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Graduation is a milestone in most people’s lives, and the ceremony is like the cherry on top of a life achievement sundae. Please enjoy some of these inspiring and hilarious commencement speeches of 2014, given by the movers and shakers of today.
1. JIM CARREY – ACTOR
Maharishi University of Management, Fairfield, Iowa
WORDS TO REMEMBER: "As you walk through those doors today, you will only have two choices: love or fear. Choose love, and don’t ever let fear turn you against your playful heart."
2. JOHN LEGEND – MUSICIAN
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Pennsylvania
WORDS TO REMEMBER: "The key to success, the key to happiness, is opening your mind and your heart to love. Spending your time doing things you love and with people you love."
3. BILL NYE - SCIENTIST, ENGINEER, COMEDIAN, AUTHOR, INVENTOR
University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell Massachusetts
WORDS TO REMEMBER: “Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don’t. Respect their knowledge and learn from them. It will bring out the best in all of you.”
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4. JOSÉ ANDRÉS - CHEF
George Washington University, Washington D. C.
WORDS TO REMEMBER: "If things don’t go as expected, make the unexpected work in your favor. Change the name of the dish!"
5. CHARLIE DAY - ACTOR, SCREENWRITER
Merrimack College, North Andover, Massachusetts
WORDS TO REMEMBER: "You don't have to be fearless, just don't let fear stop you."
6. MADELINE ALBRIGHT – POLITICIAN, DIPLOMAT
Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania
WORDS TO REMEMBER: "I hope that you will go forward with confidence, despite the burdens handed down to you by others; that you will employ your talents to keep pace with technology—while remembering that there is no technological answer to the questions that matter most; that you will take pride in who you are, but leave room for the pride of others; and that by your actions, you will each add luster to Dickinson’s name—and to your own."
7. JIMMY PAGE – MUSICIAN
Berklee College of Music , Boston Massachusetts
WORDS TO REMEMBER: "Music has so much power across so many avenues. To be in a position where you've done the thing that you're pretty much best at, which is making music, and bringing joy and pleasure to other people, it can't really be much better than that, can it? I pass that on to all of you."
8. MINDY KALING – ACTRESS, COMEDIENNE, WRITER
Harvard Law, Cambridge Massuchesetts
WORDS TO REMEMBER: "You form the foundation of our day-to-day lives. A lot of you will become the quiet heroes of our country. ... Understand that one day you will have the power to make a difference, so use it well."
