally comes when you put on your caps and gowns to stand in line to receive the university diploma certifying that the time has come for you to make your entry into the real world. Maria C. Siccardi, A Graduation Gift

Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant. Robert Louis Stevenson

And whether it’s a moment of graduation or some time of transition in one’s life, there’s this sense of being unmoored – what used to be isn’t any longer. Pema Chödrön

Commencement. These graduates go out to a new season and our paths will never cross again in the same way. Marsha Woodward

Now you have graduated and “commenced,” ending the last segment of your previous adventure, and now you begin your next adventure. Tom Swanson

Graduation day is tough for adults. They go to the ceremony as parents. They come home as contemporaries. After twenty-two years of child-raising, they are unemployed. Erma Bombeck

Life is my college. May I graduate well, and earn some honors! Louisa May Alcott

A graduation ceremony is an event where the commencement speaker tells thousands of students dressed in identical caps and gowns that “individuality” is the key to success. Robert Orben

Graduation is also the first time you are able to do what you want with your life, without anyone holding you back or telling you no. Michael Pipper

The learning that starts in school and used to end at graduation is now a vital and continual proactive process. Victor Hayek

God wants us to know that life is a series of beginnings, not endings. Just as graduations are not terminations but commencements. Bernie S. Siegel

Remember, half the doctors in this country graduated in the bottom half of their class. Al McGuire

We have made hardly any changes in our conception of university organization, education, graduation, for a century – for several centuries. H.G. Wells

I wasn’t under any delusion that a single message would change their world, but I was determined to prepare something that would contribute to their lives beyond graduation day, something that would help them to choose a life that matters. Dennis Rainey

The road to graduation is a long, steep climb, so take a moment at the summit to be proud of your accomplishments. Sheryl Sandberg

As a lot of us have found out, graduation only means that you are ready to keep learning, to keep your skills advanced and growing because you never know when you will find yourself out on the street. Byron Pulsifer

I don’t remember at all what was said at my college graduation, and I think that’s the case for many people. Stephanie Ruhle

For many, graduation marks the end of formal student life, the end of long spring breaks and of thinking that a 10 a.m. class is far too early. Alexa von Tobel

When someone does something good, applaud! You will make two people happy. Samuel Goldwyn

I believe that we must focus on graduation as the key accountability measure. Ruben Hinojosa

It’s more than a diploma. It’s more than graduation. It’s knowledge. Cardi B

Struggling to decide what to do after graduation is, and always will be, a sort of rite of passage to the next phase of your life. Gloria Davidson

At graduation, you get to wear a cap and gown, but it’s a good idea to also wear something underneath it. Greg Tamblyn

Words on Graduating

Effort and courage are not enough without purpose and direction. John F. Kennedy

The fireworks begin today. Each diploma is a lighted match, each one of you is a fuse. Ed Koch

You may never know what results come of your action, but if you do nothing there will be no result. Mahatma Gandhi

Man’s greatness consists in his ability to do, and the proper application of his powers to things needed to be done. Frederick Douglass

It is better to know and be disappointed, than to not know and always wonder. Oscar Wilde

You can complain about the direction of your life all you want, but until you sit in the driver’s seat and begin to drive yourself, you aren’t going to get where you want to go! Les Brown

After graduating, the possibilities are infinite, but they are a lot harder to obtain and you don’t always end up where you thought you would be. Jenny Blake

The noblest question in the world is: What good may I do in it? Benjamin Franklin

As you graduate, as you deal with your excitement and your doubts today, I urge you to try and create the world you want to live in. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Struggling to decide what to do after graduation is, and always will be, a sort of rite of passage to the next phase of your life. Gloria Davidson, When Graduation Spits You Out

To acquire knowledge, one must study; but to acquire wisdom, one must observe. Marilyn Vos Savant

You did it. You got through it. You’ve run the gauntlet of exams, essays, and the occasional all-nighter and come out of it reasonably unscathed. You’ve got a diploma, a gown, and a nifty tasseled cap. Alyssa Favreau, Stuff Every Graduate Should Know

Learning is not something that stops once you get out of school. Rather, it’s something that should be considered as a vital component of your day-to-day life. Rupert Johnson

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. Ralph Waldo Emerson

To the graduates, you might think your time in education is done, but after you leave here today, I am asking you to let your actions out there in the world fuel the demand for better education. Pharrell Williams

Graduation day is not a victory to celebrate! But a day to start again another beginning! Mark Alonzo

It is indeed ironic that we spend our school days yearning to graduate and our remaining days waxing nostalgic about our school days. Isabel Waxman

If you walk out of here with a diploma in your hand, you better walk out of here with something these professors put in your heads, too. And retain it, or you’re going to be in bad trouble. Pearl Bailey

I’ve told my children that when I die, to release balloons in the sky to celebrate that I graduated. For me, death is a graduation. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

One half who graduate from college never read another book . G.M. Trevelyan

If you graduated from higher education, you should feel proud and not allow your grades to define who you are. Saaif Alam

Graduation Speech Quotes

Commencement speeches were invented largely in the belief that outgoing college students should never be released into the world until they have been properly sedated. Garry Trudeau

Each year at graduation, I am obliged to offer a few ‘brief remarks,’ which are usually not as brief as they should be. James E. Ryan

Without a doubt, the best graduation speeches captivate the audience, heart and soul. They enchant us without smothering. They advise us without being didactic. Randy Howe

I love graduation speeches. I have always loved them; I will always love them. Bruce Eric Kaplan

What I like about graduation speeches is that they’re an opportunity for someone to make sense of their life and to impart that wisdom to someone else. It’s like a sanctioned self-help moment. Bruce Eric Kaplan

No graduation speaker will ever tell you that the future is anything but uncertain. It never is. But graduations need not only be obsessed with looking ahead; a graduation can be a day on which we turn back and trace our steps to see how we ended up where we are. Taylor Mali

If these thoughts on commencement speeches have you ready for more inspiration, check out our 12 Inspirational Graduation Speeches to honor your education or even write a stirring remarks of your own.

Words for Graduates

Don’t live down to expectations. Go out there and do something remarkable. Wendy Wasserstein

Be the author, not the reader, of your own life. Paul Gibbons

Curiosity is the key to creativity . Akio Morita

Self confidence is the first requisite to great undertakings. Samuel Johnson

No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world. Robin Williams

You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. A.A. Milne

Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good. Minor Myers Jr.

Graduates, today your formal education begins! Here’s your first lesson. Find a wise mentor. Rick Rigsby, Lessons From A Third Grade Dropout

My dear terrified graduates, you are about to enter the most uncertain and thrilling period of your lives. The stories you are about to live are the ones you will be telling your children, and grandchildren, and therapists. Lin-Manuel Miranda

The important thing is not to stop questioning. Albert Einstein

Most graduates have a mixture of emotions at this time. You probably have a tremendous sense of relief and accomplishment for finishing a major course of study. Michael Farris

Every graduate here today has the training and the talent to succeed. But do you have the guts to fail? Denzel Washington

You are no longer students. You are no longer a work in progress. You are now citizens of the real world. You have a responsibility to become a person worthy of joining and contributing to society. Because who you are today, that’s who you are. Shonda Rhimes

That diploma you hold in your hands today is really just your learner’s permit for the rest of the drive through life. Remember, you don’t have to be smarter than the next person. All you have to do is be willing to work harder than the next person. Jimmy Iovine

Then that same confident and mature high school graduate will be a very different person when they graduate college than when they entered. Four years can make a big difference in maturity. Lee Binz

Now that you’ve graduated, just remember, bosses don’t usually accept notes from your mother. Melanie White

You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. Dr. Seuss

To those of you who received honors, awards and distinctions, I say well done. And to the C students, I say you too may one day be president of the United States. George W. Bush

A man who has never gone to school may steal from a freight car, but if he has a university education, he may steal the whole railroad. Teddy Roosevelt

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. Eleanor Roosevelt

If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere. Frank A. Clark

As you start your journey, the first thing you should do is throw away that store-bought map and begin to draw your own. Michael Dell

You are educated. Your certification is in your degree. You may think of it as the ticket to the good life. Let me ask you to think of an alternative. Think of it as your ticket to change the world . Tom Brokaw

The college graduate is presented with a sheepskin to cover his intellectual nakedness. Robert M. Hutchins

The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you. B.B. King

We hope you enjoyed these graduation quotes and feel a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment.

From Kindergarten to a doctoral degree, graduations are always momentous occasions. They afford the time to look back on past journeys and look forward to new ones.

So wherever you are at in your educational process, don’t forget to take a breath and throw that cap in the air today. You did it!

Quincy Seale

Graduation Speech Quotes Underscore The Speaker’s Wisdom

Graduation speeches express gratitude to the school staff, reminisce about the past years, and inspire and motivate students for the future. They often include quotes from famous people to add credibility to what is said. Graduation speech quotes are often the most memorable part of the speech.

Commencement ceremony speeches usually include words of motivation and inspiration for the students who are about ready to move on to another school, a job, or the next state in life. Speakers can offer their perspectives, but their speeches are a perfect opportunity to incorporate the wisdom of others to make a point even more profound with graduation speech quotes.

Table of Contents

What Do You Say In A Graduation Speech?

In any good commencement speech , you will want to  introduce  yourself, greet those in attendance, thank people for coming, and then start your speech. The  body of your address  should have just a few main points. Often, this part of the speech involves some stories. Just be sure that what you are saying all ties together in some main idea.

Of course, you will want to bring the speech together and then offer a  conclusion.  Make certain that you have brought closure to your speech. One can advise the graduates, offer motivational thoughts, or wish everyone luck as they enter the future.

You can introduce a quote at any point in the speech, although you should use them sparingly.

What Do I Say To Start A Graduation Speech?

Graduation speeches typically start by greeting everyone. Here is an example of a brief introduction.

“Friends, family members, fellow graduates, and esteemed faculty, it is my distinct pleasure to have the opportunity to speak to you today on this significant occasion.”

How Are Quotes Useful In Graduation Speeches?

Quotes can add a lot to a graduation speech. They can help you to impart words of wisdom and inspire motivation. Whether you are speaking at a high school graduation or a college commencement, using inspirational graduation quotes is a lovely way to round out a speech.

• Humor:  Funny graduation quotes can impart humor into the speech. Though commencement is a serious occasion, sometimes it is nice to lighten things up.
• Motivational Quotes:  Motivational quotes can be used to inspire you to some action.
• Persistence:  Sometimes life can be scary, so quotes about sticking with things can be helpful in a speech.
• True to Yourself:  Often, young people feel a bit lost as they navigate life’s path. It is common to hear quotes about staying true to your convictions.

What Are Good Graduation Speech Quotes?

“An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.” —Benjamin Franklin

“..and when you run away from fear, you also run away from the opportunity to be your best possible self.” —Ed Helms

“Believe you can, and you’re halfway there.” – Theodore Roosevelt

“Believing in yourself is the first necessary step to coming even close to achieving your potential.” —Sheryl Sandberg

“But it’s really important to remember that like a hangover, neither triumphs nor disasters last forever.” —Helen Mirren

“Don’t be afraid. Be focused. Be determined. Be hopeful. Be empowered.” — Michelle Obama

“Don’t just get involved. Fight for your seat at the table. Better yet, fight for a seat at the head of the table.” – Barack Obama

“Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world.” —Nelson Mandela

“I encourage you to live with life. Be courageous, adventurous. Give us a tomorrow, more than we deserve.” —Maya Angelou

“It doesn’t matter that your dream came true if you spent your whole life sleeping.” —Jerry Zucker

 “It is impossible to live without failing at something unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all – in which case, you fail by default.” – J.K. Rowling

“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” —E. E. Cummings

 “My dear terrified graduates, you are about to enter the most uncertain and thrilling period of your lives.” —Lin-Manuel Miranda

“Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” —Mark Twain

“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” —Arthur Ashe

“So whatever your dream is right now, if you don’t achieve it, you haven’t failed, and you’re not some loser.” —Stephen Colbert

 “Success is only meaningful and enjoyable if it feels like your own.” —Michelle Obama

 “Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.” —Winston Churchill

“That clock you hear is the sound of your own heart. Sink your teeth into this life, and don’t get let go.” — Lin-Manuel Miranda

 “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” —Eleanor Roosevelt

“The most important thing in your life is to live your life with integrity and not to give in to peer pressure to try to be something that you’re not, to live your life as an honest and compassionate person, to contribute in some way.” – Ellen Degeneres

“The old rules are crumbling, and nobody knows what the new rules are. So make up your own rules.” —Neil Gaiman

 “The road to success is dotted with many tempting parking spaces.” —Will Rogers

 “There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.” —C.S. Lewis

 “There is no such thing as failure. Failure is just life trying to move us in another direction.” — Oprah Winfrey

 “Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.” —Albert Einstein

 “What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson

 “Whatever you think your dream is now, it will probably change. And that’s okay.” – Conan O’Brien

 “Worry is like a rocking chair—it gives you something to do but never gets you anywhere.” —Erma Bombeck

 “You can never be overdressed or overeducated.” —Oscar Wilde

 “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.” —Dr. Seuss

 “Your education is a dress rehearsal for a life that is yours to lead.” —Nora Ephron

 “Your path is your character defining itself more and more every day like a photograph coming into focus.” —Jodie Foster

 “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” —Steve Jobs

A former English teacher and currently an elementary principal in a rural school, Pam has honed her speaking skills in the classroom and before professional groups. Pam enjoys sharing her insights about public speaking almost as much as she enjoys running, which she does daily.

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This writer analyzed 100 graduation speeches — here are the 4 tips they all share

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Steve Jobs has been credited over the years with popularizing any number of other people’s inventions, from the personal computer to the tablet to the mobile phone. But none of these gifts may be as enduring as one of his rarely credited contributions to contemporary life — popularizing the viral commencement address.

On June 12, 2005, Jobs stood before the graduating class of Stanford University and reminded them that he had never graduated from college. “Truth be told, this is the closest I’ve ever gotten to a college graduation.” He then told three stories about his life. “That’s it. No big deal. Just three stories.”

That speech , coinciding as it did with the rise of internet virality (the first TED Talk would be posted on TED.com exactly 12 months later; the iPhone was introduced exactly 12 months after that), launched a global obsession with pithy, inspirational talks. Jobs’s speech has since been viewed more than 40 million times on YouTube.

Graduation speeches, long viewed as the burdensome interruption before diplomas were granted and mortar boards were tossed, have since become big business. Kurt Vonnegut, Ann Patchett, Carl Hiaasen, J.K. Rowling, Mary Karr, David Foster Wallace and many others have all had their commencement speeches published as books.

I’ve been fortunate to give a handful of commencement addresses over the years, and I confess to a fascination with the genre. The internet has been a boon this hobby. There are thousands of commencement speeches on the web. Can we learn anything from their messages?

I’ve spent the last few years gathering and coding hundreds of life stories, looking for patterns and takeaways that could help all of us live with more meaning, purpose and joy. I decided to put some of my coding tools to work, analyzing 100 of the most popular recent commencement speeches.

Here are the four tips they all contain:

1. Dream big

“I think it is often easier to make progress on mega-ambitious dreams. I know that sounds completely nuts. But, since no one else is crazy enough to do it, you have little competition. There are so few people this crazy that I feel like I know them all by first name. They all travel as if they are pack dogs and stick to each other like glue. The best people want to work the big challenges.” — Larry Page at University of Michigan , 2009

“We don’t beat the reaper by living longer. We beat the reaper by living well and living fully. For the reaper is always going to come for all of us. The question is: What do we do between the time we are born, and the time he shows up? Because when he shows up, it’s too late to do all the things that you’re always gonna, kinda get around to.” — Randy Pausch at Carnegie Mellon University , 2009

“Graduates, we need you. We need you to run companies and make decisions about who has access to capital. We need you to serve at the highest levels of government and determine our country’s standing in the world. We need you to work in our hospitals and in our courtrooms and in our schools. We need you to shape the future of technology. We need you because your perspective — the sum total of your intellect and your lived experience — will make our country stronger.” — Kamala Harris at Tennessee State University , 2022

2. Work hard

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.” — Steve Jobs at Stanford University , 2005

“I just directed my first film. I was completely unprepared, but my own ignorance to my own limitations looked like confidence and got me into the director’s chair. Once there, I had to figure it all out, and my belief that I could handle these things, contrary to all evidence of my ability to do so was half the battle. The other half was very hard work. The experience was the deepest and most meaningful one of my career.” — Natalie Portman at Harvard University , 2015

“When you’re doing the work you’re meant to do, it feels right and every day is a bonus, regardless of what you’re getting paid … But make it your life’s work to remake the world because there is nothing more beautiful or more worthwhile than working to leave something better for humanity.” — Oprah Winfrey at Stanford University , 2008

3. Make mistakes

”Fail big. That’s right. Fail big … It’s a new world out there, and it’s a mean world out there, and you only live once. So do what you feel passionate about. Take chances, professionally. Don’t be afraid to fail. There’s an old IQ test with nine dots, and you had to draw five lines with a pencil within these nine dots without lifting the pencil, and the only way to do it was to go outside the box. So don’t be afraid to go outside the box.” — Denzel Washington at University of Pennsylvania , 2011

“The world doesn’t care how many times you fall down, as long as it’s one fewer than the number of times you get back up.” — Aaron Sorkin at Syracuse University , 2013

“My experience has been that my mistakes led to the best thing in my life. Being embarrassed when you mess up is part of the human experience of getting back up dusting yourself off and seeing who still wants to hang out with you afterward and laugh about it. That’s a gift. The times I was told no or wasn’t included wasn’t chosen, didn’t win, didn’t make the cut, looking back it really feels like those moments we’re as important if not more crucial than the moments I was told yes.” — Taylor Swift at NYU , 2022

“Work hard, be kind, and amazing things will happen.” — Conan O’Brien at Dartmouth College , 2011

“Empathy and kindness are the true signs of emotional intelligence.” — Will Ferrell at the University of Southern California , 2017

“So here’s something I know to be true, although it’s a little corny, and I don’t quite know what to do with it: What I regret most in my life are failures of kindness. Those moments when another human being was there, in front of me, suffering, and I responded … sensibly. Reservedly. Mildly. Or, to look at it from the other end of the telescope: Who, in your life, do you remember most fondly, with the most undeniable feelings of warmth? Those who were kindest to you, I bet. It’s a little facile, maybe, and certainly hard to implement, but I’d say, as a goal in life, you could do worse than: Try to be kinder.” — George Saunders at Syracuse University , 2013

So what can we learn from these themes?

Every era in American life has its own standards of what it means to be a success. Shortly after America’s founding, success was all about character. Led by Benjamin Franklin, Americans embraced virtue, industry, and frugality. In the twentieth century, success was all about personality. Led by Dale Carnegie, Americans embraced salesmanship, reinvention and charisma. Today, led by Steve Jobs, Americans are embracing meaning, authenticity and bliss. Or, as Kermit the Frog put it in a 1996 commencement speech at Southampton College , “May success and a smile always be yours … even when you’re knee-deep in the sticky muck of life.”

Dream, work, fail and smile are as good a foursome of American identity today as I know. And if those ideas don’t inspire you, you can always embrace the far more practical advice erroneously attributed to Kurt Vonnegut in a commencement speech that he never gave at MIT, but was instead delivered by Chicago Tribune columnist Mary Schmich in an imaginary speech to graduates she published in an old-fashioned newspaper, “Ladies and gentlemen of the class of ’97: Wear sunscreen.”

This post was adapted from one published on his newsletter The Nonlinear Life; go here to subscribe.

Watch his TEDxIEMadrid Talk now:

About the author

Bruce Feiler is the author of seven New York Times bestsellers, including The Secrets of Happy Families and Council of Dads, both of which became the subject of TED Talks. His latest book, Life Is in the Transitions: Mastering Change at Any Age, from which this post and TEDx Talk are adapted, describes his journey across America, collecting hundreds of life stories, exploring how we can navigate life’s growing number of transitions with more meaning, purpose and joy. To learn more, visit brucefeiler.com, follow him on Twitter (@brucefeiler), or sign up for his newsletter The Nonlinear Life. 

• bruce feiler
• communication
• inspiration
• society and culture
• surprise me

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How to Write and Deliver a Memorable Graduation Speech: Tips, Examples, and Techniques

• The Speaker Lab
• March 7, 2024

Table of Contents

The goal of any graduation speech is to find words that capture the essence of years spent learning and growing. Today, we’ll guide you through that process and help you craft a memorable graduation speech . You’ll learn to weave gratitude with shared experiences, and balance humor with wisdom. We’ll even help you find quotes that strike a chord and deliver them in a way that resonates.

But that’s not all! Dive into proven strategies for public speaking, managing stage fright, and drawing inspiration from iconic commencement speeches. Discover how personal growth stories add depth to your message and explore themes that leave a lasting impact on your peers as they step forward into new beginnings.

Crafting Your Graduation Speech: A Step-by-Step Guide

When it comes to marking the end of your high school or university journey, a graduation speech can capture the essence of this pivotal moment. But how do you start such an important address?

Opening with Impact

The first words of your graduation speech are crucial. They set the stage for what’s to come and grab your audience’s attention. Think about starting strong by sharing a personal anecdote that ties into the broader experience of your class or drawing from Steve Jobs’ Stanford University commencement speech , where he began with, “Today I want to tell you three stories from my life.” This technique instantly piques interest because it promises narratives that have shaped who you are.

An impactful opening also acknowledges shared experiences. Perhaps you could reflect on how moments in classrooms turned strangers into lifelong friends. Or for university commencements, consider touching upon those late-night study sessions that tested perseverance but ultimately led to academic achievements worth celebrating today.

Building the Body of Your Graduation Speech

In crafting the body content, intertwine lessons learned throughout high school years or during university courses with aspirations for what lies ahead. For instance, share how overcoming obstacles like balancing extracurricular activities and academics taught valuable time management skills.

To add depth, incorporate quotes from luminaries like Oprah Winfrey or draw parallels between classroom learnings and real-world applications. Dive deeper by discussing milestones achieved together as a graduating class and recognizing the hard work everyone put in to make it to this monumental occasion.

Concluding with Inspiration

Your conclusion should leave fellow graduates feeling inspired while helping them celebrate high school memories one last time—or honor those unforgettable college years if addressing higher education grads.

Closing remarks could include heartfelt gratitude towards teachers’ support and parental guidance. You might even crack a joke or two. It’s these personalized touches paired with universal truths that resonate most deeply as students step forward into new chapters post-graduation.

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Delivery Techniques for Confident Speaking

Standing in front of a crowd can turn even the most composed student into a bundle of nerves. But fear not, with some smart strategies, you’ll be able to channel your inner orator and deliver your graduation speech with confidence.

Practicing Your Graduation Speech

Becoming familiar with every word of your speech is key. Rehearse it out loud until the words feel like second nature. This practice does more than just help you remember what comes next; it lets you find the natural rhythm and pace of your delivery. Consider recording yourself to catch any quirks or stumbling blocks—you might be surprised at how much this helps refine your presentation.

A trick often overlooked is practicing in different environments. If possible, stand on the actual stage where you will deliver your commencement address. Familiarity breeds comfort, making that once daunting podium seem like an old friend when graduation day arrives.

Overcoming Nervousness and Stage Fright

Nervousness is normal but doesn’t let it dictate your performance. Before stepping up to speak, take deep breaths to steady yourself—a calm body encourages a calm mind. An effective method for easing anxiety is visualization. Imagine delivering each line perfectly and receiving an enthusiastic response from listeners—envisioning success can make it so.

Maintaining Eye Contact

The power of eye contact cannot be overstated. It connects speaker and listener on a personal level that amplifies engagement significantly. Scan across different sections of the audience periodically without lingering too long on any one individual.

Incorporate these techniques diligently when preparing for the big day. In doing so, they become part of muscle memory and help build confidence. With confidence and plenty of practice on your side, your graduation speech is sure to conclude to applause leaving you to celebrate yet another milestone achieved.

Analyzing Renowned Graduation Speeches for Inspiration

When crafting a commencement speech, it’s often helpful to look at the giants whose words have echoed through auditoriums and across campuses. Steve Jobs’ Stanford University Commencement Speech is a classic example of weaving life lessons into an address that connects deeply with graduates. Similarly, Oprah Winfrey’s Harvard University Commencement Address showed how stumbling blocks can become stepping stones if we learn from them.

Steve Jobs’ Storytelling Mastery

Jobs had a knack for turning personal anecdotes into universal truths. In his Stanford address, he shared three stories from his own life without sounding self-indulgent. These stories worked because each one carried a broader message relevant to every graduate: finding what you love, dealing with loss, and facing death head-on. Jobs famously urged students to “stay hungry, stay foolish,” encouraging them not just to pursue success but remain curious about life despite challenges. This advice is especially poignant for today’s graduating class.

Like Jobs, you too can craft narratives around moments that speak volumes about perseverance and passion.

Oprah’s Unflinching Honesty

Much like her television persona suggests, Oprah did not shy away from discussing her setbacks in front of Harvard’s graduating class. Instead, she confidently laid bare the challenges faced by anyone who dares greatly because failure is part of achieving greatness. As she reminded students, “It doesn’t matter how far you might rise… At some point you are bound to stumble.”

In doing so she forged an instant connection with listeners grappling with their fears about what the future holds post-graduation. It was a powerful reminder that even icons like Oprah are not immune to trials but emerge stronger through them.

The power behind these speeches lies not just in their content but also in their delivery. These speakers mastered the art of speaking confidently before crowds, maintaining eye contact, and conveying authenticity—techniques any speaker should aspire to replicate on graduation day.

Themes and Messages That Resonate with Graduates

Facing a sea of caps and gowns, the right words can turn a graduation ceremony from mundane to memorable. When crafting your commencement speech, focusing on themes like overcoming obstacles and perseverance connects deeply with graduates who have hurdled high school or college challenges.

Overcoming Obstacles

Talking about stumbling blocks is not just relatable; it’s inspirational. Think Steve Jobs at Stanford University or Oprah Winfrey at Harvard—both shared personal tales of setbacks turned into comebacks. Beyond simply telling their stories, they showed how those hurdles were stepping stones to success.

Weave your narrative around the potholes you’ve navigated during your high school years. This doesn’t mean airing every bit of dirty laundry, just highlighting that one significant moment where everything seemed against you yet failed to defeat you.

The Power of Perseverance

Perseverance is more than sticking to something—it’s pushing forward when every fiber wants to quit. It resonates because everyone, including your fellow graduates, has felt that urge to give up but chose to persevere instead.

Incorporate this theme by using vivid examples that mirror collective experiences—the all-nighters before exams or balancing sports stars ambitions with academics—to illustrate perseverance isn’t just an idea but lived reality for many students.

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Life Lessons Shared During Graduation Speeches

In addition to sharing content that fellow graduates will find relatable and inspirational, you should also consider sharing life lessons with your audience. Whether young or old, everyone has a unique perspective on life and sharing your wisdom can steer graduates toward a fulfilling path.

The Power of Kindness

Making a positive impact doesn’t require grand gestures; sometimes it’s found in small acts of kindness or an innovative idea that simplifies lives. This message sticks because everyone wants their work to mean something—to know they’ve left footprints on society’s vast canvas.

True Grit and Tenacity

Embracing failure and resilience is another powerful theme echoed by commencement speakers across podiums. Let’s face it; not all endeavors lead straight to success. But as Oprah Winfrey once said during her Harvard University commencement address, “It doesn’t matter how far you might rise… At some point, you are bound to stumble.” Her words remind us: How we pick ourselves up matters more than how we fall.

Making a Positive Impact

A graduating class stands poised on tomorrow’s threshold ready to mold history—and speeches should fuel this transformative fire within them. Memorable graduation speeches show individuals that ovation-worthy achievements are possible if you believe your actions count.

As you prepare your graduation speech, consider including one of these life lessons or one of your own. Don’t be afraid to share your hard-won insights to your fellow graduates—you just might inspire them to make history.

Celebrating Achievements and Acknowledging Contributions

Graduation is not just a ceremony. It’s a tribute to the academic achievements and extracurricular activities that have shaped students into who they are. The acknowledgment of teacher support and parental guidance also plays a pivotal role in these speeches, as they’re the scaffolding upon which student successes are built.

Academic Achievements, Extracurricular Activities

Acknowledging academic prowess goes beyond GPA scores or honor societies; it’s about highlighting unique intellectual journeys. Similarly, shining a light on extracurricular triumphs—be it sports stars setting records or artists winning competitions—adds depth to your speech. Remembering these moments isn’t merely recounting victories but celebrating the relentless spirit of your fellow graduates.

Diving deeper into personal anecdotes helps you connect with peers by reminding them of their growth through challenges faced together—from late-night study sessions to championship games. It’s these stories that make graduation memories stick with classmates long after commencement ends.

Teacher Support, Parental Guidance

The unsung heroes behind every graduate deserve their moment in your address too. Teachers’ dedication can turn classrooms into launch pads for dreams, while parents’ unwavering belief often fuels aspirations during tumultuous times like the pandemic.

In weaving tales of mentorship from teachers or wisdom imparted by parents, you remind everyone that success is rarely a solo act—it’s supported by many hands and hearts along the way. Celebrate this collective effort because each person has contributed uniquely to shaping graduating classes across America, including yours.

Common Issues in Writing and Delivering Graduation Speeches

Staring at a blank page as the clock ticks down to graduation day can rattle even the most seasoned speech writers. Overcoming writer’s block is about finding your message stick—the core idea that you want to leave with your peers. Remember, this isn’t just any talk; it’s one that marks a significant transition for both you and your audience.

Overcoming Writer’s Block

Finding yourself stumped on how to write a speech ? Don’t sweat it. Start by jotting down memories from school years or powerful life lessons that resonate. Think of Steve Jobs’ Stanford University commencement speech where he shared personal stories, which became an inspirational backbone for many other speeches.

If inspiration doesn’t strike immediately, step away from the computer. Take a walk and reflect on high school experiences or browse through commencement speeches archives—like Lin-Manuel Miranda’s address at the University of Pennsylvania. They might spark ideas you hadn’t considered yet.

Navigating Technical Troubles

A great speech can stumble over technical hiccups. To avoid glitches, check all equipment beforehand—a simple but crucial task often overlooked due to nerves or excitement about graduating class celebrations.

Prior rehearsals will also let you handle these issues like a pro should they pop up during delivery. Make sure any videos or slides complement rather than overshadow what you’re saying. After all, graduates aren’t there for bells and whistles—they’re there for meaningful words.

Handling Stage Fright

Your knees may shake thinking delivering in front of proud parents and peers—it’s no small feat, after all. Before you step on stage, visual your success until it feels more real and attainable.

And don’t forget to watch your body language. During your speech, maintain eye contact—not stare-downs—to connect genuinely with fellow students. And if anxiety creeps up despite practice sessions? Take deep breaths to steady yourself and keep going. You’ve handled high school—you can handle this.

FAQs on Writing and Delivering a Graduation Speech

What do i say in my graduation speech.

Share heartfelt stories, acknowledge support from others, and inspire your classmates to chase their dreams boldly.

How do you write a 3 minute graduation speech?

Keep it tight: hit the high notes with gratitude, shared memories, a dash of humor, and wrap up with punchy inspiration.

How do I start a graduation speech?

Kick off with thanks. Give props to family and mentors. Set the stage for reflecting on past adventures together.

What is the most important message of a graduation speech?

The core should spark hope—urge peers to leap into tomorrow equipped with lessons learned during these formative years.

Master your moment with a graduation speech that turns heads and warms hearts. Remember the power of gratitude and connect with your audience through stories, those shared adventures that bind you to your classmates. Don’t be afraid to add a few jokes and quotes to your speech either, as well as personal growth stories to inspire.

When you hit the stage, stand tall, make eye contact, and speak from your heart—the podium’s yours. If butterflies invade, breathe deep and know everyone’s rooting for you. Writer’s block didn’t stop you and neither will this.

Your graduation speech is not just words—it’s a battle cry for your graduating class as you prepare to conquer what lies ahead!

• Last Updated: March 5, 2024

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21 Best Graduation Speeches That Everyone Should Hear

Read life advice from Ree Drummond, Bill Gates, Oprah, and more!

Included in this list is the Pioneer Woman herself—Ree Drummond has witnessed her fair share of milestones with the Drummond kids and to top it off, she delivered an iconic keynote address at Oklahoma State University . Of course, who could forget Oprah Winfrey's speech to the class of 2020? In this heartfelt and emotional address, Winfrey encourages graduates to find their purpose in life and make a difference in the world. Those two are just a taste of what's to come. So, turn on the graduation songs , grab your tissues, and get ready for some solid life advice. Whether you're a recent graduate or just in need of a little pick-me-up, these speeches are sure to leave you feeling inspired and ready to take on whatever life throws your way.

Bill Gates: Northern Arizona University, 2023

Despite famously dropping out of Harvard after two years of study, Bill Gates shared a few pieces of advice he says he could have used at his hypothetical graduation. The Microsoft founder emphasized the importance of being open to career changes and learning to take a break.

"You are not a slacker if you cut yourself some slack. When I was your age, I didn’t believe in vacations. I didn’t believe in weekends. I pushed everyone around me to work very long hours. In the early days of Microsoft, my office overlooked the parking lot—and I would keep track of who was leaving early and staying late. But as I got older—and especially once I became a father—I realized there is more to life than work. Don’t wait as long as I did to learn this lesson. Take time to nurture your relationships, to celebrate your successes, and to recover from your losses."

Ree Drummond: Oklahoma State University, 2022

Ree hardly needs an introduction, but she knows a thing or two about life as a published author, Food Network host, and most importantly, mother of five.

"Buckle up, you have good times and rough seas ahead. It is just part of life, but enjoy the ride and laugh a lot... Life is about to unfold for you in all its forms. Love, heartache, accomplishments, disappointment, testing of faith... life is beautiful, so I repeat, buckle up and laugh along the way. It makes life fun."

Hamdi Ulukaya: Northeastern University, 2022

You may not know his name, but you might just love Chobani, the hugely successful yogurt brand Hamdi started. He reminded graduates why we are here on earth.

"As we started to grow, we hired everyone that we could. I realized an hour away there was a community of refugees who were having a hard time finding jobs. I said, 'Let's hire them.' I promise you that there is nothing more rewarding than showing up in the world for other people, no matter how hard it may be."

Dr. Marie Lynn Miranda: University of Notre Dame, 2021

As obvious as it sounds, you don't know what you don't know. That's the lesson from this acclaimed Notre Dame professor and environmental researcher.

"As much as I want to highlight the importance of the expertise you have developed, I also want to make the point that you will face situations in the years ahead where you will have no relevant expertise; you will have no evidence base to rely upon; your intellect will not be able to supply a needed answer. In those situations, I would like to suggest that you respond with love."

Oprah Winfrey: Class of 2020 Virtual Speech

Oprah had one of the hardest commencement speeches to give: it was for the class that graduated during the pandemic. She found a profound lesson in the chaos of those early months.

"Look who turns out to be essential! Teachers—your teachers!—healthcare workers of course, the people stocking grocery shelves, the cashiers, those who are caring for your grandparents, those who clean the places where we work and shop and carry out our daily lives. We are all here because they, at great and profound risk, are still providing their essential service. What will your essential service be? What really matters to you? How will you use what matters in service to yourself, your community, and the world?"

Tim Cook: Tulane University, 2019

Tim Cook took a similar approach to his late co-worker Steve Jobs when it came to the theme of his graduation speech.

"There's a saying that if you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life. At Apple, I learned that's a total crock. You'll work harder than you ever thought possible, but the tools will feel light in your hands. As you go out into the world, don't waste time on problems that have been solved... Look for the rough spots, the problems that seem too big, the complexities that other people are content to work around. It's in those places that you will find your purpose. It's there that you can make your greatest contribution."

Ken Burns: Stanford University, 2016

In his 2016 Stanford speech, America's most famous documentary filmmaker asked listeners not to forget the lessons found in our history.

"Be for something. Be curious, not cool. Feed your soul, too. Every day. Remember, insecurity makes liars of us all. Don't confuse success with excellence. Educate all of your parts. You will be healthier. Seek out—and have—mentors. Listen to them. Bite off more than you can chew. Do not get stuck in one place. Visit our national parks. Their sheer majesty may remind you of your own 'atomic insignificance,' as one observer noted, but in the inscrutable ways of nature, you will feel larger, inspirited, just as the egotist in our midst is diminished by his or her self-regard. Insist on heroes. And be one."

Sheryl Sandberg: UC Berkeley, 2016

The former COO of Facebook offered graduates a realistic look at the life ahead and how to move through the hard times. "Some of you have already experienced the kind of tragedy and hardship that leave an indelible mark. The question is not if some of these things will happen to you. They will. Today I want to talk about what happens next. The easy days ahead of you will be easy. It is the hard days—the times that challenge you to your very core—that will determine who you are. You will be defined not just by what you achieve but by how you survive."

Admiral William H. McRaven: University of Texas at Austin, 2014

During Admiral McRaven's speech at his alma mater, he looked to the lessons he learned serving his country. One of which was so simple, yet profoundly impactful.

"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... And, if by chance you have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that is made—that you made—and a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better."

George Saunders: Syracuse University, 2013

Bestselling author and professor George Saunders offered grads a guiding principle to move through life with, no matter what they pursue.

"Travel, get rich, get famous, innovate, lead, fall in love, make and lose fortunes, swim naked in wild jungle rivers (after first having it tested for monkey poop)—but as you do, to the extent that you can, err in the direction of kindness. Do those things that incline you toward the big questions, and avoid the things that would reduce you and make you trivial. That luminous part of you that exists beyond personality—your soul, if you will—is as bright and shining as any that has ever been."

Kerry Washington: George Washington University, 2013

Actress Kerry Washington told graduates to think of this achievement during the difficult or uncomfortable parts of life.

"The lesson is that you're here because you too learned how to answer the call. You don't earn a degree by doing and being and existing in the comfort zone of what you already know. 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."

Neil Gaiman: University of the Arts, 2012

Neil wasn't always an acclaimed author of fiction, comic books, graphic novels, nonfiction, and films. His speech may have been given to a group of young artists, but the advice applies to anyone starting out in a turbulent career.

"People who know what they are doing know the rules, and they know what is possible and what is impossible. You do not. And you should not. The rules on what is possible and impossible in the arts were made by people who had not tested the bounds of the possible by going beyond them. And you can. If you don't know it's impossible, it's easier to do. And because nobody's done it before, they haven't made up rules to stop anyone doing that particular thing again."

Aaron Sorkin: Syracuse University, 2012

Aaron has carved an incredible career writing plays, movies, and television shows, but success clearly hasn't impacted his sense of humility.

"Decisions are made by those who show up. Don't ever forget that you're a citizen of this world. Don't ever forget that you're a citizen of this world, and there are things you can do to lift the human spirit, things that are easy, things that are free, things that you can do every day: civility, respect, kindness, character."

Atul Gawande: Williams College, 2012

Being a surgeon means you have to think on your feet when things go wrong, and for Dr. Gawande, that holds an immense life lesson.

"A failure often does not have to be a failure at all. However, you have to be ready for it. Will you admit when things go wrong? Will you take steps to set them right? Because the difference between triumph and defeat, you'll find, isn't about willingness to take risks. It's about mastery of rescue."

Conan O'Brien: Dartmouth College, 2011

This famous late-night host delivered a hilarious graduation speech riddled with stories, each with their own lesson.

"David Letterman wanted to be Johnny Carson and was not, and as a result, my generation of comedians wanted to be David Letterman. And none of us are—my peers and I have all missed that mark in a thousand different ways. But the point is this: It is our failure to become our perceived ideal that ultimately defines us and makes us unique. It's not easy, but if you accept your misfortune and handle it right, your perceived failure can be a catalyst for profound re-invention."

Steve Jobs: Stanford University, 2005

The entrepreneur, inventor, and pioneer of the personal computer revolution had his fair share of ups and downs in life. But one of the things that made him so persistent was his love of technology.

"You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it."

Toni Morrison: Wellesley College, 2004

Toni Morrison disputed the usual platitude that youth is the best time of your life. Instead, she told students that there is nothing more satisfying or gratifying than the true adulthood which stretches out before them. "What is now known is not all that you are capable of knowing. You are your own stories and therefore free to imagine and experience what it means to be human without wealth. What it feels like to be human without domination over others, without reckless arrogance, without fear of others unlike you, without rotating, rehearsing and reinventing the hatreds you learned in the sandbox. And although you don't have complete control over the narrative (no author does, I can tell you), you could nevertheless create it."

Bill Gates: Harvard University, 2007

Who wouldn't take the Microsoft founder's advice?

"In line with the promise of this age, I want to exhort each of the graduates here to take on an issue—a complex problem, a deep inequity, and become a specialist on it. If you make it the focus of your career, that would be phenomenal. But you don't have to do that to make an impact... don't let complexity stop you. Be activists. Take on big inequities. I feel sure it will be one of the great experiences of your lives."

Nora Ephron: Wellesley College, 1996

When Nora Ephron wasn't reporting, she was writing some of our most beloved romantic comedies. She reassured grads that they will always continue to change and grow.

"What are you going to do? Everything is my guess. It will be a little messy but embrace the mess. It will be complicated but rejoice in the complications. It will not be anything like what you think it's going to be like, but surprises are good for you. And don't be frightened. You can always change your mind. I know. I've had four careers and three husbands. And this is something else I want to tell you, one of the hundreds of things I didn't know when I was sitting here so many years ago: you are not going to be you, fixed and immutable you, forever."

Barbara Kingsolver: DePauw University, 1994

The sentiment of Barbara Kingsolver's speech resonates today just as much as it did in 1994.

"I'm going to go out on a limb here and give you one little piece of advice and that is like the idea of a future. Believe you have it in you to make the world look better rather than worse seven generations from now. Figure out what that could look like. And then if you're lucky, you'll find a way to live inside that hope, running down its hallways, touching the walls on both sides."

Micaela Bahn is a freelance editorial assistant and recent graduate from Carleton College, where she majored in English literature. She loves running, photography, and cooking the best new recipes.

Nitya Rao is the editorial assistant at The Pioneer Woman, covering stories ranging from food, fashion, beauty, lifestyle, news, and more.

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10 Inspirational Quotes for Graduation Speeches

Introduction

Graduation is a time of celebration and reflection. It marks the end of one chapter and the beginning of another. As graduates embark on their new journey, it is important to remember the lessons learned and the values that have been instilled in them. To help inspire and motivate graduates, here are 10 inspirational quotes for graduation speeches. These quotes will help to remind graduates of the importance of hard work, perseverance, and resilience . They will also serve as a reminder of the power of positive thinking and the importance of having a positive attitude. With these quotes, graduates can be reminded of the importance of setting goals and striving to reach them.

How to Use Inspirational Quotes to Make a Memorable Graduation Speech

Graduation is a time of celebration and reflection. It’s a time to look back on the past and look forward to the future. As a graduation speaker, you have the opportunity to inspire and motivate your audience with your words. One way to do this is to use inspirational quotes in your speech.

Quotes can be a powerful way to convey a message. They can be used to emphasize a point, to provide a different perspective, or to add a bit of humor. When used correctly, quotes can make your speech more memorable and impactful.

Here are some tips for using inspirational quotes in your graduation speech:

1. Choose quotes that are relevant to your message.

When selecting quotes, make sure they are relevant to the message you are trying to convey. Choose quotes that will resonate with your audience and that will help to illustrate your point.

2. Use quotes from a variety of sources.

Don’t just rely on quotes from famous people. Consider using quotes from books, movies, songs, or even from your own life experiences. This will help to make your speech more unique and memorable.

3. Keep the quotes short and to the point.

Quotes should be short and to the point. Longer quotes can be difficult to remember and can take away from the impact of your message.

4. Use quotes to emphasize a point.

Quotes can be used to emphasize a point or to provide a different perspective. Use quotes to add depth and meaning to your speech.

5. Use quotes to add a bit of humor.

Quotes can also be used to add a bit of humor to your speech. Choose quotes that will make your audience laugh and that will help to lighten the mood.

Using inspirational quotes in your graduation speech can help to make it more memorable and impactful. Choose quotes that are relevant to your message and that will resonate with your audience. Use quotes to emphasize a point, to provide a different perspective, or to add a bit of humor. With the right quotes, you can create a speech that will leave a lasting impression on your audience.

10 Inspirational Quotes to Help You Achieve Your Dreams

1. “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

2. “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” – Winston Churchill

3. “If you can dream it, you can do it.” – Walt Disney

4. “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” – Steve Jobs

5. “Successful people do what unsuccessful people are not willing to do. Don’t wish it were easier; wish you were better.” – Jim Rohn

6. “The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt

7. “If you want to achieve greatness, stop asking for permission.” – Anonymous

8. “The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.” – Alan Watts

9. “Successful people are not gifted; they just work hard, then succeed on purpose.” – G.K. Nielson

10. “The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Power of Inspirational Quotes to Inspire Graduates

Graduation is a time of celebration and reflection. It marks the end of one chapter and the beginning of another. As graduates embark on their next journey, it is important to remember that success is not always easy. It requires hard work, dedication, and perseverance.

Inspirational quotes can be a great source of motivation and encouragement for graduates. They can provide a much-needed boost of confidence and remind graduates that anything is possible. Here are some of the most inspiring quotes to help graduates stay motivated and inspired:

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” – Winston Churchill

“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” – C.S. Lewis

“The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” – Steve Jobs

“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success.” – Albert Schweitzer

“The best way to predict the future is to create it.” – Abraham Lincoln

“If you can dream it, you can do it.” – Walt Disney

“The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt

“Success is not a destination, it’s a journey.” – Zig Ziglar

These inspirational quotes can help graduates stay focused and motivated as they embark on their next journey. They can provide a much-needed boost of confidence and remind graduates that anything is possible. As graduates move forward, these quotes can serve as a reminder that success is within reach.

How to Choose the Right Inspirational Quote for Your Graduation Speech

Graduation speeches are a time to reflect on the past and look forward to the future. An inspirational quote can be a great way to set the tone for your speech and motivate your audience. When choosing the right quote for your graduation speech, there are a few things to consider.

First, think about the message you want to convey. What themes are you focusing on in your speech? Are you talking about resilience, hard work, or the importance of education? Choose a quote that reflects the message you want to share.

Second, consider the audience. Who will be listening to your speech? Are you speaking to a group of high school seniors, college graduates, or a mix of both? Choose a quote that resonates with your audience.

Third, think about the tone of your speech. Are you trying to be humorous, serious, or inspirational? Choose a quote that reflects the tone of your speech.

Finally, make sure the quote is appropriate for the occasion. Avoid quotes that are too long or too obscure. Choose a quote that is meaningful and memorable.

By taking the time to consider these factors, you can choose the perfect inspirational quote for your graduation speech. Good luck!

The Impact of Inspirational Quotes on Graduates

As graduates, we are often faced with the challenge of finding the motivation to keep going and to stay focused on our goals. Inspirational quotes can be a great source of encouragement and can help us to stay on track.

Inspirational quotes can provide us with the motivation and courage to take on new challenges and to keep striving for success. They can also help us to stay positive and to remember that no matter how difficult things may seem, there is always a way to make things better.

Inspirational quotes can also help us to stay focused on our goals and to remember why we are working so hard. They can remind us of our dreams and of the importance of staying true to ourselves. They can also help us to stay motivated and to keep pushing forward, even when things seem impossible.

Finally, inspirational quotes can help us to stay connected to our peers and to the larger community. They can remind us that we are not alone in our struggles and that there are others who are going through similar experiences. This can be a great source of comfort and can help us to stay connected to our peers and to the larger community.

In conclusion, inspirational quotes can be a great source of motivation and encouragement for graduates. They can help us to stay focused on our goals, to stay positive, and to stay connected to our peers and to the larger community. So, if you are feeling overwhelmed or discouraged, take a few moments to read some inspirational quotes and remember why you are working so hard.

10 Inspirational Quotes to Help You Reach Your Goals

1. “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” – Walt Disney 2. “If you want to achieve greatness, stop asking for permission.” – Anonymous 3. “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” – Eleanor Roosevelt 4. “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” – Winston Churchill 5. “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” – Steve Jobs 6. “If you can dream it, you can do it.” – Walt Disney 7. “Successful people do what unsuccessful people are not willing to do. Don’t wish it were easier; wish you were better.” – Jim Rohn 8. “The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt 9. “If you want to achieve something, you must be willing to work for it.” – Anonymous 10. “Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” – Albert Schweitzer

The Benefits of Using Inspirational Quotes in Graduation Speeches

Graduation speeches are a time to celebrate the accomplishments of the graduating class and to offer words of wisdom and encouragement for the future. One way to make a graduation speech memorable is to include inspirational quotes. Quotes can be used to emphasize a point, to provide a different perspective, or to add a touch of humor. Here are some of the benefits of using inspirational quotes in graduation speeches.

1. Quotes Offer a Different Perspective

Inspirational quotes can provide a different perspective on a topic or issue. They can help to broaden the scope of the speech and provide a unique way of looking at things. Quotes can also be used to illustrate a point or to provide a different way of looking at a situation.

2. Quotes Can Help to Motivate

Inspirational quotes can be used to motivate and inspire the graduating class. Quotes can be used to encourage the graduates to pursue their dreams and to strive for success. Quotes can also be used to remind the graduates of the importance of hard work and dedication.

3. Quotes Can Add Humor

Quotes can be used to add a touch of humor to a graduation speech. Quotes can be used to lighten the mood and to make the speech more enjoyable for the audience. Quotes can also be used to make a point in a humorous way.

4. Quotes Can Help to Make a Speech Memorable

Quotes can be used to make a graduation speech more memorable. Quotes can be used to emphasize a point or to provide a different perspective on a topic. Quotes can also be used to make the speech more interesting and engaging.

Using inspirational quotes in a graduation speech can be a great way to make the speech more memorable and to motivate and inspire the graduating class. Quotes can be used to provide a different perspective, to add humor, and to emphasize a point. By using quotes in a graduation speech, the speaker can make the speech more memorable and engaging.

How to Craft an Inspiring Graduation Speech with Inspirational Quotes

Graduation is a time of celebration and reflection. It marks the end of one chapter and the beginning of another. As a graduating student, you have the opportunity to share your experiences and offer words of wisdom to your peers. Crafting an inspiring graduation speech can be a daunting task, but with the right preparation and a few inspirational quotes, you can create a memorable speech that will leave a lasting impression.

1. Start with a Story

Stories are powerful tools for connecting with an audience. Start your speech by sharing a personal story that resonates with your peers. It could be a story about a challenge you faced and overcame, or a moment of triumph that you experienced. This will help to engage your audience and set the tone for the rest of your speech.

2. Choose Your Quotes Wisely

Quotes can be a great way to add depth and meaning to your speech. Choose quotes that are relevant to your story and that will resonate with your peers. Consider quotes from famous figures, authors, or even your own peers.

3. Offer Advice

Your peers are likely looking to you for advice and guidance. Offer words of wisdom that will help them as they embark on their next journey. Share advice that you have found to be helpful in your own life, and encourage your peers to take risks and pursue their dreams.

4. End on a Positive Note

Your speech should leave your peers feeling inspired and motivated. End your speech on a positive note by sharing a quote or a story that will leave them feeling hopeful and excited for the future.

Graduation is a time to celebrate and reflect on the past. With the right preparation and a few inspirational quotes, you can craft an inspiring graduation speech that will leave a lasting impression on your peers. Use stories, quotes, and advice to create a memorable speech that will help your peers as they embark on their next journey.

The Role of Inspirational Quotes in Motivating Graduates

Graduation is a time of great excitement and anticipation for many students. It marks the end of a long journey of hard work and dedication, and the beginning of a new chapter in life. As graduates prepare to embark on their next adventure, it is important to stay motivated and inspired. Inspirational quotes can be a great source of motivation and encouragement during this time.

Inspirational quotes can provide graduates with the motivation they need to stay focused and keep pushing forward. They can help to remind graduates of their goals and dreams, and provide them with the courage and determination to pursue them. Quotes can also help to remind graduates of the importance of hard work and perseverance. They can provide a source of inspiration and hope, and help to keep graduates motivated and on track.

Inspirational quotes can also help to remind graduates of the importance of self-care. Graduates often face a lot of stress and pressure during this time, and it is important to take care of themselves. Quotes can help to remind graduates to take time for themselves and to focus on their mental and physical health. They can also help to remind graduates to stay positive and to focus on the good things in life.

Finally, inspirational quotes can help to remind graduates of the importance of staying connected to their roots. Graduates often move away from home and start a new life, and it is important to stay connected to their family and friends. Quotes can help to remind graduates to stay in touch with their loved ones and to never forget where they came from.

Inspirational quotes can be a great source of motivation and encouragement for graduates. They can help to remind graduates of their goals and dreams, the importance of hard work and perseverance, the importance of self-care, and the importance of staying connected to their roots. As graduates embark on their next adventure, inspirational quotes can be a great source of motivation and inspiration.

How to Use Inspirational Quotes to Connect with Your Audience During a Graduation Speech

Graduation speeches are a time to celebrate the accomplishments of the graduating class and to inspire them to continue to strive for success. One way to make a graduation speech more meaningful and memorable is to use inspirational quotes. Quotes can be used to emphasize a point, to illustrate a concept, or to provide a moment of reflection. Here are some tips for using inspirational quotes to connect with your audience during a graduation speech.

When selecting quotes for your speech, make sure they are relevant to the message you are trying to convey. Choose quotes that will resonate with your audience and that will help to illustrate your point.

2. Use quotes to emphasize a point.

Quotes can be used to emphasize a point or to provide a moment of reflection. For example, if you are talking about the importance of hard work, you could use a quote from Thomas Edison that says, “Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.”

3. Use quotes to illustrate a concept.

Quotes can also be used to illustrate a concept or to provide a moment of inspiration. For example, if you are talking about the importance of following your dreams, you could use a quote from Walt Disney that says, “If you can dream it, you can do it.”

4. Use quotes to provide a moment of reflection.

Quotes can also be used to provide a moment of reflection. For example, if you are talking about the importance of taking risks, you could use a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt that says, “Do one thing every day that scares you.”

Using inspirational quotes in your graduation speech can help to make it more meaningful and memorable. Quotes can be used to emphasize a point, to illustrate a concept, or to provide a moment of reflection. By choosing quotes that are relevant to your message and that will resonate with your audience, you can use them to connect with your audience and to inspire them to strive for success.

Graduation is a time to celebrate the accomplishments of the past and look forward to the future. These 10 inspirational quotes for graduation speeches can help to inspire and motivate graduates to reach their goals and make the most of their lives. No matter what the future holds, these quotes can help to remind graduates that they have the power to make their dreams come true. Congratulations to all the graduates!

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Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington and Daniel Trotta in Carlsbad, California Editing by Shri Navaratnam

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Kanishka Singh is a breaking news reporter for Reuters in Washington DC, who primarily covers US politics and national affairs in his current role. His past breaking news coverage has spanned across a range of topics like the Black Lives Matter movement; the US elections; the 2021 Capitol riots and their follow up probes; the Brexit deal; US-China trade tensions; the NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan; the COVID-19 pandemic; and a 2019 Supreme Court verdict on a religious dispute site in his native India.

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