The 23 Greatest Commencement Speeches of All Time

A Navy admiral's bed-making advice goes up against a novelist's quiet sermon on attention and a comedian's lesson in public failure. Funny, raw or wise, every one of these got passed around long after the caps were thrown.

1. 1
   Steve Jobs, Stanford 2005

   Jobs's "Stay hungry, stay foolish" address, built on three stories about connecting the dots, love and loss, and death.
   1000pts
2. 2
   Robert De Niro, Tisch 2015

   De Niro's blunt welcome to a life of rejection for NYU's arts graduates.
   603pts
3. 3
   Conan O'Brien, Dartmouth 2011

   A comic speech that turned his Tonight Show exit into a lesson about failure and reinvention.
   586pts
4. 4
   William McRaven, Texas 2014

   The Navy SEAL admiral's "If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed" speech at UT Austin.
   586pts
5. 5
   Ellen DeGeneres, Tulane 2009

   Ellen's speech in post-Katrina New Orleans about being true to yourself.
   586pts
6. 6
   Jeff Bezos, Princeton 2010

   The "We are our choices" talk on the difference between gifts and choices.
   541pts
7. 7
   Taylor Swift, NYU 2022

   Swift's Yankee Stadium address on making mistakes, cringe and stepping into adulthood.
   532pts
8. 8
   Aaron Sorkin, Syracuse 2012

   The screenwriter's sharp advice to his alma mater on failure and doing the work.
   532pts
9. 9
   David Foster Wallace, Kenyon 2005

   The "This Is Water" speech about choosing what to pay attention to in everyday adult life.
   469pts
10. 10
    Matthew McConaughey, Houston 2015

    McConaughey's thirteen rules for life, delivered at the University of Houston.
    469pts
11. 11
    Oprah Winfrey, Harvard 2013

    Oprah on the lessons of her OWN network's rocky start and finding your true path.
    469pts
12. 12
    Stephen Colbert, Northwestern 2011

    Colbert's speech on improv, service and serving others as the path to fulfilment.
    397pts
13. 13
    Jim Carrey, MUM 2014

    Carrey's Maharishi University of Management talk on choosing love over fear.
    397pts
14. 14
    Denzel Washington, Penn 2011

    The "Fall forward" speech urging graduates to take risks and learn from failure.
    397pts
15. 15
    Tom Hanks, Harvard 2023

    Hanks's call for graduates to be among those who choose truth and the American ideal.
    313pts
16. 16
    Chadwick Boseman, Howard 2018

    Boseman's return to his alma mater with a call to embrace purpose over a career.
    313pts
17. 17
    Tim Minchin, UWA 2013

    Minchin's nine life lessons, from not chasing dreams to respecting teachers.
    313pts
18. 18
    Bill Gates, Harvard 2007

    The famous dropout returned for his degree and urged graduates to take on the world's worst inequities.
    313pts
19. 19
    J.K. Rowling, Harvard 2008

    Rowling's talk on the fringe benefits of failure and the importance of imagination.
    313pts
20. 20
    Natalie Portman, Harvard 2015

    Portman on insecurity, impostor feelings and how inexperience can be an asset.
    313pts
21. 21
    Abby Wambach, Barnard 2018

    The soccer star's "Wolfpack" speech on leading and demanding what you are worth.
    313pts
22. 22
    Sheryl Sandberg, Berkeley 2016

    Sandberg's first public reflections on grief and resilience after her husband's death.
    213pts
23. 23
    Will Ferrell, USC 2017

    Ferrell's mix of comedy and sincerity about fear and persistence, ending with a song.
    0pts

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