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Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld 1794-1872 Ein stehender und ein sitzender männlicher Akt.005
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“Commencement words 2012” —
Madeleine Albright
…today stability is an alien concept…be grateful because the quest to learn more is a vital part of what it means to be alive.
Geoffrey Canada
…the team that rallies us around the common good, that emphasizes self-sacrifice and altruism, is losing. Their team, the team that says “every man for himself,” that makes us turn our back on the poor, feel no empathy, that feeds off of our vulnerabilities, our insecurities, our personal demons and prejudices, is winning. Their team is winning, our team is losing, and yet I offer you a wondrous opportunity, to join the losing team. …
Ronan Farrow
…qualities of youthful recklessness—they give us the power to achieve incredible things, whether in our careers, in public service, in our communities, or around the world. …every day all of us, young and old, are challenged by limits, expectations, boundaries, bigotry. And confronting those forces will take a willingness on our part to make waves, break down old standards, and make some of our elders uncomfortable.
Leymah R. Gbowee
…everyday heroes and “sheroes.” They are the ones who are symbols of hope. They are the only ones who can extract a smile from a mother who has no idea where she will get money for medication and money for food…It is my hope and prayer that the dreams of changing the world that many of you had in your head when you left high school and entered college will still be the driving force and passion as you deliver services in whatever field you have been called to impact.
Steve Karmen
…even after I became a successful composer, I could never quite shake the feeling that my path had been a disappointment to my mother—my dad had already passed—and for years I was constantly plagued by the need to achieve something that would win my mother’s approval. …If your parents support your dreams, say thank you. Over and over and over again. And if they don’t? Well, you’ll just have to show them, won’t you? You’ll just have to do it yourself, won’t you? That gets you there, too.
Kay Krill
The path was paved for all of you by the many assertive, smart, passionate women who wanted to make a difference, who wanted to contribute, who had great talent. There are many women who have added tremendous value to the world we live in, and I ask all of you to continue building that path. Speak out, have a voice, share your opinions and ideas. The world needs to listen more to smart, insightful women.
Jim Lehrer
We should acknowledge the right of other people to disagree with us. We should acknowledge the possibility that, sometimes—yes, maybe rare times, but sometimes—we might even be wrong. Strange as it may seem, also, we might learn more from listening, at times, than from talking—and more from talking than from shouting…Please don’t mistake what is happening here today. The fact that you are receiving a diploma from one of America’s finest institutions of higher learning it does not mean you are educated. Some of the dumbest people I know received diplomas from esteemed institutions of higher learning.They took that diploma in their hot little hands and never read another book, never considered another fresh or new idea, and—most tragically for their society and country—never again paid attention to much of anything other than themselves, much of anything that wasn’t happening around them or to others.
Please, please, please do not do that.
Bill Nye
The key to our future is…to find ways to do more with less…If you can invent a better battery, one that can store more energy with less exotic metals, one that could handle the heat without loss of performance or just plain catching on fire, you would change the world. …On the earth, nothing we throw away goes away. It’s a problem we’ve ignored for the most part. It may be an opportunity for some industrialist to, I’m not kidding, change the world.
Eric Schmidt
Life is not a series of status updates. Life is about who you love, how you live, it’s about who you travel through the world with. Your family, your collaborators, your friends. Life is a social experience first, and the best aspects of that experience are not lonely ones—they are spent in the company of others. Our landscape has changed, yes, but our humanity will always remain, and that, above all else, is what makes us who we are.
Don Shalvey
…a few lessons I’ve learned since my graduation:
Lesson 1. Experience disappointment and disillusionment early in your career. … Disappointment gives you wisdom.
Lesson 2. Make excellent mistakes. Work for someone who will let you fail so you’ll learn to embrace the learning that only comes from failure. …
Lesson 3. A great workplace isn’t fancy technology, lattes, health care, sushi lunches, nice offices, or big compensation, but rather it’s stunning colleagues. …
Lesson 4. Remember either you’re networking or you’re not working. Everyone you meet offers lessons in life, insight, and endless possibilities.
Lesson 5. Don’t wait for Superman, or Wonder Woman, or Spiderman, or all the Avengers, for that matter. Believe in the power of local heroes like your parents, neighbors, coaches, farmers, and the like. …
Lesson 6. When given the choice of doing well or doing good, choose doing good.
Lesson 7. People will tell you to make a plan, get a plan, have someone help you design a plan. Take it from me, there is no plan. … Trust the direction your heart sends you. Take a pass on the plan.
Ruth J. Simmons
Your education places a heavy burden upon you to use your knowledge to benefit society. And that burden is not limited to what you do in your laboratory or in your practice, in the classroom or the boardroom. It extends to where you are at every moment of your life.
Fareed Zakaria
We gain five hours of life expectance every day. Think about that—without even exercising. The reality is that medicine has produced almost unimaginable progress…The data goes on, and you could look at and cut it any way you like. You look at the number of college graduates we will have globally. It has risen fourfold in the last four decades for men. It has risen sevenfold for women. If you are wondering whether women are in fact smarter than men, the evidence now is overwhelming: The answer is yes.
(Source: intheflowersss)