put God first put God first in
everything you do everything that you
think you see in me everything that I’ve
accomplished everything that you think I
have and I have a few things everything
that I have is by the grace of God
understand that it’s a gift 40 years ago
March 27 1975 it was 40 years ago
just this past March I was flunking out
of college at a 1.7 grade point average
I hope none of you can relate at a 1.7
grade point average I was sitting in my
mother’s beauty shop they still call it
beauty shops now what they call it yeah
I’ll sit in the beauty parlor I was
sitting in my mother’s beauty parlor and
I’m looking in the mirror and I see
behind me this woman under the dryer and
every time she looked up she every time
I looked up she was looking at me just
look at me in the eye I didn’t know who
she was and I said you know she said
somebody give me a pen give me a pen so
I have a prophecy March 27 1975 she said
boy you were gonna travel the world and
speak to millions of people now mind you
I flunked out of college I’m thinking
about joining the army I didn’t know
what I was gonna do and she’s telling me
I’m gonna travel the world and speak to
millions of people well I have traveled
the world and I have spoke to millions
of people but that’s not the most
important thing the success that I had
the most important thing is that what
she taught me and what she told me that
day has stayed with me since I’ve been
protected I’ve been directed I’ve been
corrected I’ve kept God in my life and
has kept me humble I didn’t always stick
with him but he always stuck with me so
stick with them in everything you do if
you think you want to do what you think
I’ve done then do what I’ve done and
stick with God number two
fail big that’s right fail big today’s
the beginning of the rest of your life
and it can be couldn’t be very
frightening it’s a new world out there
it’s a mean world out there and you only
live once so do what you feel passionate
about passionate about take chances
professionally don’t be afraid to fail
there’s an old IQ test was nine dots and
you had to draw five lines with a pencil
within these nine dots without lifting
the pencil the only way to do it was to
go outside the box so don’t be afraid to
go outside the box don’t be afraid to
think outside the box don’t be afraid to
fail big to dream big but remember
dreams without goals are just dreams and
they ultimately fuel disappointment so
have dreams but have goals life goals
yearly goals monthly goals daily goals I
try to give myself a goal every day
sometimes just to not curse somebody out
simple goals but have goals and
understand that to achieve these goals
you must apply discipline and
consistency in order to achieve your
goals you must apply discipline which
you were already done and consistency
every day not just want to Z and miss a
few days you have to work at it every
day you have to plan every day you’ve
heard the saying we don’t plan to fail
we fail to plan hard work works working
really hard is what successful people do
and in this
text tweet torque world that you’ve
grown up in remember just because you’re
doing a lot more doesn’t mean you’re
getting a lot more done remember that
just because you’re doing a lot more
doesn’t mean you’re getting a lot more
done don’t confuse movement with
progress my mother told me yeah yeah cuz
you can run in place all the time and
never get anywhere so continue to strive
continue to have goals continue to
progress number three you’ll never see a
u-haul behind a hearse I’ll say it again
you’ll never see a u-haul behind a
hearse I don’t care how much money you
make you can’t take it with you the
Egyptians tried it they got robbed as
all they got you can’t take it with you
with you and it’s not how much you have
it’s what you do with what you have we
all have different talents some of you
will be doctors some lawyers some
scientists some educators some nurses
some teachers yeah okay some preachers
the most selfish thing you can do in
this world is help someone else why is
it selfish because the gratification the
goodness that comes to you the good
feeling the good feeling that I get from
helping others nothing’s better than
that well one or two things but
nothing’s better than that not not
jewelry not big house I have not two
cars but it’s the joy that’s where the
joy is in helping others that’s where
the success is in helping others
finally I pray that you put your
slippers way under the bed tonight so
that when you wake up in the morning you
have to get on your knees to reach them
and while you in while you’re down there
say thank you for grace
thank you for mercy thank you for
understanding
thank you for wisdom thank you for
parents
thank you for love thank you for
kindness thank you for humility
thank you for peace thank you for
Prosperity say thank you in advance for
what’s already yours how I live my life
that’s where I am one of the reasons why
I am today say thank you in advance for
what is already yours
true desire in the heart for anything
good is God’s proof to you sit
beforehand to indicate that it’s yours
already I’ll say it again true desire in
the heart that itch that you have
whatever it is you want to do that thing
that you want to do to help others in to
grow and to make money that desire that
itch that’s God’s proof to you sit
beforehand already to indicate that it’s
yours and anything you want good you can
have so claim it work hard to get it
when you get it reach back pull someone
else up each one teach one
don’t just aspire to make a living
aspire to make a difference so I had to
be here I had to come
even though I was afraid I might make a
fool of myself in fact if you really
want to know the truth
I had to come exactly because I had to
come exactly because I might make a fool
of myself you know what am I talking
about
here it is I found that nothing in life
is worthwhile unless you take risks
nothing Nelson Mandela said there is no
passion to be found playing small and
settling for a life that’s less than the
one you’re capable of living now I’m
sure in your experiences in school and
applying to college and picking your
major and deciding what you want to do
with life I’m sure people that told you
to make sure you have something to fall
back on make sure you got something to
fall back on honey
but I never understood that concept
having something to fall back on
if I’m going to fall I don’t want to
fall back on anything except my faith I
want to fall forward I figure at least
this way I’ll see what I’m going to hit
[Music]
fall forward this is what I mean Reggie
Jackson struck out 26 hundred times in
his career the most in the history of
baseball but you don’t hear about the
strikeouts people remember the homeruns
fall forward Thomas Edison conducted
1,000 failed experiments did you know
that I didn’t know that because the
1,000 and first was the light bulb fall
forward every failed experiment is one
step closer to success you’ve got to
take risks and I’m sure you’ve probably
heard that before but I want to talk to
you about why that’s important I got
three reasons and and you can pick up
your iphones first you will fail at some
point in your life except it you will
lose you will embarrass yourself you
will suck at some
there’s no doubt about it and I know
that’s probably not a traditional
message for a graduation ceremony but a
I’m telling you embrace it because it’s
inevitable and I should know in the
acting business you fail all the time
early on in my career I auditioned for a
part in a Broadway musical perfect role
for me I thought except for the fact
that I can’t sing so I’m in the wings
I’m about to go onstage but the guy in
front of me he’s singing like like like
Pavarotti just going on and on and on
and I’m just shrinking I’m getting
smaller and smaller so they say oh thank
you very much thank you very much and
you will you’ll be hearing from us so I
come out with my little sheet music and
it was it was a just my imagination by
the temptations that’s what I came up
with so I hand it to the the the
accompany us and she looks at it and
looks at me and looks at it the director
and was like so I start you know that
I’m gonna sing I’m like
[Music]
once again and then carrying away with
me and I’m not saying anything so I’m
thinking I’m getting better I start
getting into it running this hour yeah
yeah thank you thank you thank you thank
you very much mr. Washington thank you
so I assumed I didn’t get the job but
the next part of the audition he called
me back the next part in the audition is
the acting part of the audition so I’m
like hey okay maybe I can’t sing but I
know I can act so they pair me with this
guy and again I didn’t know about
musical theater and musical theater is
big so they could reach everyone all the
way in the back of the stadium it and
I’m more from realistic naturalistic
kind of acting where you you know you
actually talk to the person next to you
so I don’t know what my line was my line
was will hand me the cup and his line
was well I will hand you the cup my dear
the cup would be there to be handed to
you I said okay well should I give you
the cup back oh yes you should give it
back to me because you know that is my
cup and it should be given back to me I
didn’t get the job
but here’s the thing I didn’t quit I
didn’t fall back I walked out of there
to prepare for the next audition and the
next audition and the next audition I
prayed I prayed and I pray but I
continued to fail and fail and fail but
it didn’t matter because you know what
there’s an old saying you hang around
the barbershop long enough sooner or
later you’re gonna get a haircut so you
will catch a break and I did catch a
break last year I did a play called
fences on Broadway someone talked about
it won the Tony Award and I didn’t have
to sing by the way but here’s the kicker
he was at the Court Theatre it was at
the same theatre that I failed that
first audition 30 years prior the point
is and I’ll pick up the pace the point
is every graduate here today has the
training and the talent to succeed but
do you have the guts to fail here’s my
second point about failure if you don’t
fail you’re not even trying
I’ll say it again if you don’t fail
you’re not even trying my wife told me
this great expression to get something
you never had you have to do something
you never did Les Brown’s a motivational
speaker you made an analogy about this
he says imagine you’re on your deathbed
and standing around your deathbed are
the ghosts representing your unfulfilled
potential the ghost of the ideas you
never acted on the ghosts of the talents
you didn’t use and they’re standing
around your bed angry disappointed and
upset they say we came to you because
you could have brought us to life they
and now we have to go to the grave
together so I ask you today how many
ghosts are going to be around your bed
when your time comes you go West you
you’ve invested a lot in your education
and people have invested in you and let
me tell you the world needs your talents
and does it ever I just got back from
Africa like two days ago so if I’m
rambling on it’s cuz I’m jet lag I just
got back from South Africa’s beautiful
country but there are places there with
terrible part of it poverty that need
help when Africa’s just the tip of the
iceberg the Middle East needs your help
Japan needs your help Alabama needs your
help Tennessee needs your help
Louisiana needs your help Philadelphia
needs your help the world the world
needs a lot and we need it from you we
really do we need it from you young
people I mean I’m not speaking for the
rest of us up here but I know I’m
getting a little grayer we need it from
you the young people because remember
this so you got to get out there you got
to give it everything you got
whether it’s your time your your your
talent your prayers or your treasures
because remember this you will never see
a u-haul behind a hearse
I’ll say it again you will never see a
u-haul behind a hearse you can’t take it
with you
the Egyptians tried it and all they got
was robbed so the question is what are
you going to do with what you have I’m
not talking about how much you have some
of you are business majors some of you
are theologians nurses sociologists some
of you have money some of you have
patients some of you have kindness some
of you have loved some of you have the
gift of long-suffering whatever it is
whatever your gift is what are you going
to do with what you have all right now
here’s my last point about failure
sometimes it’s the best way to figure
out where you’re going your life will
never be a straight path I began at
Fordham University as a pre-med student
I took a course called the cardiac
morphus I still can’t see it cardiac
cardiac morphogenesis I couldn’t read it
I couldn’t say it I sure couldn’t pass
it so then I decided to go into pre-law
then journalism and with no academic
focus my grades took off in their own
direction
yeah down I was a 1.8 GPA one semester
and the University very politely
suggested that it might be better to
take some time off I was twenty years
old I was at my lowest point and then
one day and I remember the exact day
March 27 1975 I was helping my mother in
her beauty shop my mother owned a beauty
shop up in my Vernon and there’s there
was this older woman who was considered
one of the elders in the town and I
didn’t know her personally but I was
looking in the mirror and every time I
looked at the mirror I could see her
behind me and she was staring at me she
just kept looking at me every time I
looked at it she kept giving me these
strange looks so she finally took the
dryer off her head and says the sump she
said something I’ll never forget
first of all she said somebody give me a
piece of paper give me a piece of paper
she said young boy I have a prophecy a
spiritual prophecy she said you are
going to travel the world and speak to
millions of people now mind you I’m 20
years old I’m flunked out of school
in fact like a wiseass I’m thinking to
myself maybe she’s got something in that
crystal ball about me getting back into
school next fall but maybe she was onto
something because later that summer
while working as a counselor to YMCA
camp in Connecticut we put on a talent
show for the campers and after the show
another counselor came up to me and
asked have you ever thought about acting
you’re good at that so when I got back
to Fortinet fall I got in and I changed
my major once again for the last time
and in the years that followed just as
that woman prophesized
I have traveled the world and I have
spoken to millions of people through my
movies millions who up till this day
couldn’t see me up till this day I
couldn’t see while I was talking to them
and they couldn’t see me they could only
see the movie they couldn’t see the real
me but I see you today and I’m
encouraged by what I see and I’m
strengthened by what I see
and I love what I see
one more page and I’ll shut up let me
conclude with this one final point
actually the president kind of brought
it up has to do with the movie
Philadelphia
she stole my material many years ago I
did this movie called Philadelphia we
filmed some of the scenes right here on
campus Philadelphia came out in 1993
most of you were probably still in
diapers
some of the professor’s – that cracked
me up but it was a good movie renting on
it what do you call it Netflix it’s a
good movie renting I get 23 cents every
time you ran it please
true parents up their rent rent rented
Netflix
please tell your friends – it’s about a
man played by Tom Hanks who’s fired from
his law firm because he has AIDS he
wants to sue the firm but no one’s
willing to represent him until the
homophobic ambulance chaser lawyer
played by yours truly takes on the case
in a way if you watch the movie you’ll
see everything I’m talking about today
you’ll see what I mean about taking risk
or being willing to fail because taking
risk is not just about going for a job
it’s also about knowing what you know
and what you don’t know it’s about being
open to people and to ideas in the
course of the film the character I play
begins to take small steps small risks
he’s very very very slowly begins to
overcome his fears and I feel ultimately
his heart becomes flooded with love and
I can’t think of a better message as we
send you off today to not only take
risks but to be open to life to accept
new views and to be open to new opinions
to be willing to speak at a commencement
at one of the best country best
universities in the country even though
you’re scared stiff while it may be
frightening it
we’ll also be rewarding because the
chances you take the people you meet the
people you love the faith that you have
that’s what’s going to define you so
members of the class of 2011 this is
your mission when you leave the friendly
confines of Philly never be discouraged
never hold back give everything you’ve
got and when you fall throughout life
and remember this fall forward
you
everything you do everything that you
think you see in me everything that I’ve
accomplished everything that you think I
have and I have a few things everything
that I have is by the grace of God
understand that it’s a gift 40 years ago
March 27 1975 it was 40 years ago
just this past March I was flunking out
of college at a 1.7 grade point average
I hope none of you can relate at a 1.7
grade point average I was sitting in my
mother’s beauty shop they still call it
beauty shops now what they call it yeah
I’ll sit in the beauty parlor I was
sitting in my mother’s beauty parlor and
I’m looking in the mirror and I see
behind me this woman under the dryer and
every time she looked up she every time
I looked up she was looking at me just
look at me in the eye I didn’t know who
she was and I said you know she said
somebody give me a pen give me a pen so
I have a prophecy March 27 1975 she said
boy you were gonna travel the world and
speak to millions of people now mind you
I flunked out of college I’m thinking
about joining the army I didn’t know
what I was gonna do and she’s telling me
I’m gonna travel the world and speak to
millions of people well I have traveled
the world and I have spoke to millions
of people but that’s not the most
important thing the success that I had
the most important thing is that what
she taught me and what she told me that
day has stayed with me since I’ve been
protected I’ve been directed I’ve been
corrected I’ve kept God in my life and
has kept me humble I didn’t always stick
with him but he always stuck with me so
stick with them in everything you do if
you think you want to do what you think
I’ve done then do what I’ve done and
stick with God number two
fail big that’s right fail big today’s
the beginning of the rest of your life
and it can be couldn’t be very
frightening it’s a new world out there
it’s a mean world out there and you only
live once so do what you feel passionate
about passionate about take chances
professionally don’t be afraid to fail
there’s an old IQ test was nine dots and
you had to draw five lines with a pencil
within these nine dots without lifting
the pencil the only way to do it was to
go outside the box so don’t be afraid to
go outside the box don’t be afraid to
think outside the box don’t be afraid to
fail big to dream big but remember
dreams without goals are just dreams and
they ultimately fuel disappointment so
have dreams but have goals life goals
yearly goals monthly goals daily goals I
try to give myself a goal every day
sometimes just to not curse somebody out
simple goals but have goals and
understand that to achieve these goals
you must apply discipline and
consistency in order to achieve your
goals you must apply discipline which
you were already done and consistency
every day not just want to Z and miss a
few days you have to work at it every
day you have to plan every day you’ve
heard the saying we don’t plan to fail
we fail to plan hard work works working
really hard is what successful people do
and in this
text tweet torque world that you’ve
grown up in remember just because you’re
doing a lot more doesn’t mean you’re
getting a lot more done remember that
just because you’re doing a lot more
doesn’t mean you’re getting a lot more
done don’t confuse movement with
progress my mother told me yeah yeah cuz
you can run in place all the time and
never get anywhere so continue to strive
continue to have goals continue to
progress number three you’ll never see a
u-haul behind a hearse I’ll say it again
you’ll never see a u-haul behind a
hearse I don’t care how much money you
make you can’t take it with you the
Egyptians tried it they got robbed as
all they got you can’t take it with you
with you and it’s not how much you have
it’s what you do with what you have we
all have different talents some of you
will be doctors some lawyers some
scientists some educators some nurses
some teachers yeah okay some preachers
the most selfish thing you can do in
this world is help someone else why is
it selfish because the gratification the
goodness that comes to you the good
feeling the good feeling that I get from
helping others nothing’s better than
that well one or two things but
nothing’s better than that not not
jewelry not big house I have not two
cars but it’s the joy that’s where the
joy is in helping others that’s where
the success is in helping others
finally I pray that you put your
slippers way under the bed tonight so
that when you wake up in the morning you
have to get on your knees to reach them
and while you in while you’re down there
say thank you for grace
thank you for mercy thank you for
understanding
thank you for wisdom thank you for
parents
thank you for love thank you for
kindness thank you for humility
thank you for peace thank you for
Prosperity say thank you in advance for
what’s already yours how I live my life
that’s where I am one of the reasons why
I am today say thank you in advance for
what is already yours
true desire in the heart for anything
good is God’s proof to you sit
beforehand to indicate that it’s yours
already I’ll say it again true desire in
the heart that itch that you have
whatever it is you want to do that thing
that you want to do to help others in to
grow and to make money that desire that
itch that’s God’s proof to you sit
beforehand already to indicate that it’s
yours and anything you want good you can
have so claim it work hard to get it
when you get it reach back pull someone
else up each one teach one
don’t just aspire to make a living
aspire to make a difference so I had to
be here I had to come
even though I was afraid I might make a
fool of myself in fact if you really
want to know the truth
I had to come exactly because I had to
come exactly because I might make a fool
of myself you know what am I talking
about
here it is I found that nothing in life
is worthwhile unless you take risks
nothing Nelson Mandela said there is no
passion to be found playing small and
settling for a life that’s less than the
one you’re capable of living now I’m
sure in your experiences in school and
applying to college and picking your
major and deciding what you want to do
with life I’m sure people that told you
to make sure you have something to fall
back on make sure you got something to
fall back on honey
but I never understood that concept
having something to fall back on
if I’m going to fall I don’t want to
fall back on anything except my faith I
want to fall forward I figure at least
this way I’ll see what I’m going to hit
[Music]
fall forward this is what I mean Reggie
Jackson struck out 26 hundred times in
his career the most in the history of
baseball but you don’t hear about the
strikeouts people remember the homeruns
fall forward Thomas Edison conducted
1,000 failed experiments did you know
that I didn’t know that because the
1,000 and first was the light bulb fall
forward every failed experiment is one
step closer to success you’ve got to
take risks and I’m sure you’ve probably
heard that before but I want to talk to
you about why that’s important I got
three reasons and and you can pick up
your iphones first you will fail at some
point in your life except it you will
lose you will embarrass yourself you
will suck at some
there’s no doubt about it and I know
that’s probably not a traditional
message for a graduation ceremony but a
I’m telling you embrace it because it’s
inevitable and I should know in the
acting business you fail all the time
early on in my career I auditioned for a
part in a Broadway musical perfect role
for me I thought except for the fact
that I can’t sing so I’m in the wings
I’m about to go onstage but the guy in
front of me he’s singing like like like
Pavarotti just going on and on and on
and I’m just shrinking I’m getting
smaller and smaller so they say oh thank
you very much thank you very much and
you will you’ll be hearing from us so I
come out with my little sheet music and
it was it was a just my imagination by
the temptations that’s what I came up
with so I hand it to the the the
accompany us and she looks at it and
looks at me and looks at it the director
and was like so I start you know that
I’m gonna sing I’m like
[Music]
once again and then carrying away with
me and I’m not saying anything so I’m
thinking I’m getting better I start
getting into it running this hour yeah
yeah thank you thank you thank you thank
you very much mr. Washington thank you
so I assumed I didn’t get the job but
the next part of the audition he called
me back the next part in the audition is
the acting part of the audition so I’m
like hey okay maybe I can’t sing but I
know I can act so they pair me with this
guy and again I didn’t know about
musical theater and musical theater is
big so they could reach everyone all the
way in the back of the stadium it and
I’m more from realistic naturalistic
kind of acting where you you know you
actually talk to the person next to you
so I don’t know what my line was my line
was will hand me the cup and his line
was well I will hand you the cup my dear
the cup would be there to be handed to
you I said okay well should I give you
the cup back oh yes you should give it
back to me because you know that is my
cup and it should be given back to me I
didn’t get the job
but here’s the thing I didn’t quit I
didn’t fall back I walked out of there
to prepare for the next audition and the
next audition and the next audition I
prayed I prayed and I pray but I
continued to fail and fail and fail but
it didn’t matter because you know what
there’s an old saying you hang around
the barbershop long enough sooner or
later you’re gonna get a haircut so you
will catch a break and I did catch a
break last year I did a play called
fences on Broadway someone talked about
it won the Tony Award and I didn’t have
to sing by the way but here’s the kicker
he was at the Court Theatre it was at
the same theatre that I failed that
first audition 30 years prior the point
is and I’ll pick up the pace the point
is every graduate here today has the
training and the talent to succeed but
do you have the guts to fail here’s my
second point about failure if you don’t
fail you’re not even trying
I’ll say it again if you don’t fail
you’re not even trying my wife told me
this great expression to get something
you never had you have to do something
you never did Les Brown’s a motivational
speaker you made an analogy about this
he says imagine you’re on your deathbed
and standing around your deathbed are
the ghosts representing your unfulfilled
potential the ghost of the ideas you
never acted on the ghosts of the talents
you didn’t use and they’re standing
around your bed angry disappointed and
upset they say we came to you because
you could have brought us to life they
and now we have to go to the grave
together so I ask you today how many
ghosts are going to be around your bed
when your time comes you go West you
you’ve invested a lot in your education
and people have invested in you and let
me tell you the world needs your talents
and does it ever I just got back from
Africa like two days ago so if I’m
rambling on it’s cuz I’m jet lag I just
got back from South Africa’s beautiful
country but there are places there with
terrible part of it poverty that need
help when Africa’s just the tip of the
iceberg the Middle East needs your help
Japan needs your help Alabama needs your
help Tennessee needs your help
Louisiana needs your help Philadelphia
needs your help the world the world
needs a lot and we need it from you we
really do we need it from you young
people I mean I’m not speaking for the
rest of us up here but I know I’m
getting a little grayer we need it from
you the young people because remember
this so you got to get out there you got
to give it everything you got
whether it’s your time your your your
talent your prayers or your treasures
because remember this you will never see
a u-haul behind a hearse
I’ll say it again you will never see a
u-haul behind a hearse you can’t take it
with you
the Egyptians tried it and all they got
was robbed so the question is what are
you going to do with what you have I’m
not talking about how much you have some
of you are business majors some of you
are theologians nurses sociologists some
of you have money some of you have
patients some of you have kindness some
of you have loved some of you have the
gift of long-suffering whatever it is
whatever your gift is what are you going
to do with what you have all right now
here’s my last point about failure
sometimes it’s the best way to figure
out where you’re going your life will
never be a straight path I began at
Fordham University as a pre-med student
I took a course called the cardiac
morphus I still can’t see it cardiac
cardiac morphogenesis I couldn’t read it
I couldn’t say it I sure couldn’t pass
it so then I decided to go into pre-law
then journalism and with no academic
focus my grades took off in their own
direction
yeah down I was a 1.8 GPA one semester
and the University very politely
suggested that it might be better to
take some time off I was twenty years
old I was at my lowest point and then
one day and I remember the exact day
March 27 1975 I was helping my mother in
her beauty shop my mother owned a beauty
shop up in my Vernon and there’s there
was this older woman who was considered
one of the elders in the town and I
didn’t know her personally but I was
looking in the mirror and every time I
looked at the mirror I could see her
behind me and she was staring at me she
just kept looking at me every time I
looked at it she kept giving me these
strange looks so she finally took the
dryer off her head and says the sump she
said something I’ll never forget
first of all she said somebody give me a
piece of paper give me a piece of paper
she said young boy I have a prophecy a
spiritual prophecy she said you are
going to travel the world and speak to
millions of people now mind you I’m 20
years old I’m flunked out of school
in fact like a wiseass I’m thinking to
myself maybe she’s got something in that
crystal ball about me getting back into
school next fall but maybe she was onto
something because later that summer
while working as a counselor to YMCA
camp in Connecticut we put on a talent
show for the campers and after the show
another counselor came up to me and
asked have you ever thought about acting
you’re good at that so when I got back
to Fortinet fall I got in and I changed
my major once again for the last time
and in the years that followed just as
that woman prophesized
I have traveled the world and I have
spoken to millions of people through my
movies millions who up till this day
couldn’t see me up till this day I
couldn’t see while I was talking to them
and they couldn’t see me they could only
see the movie they couldn’t see the real
me but I see you today and I’m
encouraged by what I see and I’m
strengthened by what I see
and I love what I see
one more page and I’ll shut up let me
conclude with this one final point
actually the president kind of brought
it up has to do with the movie
Philadelphia
she stole my material many years ago I
did this movie called Philadelphia we
filmed some of the scenes right here on
campus Philadelphia came out in 1993
most of you were probably still in
diapers
some of the professor’s – that cracked
me up but it was a good movie renting on
it what do you call it Netflix it’s a
good movie renting I get 23 cents every
time you ran it please
true parents up their rent rent rented
Netflix
please tell your friends – it’s about a
man played by Tom Hanks who’s fired from
his law firm because he has AIDS he
wants to sue the firm but no one’s
willing to represent him until the
homophobic ambulance chaser lawyer
played by yours truly takes on the case
in a way if you watch the movie you’ll
see everything I’m talking about today
you’ll see what I mean about taking risk
or being willing to fail because taking
risk is not just about going for a job
it’s also about knowing what you know
and what you don’t know it’s about being
open to people and to ideas in the
course of the film the character I play
begins to take small steps small risks
he’s very very very slowly begins to
overcome his fears and I feel ultimately
his heart becomes flooded with love and
I can’t think of a better message as we
send you off today to not only take
risks but to be open to life to accept
new views and to be open to new opinions
to be willing to speak at a commencement
at one of the best country best
universities in the country even though
you’re scared stiff while it may be
frightening it
we’ll also be rewarding because the
chances you take the people you meet the
people you love the faith that you have
that’s what’s going to define you so
members of the class of 2011 this is
your mission when you leave the friendly
confines of Philly never be discouraged
never hold back give everything you’ve
got and when you fall throughout life
and remember this fall forward
you
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