It’s that time of year when universities let out and new classes of graduates are thrown into the “real” world. Commencement speeches are given by distinguished guests who impart inspirational and reassuring words to graduates.
I enjoy reading these speeches because they bring me fond memories of my college graduation as well as give me a renewed sense of optimism for the future. Here is an excerpt from San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom’s speech to San Francisco State University this year. I don’t think he will be asked to make this same speech at next year’s freshman orientation.
What is the secret of all success? Winston Churchill, he said it was moving from failure to failure with enthusiasm. …Guys like Elvis Presley and Michael Jordan, Dr. Seuss, Henry Ford — if you don’t know him you probably drive one of his automobiles — all of them had failure in common.
Jordan was literally rejected from his high school basketball team. Michael Jordan wasn’t good enough. That guy Churchill finished last in his class. … Henry Ford went bankrupt not once, not twice — three, four, five times went bankrupt. Dr. Seuss tried to publish that darn green eggs and whatever ham, not once — five, ten, fifteen, twenty, twenty-three times he was rejected. Until a publisher finally said, “All right, what the heck do I have to lose?” And Elvis Presley got an F in music.
The most poignant speech I ever read was sent to me by my mother. It was delivered by Jodie Foster to the graduating class of 2006 at the University of Pennsylvania. My mom jotted a little note on the side of the speech which read, “…you may have to put on a few years to really see the truth in it.” Two years later, I am starting to see and believe that truth.
You pick up bits and pieces of treasure and trash, pain and pleasure, passions and disappointments, and you start throwing them in your bag, your big bag of experience. You do some dumb things that don’t work out at all. You stumble excitedly on little gems that you never saw coming. And you stuff them all in your bag. You pursue the things you love and believe in. You cast off the images of yourself that don’t fit. And suddenly you look behind you and a pattern emerges.
You look in front of you and the path makes sense. 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 know, waiting for you to become. This path does not belong to your parents, your teachers, your leaders, your lovers. Your path is your character defining itself more and more every day, like a photograph coming into focus.
-Jodie Foster
