Memorable Graduation Advice From the Stars29 of 38
Oprah Winfrey to Spelman College's Class of 2012:
"The three things that I want to leave with you … just these three things will carry you, if you let them. First and foremost, knowing who you are. I'm not asking for the roles that you play … I'm asking the bigger question of: Who am I? Who am I really? And what do I want?
You must have some kind of vision for your life. Even if you don't know the plan, you have to have a direction in which you choose to go. I never was the kind of woman who liked to get in the car and just go for a ride … I want to know: Where are we going? Do we have a destination? Is there a plan or are we just riding? What I've learned is that's a great metaphor for life. You want to be in the driver's seat of your own life because, if you're not, then life will drive you.
No. 2: You must find a way to serve … We live in a world where everybody wants to be famous and where we admire people for just being famous. We think being known brings us value. The truth is, all of that will fade in time … If you look at all the most successful people in the world, whether they know it or not, they have that paradigm of service. Service and significance equal success.
No. 3 is so simple but so hard to do: Always do the right thing. Always. Be excellent. People notice. Doing the right thing, even when nobody knows you're doing the right thing, will always bring the right things to you. I promise you that."
"The three things that I want to leave with you … just these three things will carry you, if you let them. First and foremost, knowing who you are. I'm not asking for the roles that you play … I'm asking the bigger question of: Who am I? Who am I really? And what do I want?
You must have some kind of vision for your life. Even if you don't know the plan, you have to have a direction in which you choose to go. I never was the kind of woman who liked to get in the car and just go for a ride … I want to know: Where are we going? Do we have a destination? Is there a plan or are we just riding? What I've learned is that's a great metaphor for life. You want to be in the driver's seat of your own life because, if you're not, then life will drive you.
No. 2: You must find a way to serve … We live in a world where everybody wants to be famous and where we admire people for just being famous. We think being known brings us value. The truth is, all of that will fade in time … If you look at all the most successful people in the world, whether they know it or not, they have that paradigm of service. Service and significance equal success.
No. 3 is so simple but so hard to do: Always do the right thing. Always. Be excellent. People notice. Doing the right thing, even when nobody knows you're doing the right thing, will always bring the right things to you. I promise you that."
PeopleOprah Winfrey
Photo by Rick Diamond - © 2012 Getty Images - Image courtesy gettyimages.com