dreams without goals are just dreams and
they ultimately fuel disappointment
goals on the road to achievement cannot
be achieved without discipline and
consistency I pray that you all put your
shoes way under the bed that night so
that you got to get on your knees in the
morning to get something you never had
you have to do something you never did
les Browns a motivational speaker he
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 ghosts 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
say 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 there is no ceiling
for you really I mean it’s nothing you
can I don’t think there’s a I mean all
are your cells anyone there’s no ceiling
you know because I mean you’ve proven
that you can you can cover the whole
waterfront in terms of kinds of
characters mm-hmm whether it’s a boxer
or quadriplegic or someone
brilliant lawyer the whole range of
stuff mm-hmm
you know with the training that I had
this way we were trained you know to
play any partners there’s no such thing
as you can’t play a party Megan I’d be
right before a particular part yeah but
I don’t think there’s a part I can’t
attempt to play I could at least analyze
and try to break down and put the
performance together may not be any good
yeah but I was taught one of the things
that I was taught that sticks in my mind
was a gentleman by the name of Bill ball
who was the artistic director of the
American Conservatory Theater in San
Francisco and he always talked about
failing big see if you’re gonna fail
fail big and I’m like I like that for I
do too you know I’m not a fallback
mentality kind of person people would
say well you know but I have another
career to fall back on I’m like I don’t
want to fall back
I want anything if I fall I’m gonna fall
forward I want to see what I’m hitting
or find exactly you know what I mean I
don’t wanna bet I never understood that
mentality I never understood it I’m like
I’m going that way yeah yeah I mean if
you worry about being safe and secure
and if it’s security
well its security is your by word then
you know you’re never gonna reach out
and do anything I don’t think that’s
gonna protect you you know I was gonna
give you any kind of genuine
satisfaction know if you could feel
worried about that then you know it was
no lie in other words if you’re a sailor
you would never leave port the right
only care about security
there was an IQ question I think is my
acute question where they had nine dots
yeah and you had to connect the dots I
think with five lines without lifting
the pencil the only way you could do it
was to go outside the box yeah you know
when people sit there with it go out man
that’s right you can’t do it what you
can’t nobody said you can’t go outside
the box yeah you know never give up
without commitment
you’ll never start but more importantly
without consistency you’ll never finish
it’s not easy
if it was easy there’d be no Kerry
Washington if it was easy there’d be no
taraji Henson P Henson
if it were easy there’d be no Octavia
Spencer but not only that if it were
easy there’d be no Viola Davis it more
easy there’d be no Michael T Williamson
no Stephen McKinley Henderson no Russell
Hornsby it more easy there’d be no
Denzel Washington so keep working keep
striving never give up fall down seven
times get up eight e’s is a greater
threat to progress than hardship 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
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
pull forward every failed experiment is
one step closer to success 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 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 fear you
don’t pay a lot attention to reviews and
those kind of things well you know
you’re always affected by opinion but
the more opinions there are of you the
may the more I the less I look at them
because I just can’t live my life based
upon what other people think about me so
I can’t concern myself too much with
what other people think you know it’s
just not healthy I don’t think I can I
could continue to do what I do if I was
constantly worrying about what somebody
thought about it
you hear often that black actors black
movies don’t play well overseas is that
the truth or is that an excuse
I heard everything
and what I hear keeps changing because
they used to say it didn’t sell over
here and it does then they say it
doesn’t sell in the south then it does
doesn’t sell in Europe and it does so I
just keep pushing it well what an
opportunity I have to prove them wrong 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 pray I pray and I
pray but I continue 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 it was at the
Court Theatre he 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 I’ve been the guy at the
Oscars without my name being called I’ve
been the guy at Oscars when my name is
call I’ve been the guy to Oscars when
everybody thought it was wrong called my
name and they didn’t God lived it so
what would you say to the people who are
looking at this process and saying it’s
unfair yeah and so what give up you’re
looking for an excuse you’ll find one in
race you can find it wherever you like
you can’t live like that you just do the
best you can do yeah I tried everything
yeah professional yeah I was pre-med in
college then I said I’d be adopted and I
was political science I said I’d be a
lawyer then I studied journalism so I
actually was working my way toward the
arts without realizing that’s why I told
my children a liberal arts education is
okay you don’t have to know at 17 I was
17 when I started college you don’t have
to know at 17 what you’re gonna do the
rest of your life so I worked it out I
found my way to this theatre I started
with Eugene O’Neill’s M for Joan I had a
real momentum going from college on
through all these roles and plays that I
just mentioned right up until doing
Carbon Copy in 1980-81 and I didn’t get
any work for about six months and I
thought it
as always working to post a biology I
better go back down at City Council
meeting and but I got a small play a
one-act play about two guys I went a
named Malcolm any other named Elijah I
was even saying Elijah when I first met
I’m looking good big big big big role
and that really jump started my career
again because the play went over very
well
we did it down at the new federal
theater Henry Street Settlement and that
lead I went right from that plate to a
soldier’s play our off-broadway and
right from a soldier’s plate to say no
sir you will fail at some point in your
life except you will lose you will
embarrass yourself you will suck at
something 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 oh I’m an
ordinary man with an extraordinary job
right not the other way around so it’s
all gravy for me you know when I was
younger I used to coach a lot and
nothing made you coach kids sports
nothing made me happier then seeing
other people do well well that’s sort of
my nature and that directing was the
perfect job for that because I love
seeing others do well I mean I’m I’m
okay I did pretty good I’m good I’ve
done all right but to see others do what
you know they’re what they’re capable of
gives me great joy 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 Vaska
universities in the country even though
you’re scared stiff well it may be
frightening
it will 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 maybe even tonight after a few many
glasses of champagne
remember this fall forward
congratulations
I love you god bless you I respect [Applause]
they ultimately fuel disappointment
goals on the road to achievement cannot
be achieved without discipline and
consistency I pray that you all put your
shoes way under the bed that night so
that you got to get on your knees in the
morning to get something you never had
you have to do something you never did
les Browns a motivational speaker he
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 ghosts 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
say 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 there is no ceiling
for you really I mean it’s nothing you
can I don’t think there’s a I mean all
are your cells anyone there’s no ceiling
you know because I mean you’ve proven
that you can you can cover the whole
waterfront in terms of kinds of
characters mm-hmm whether it’s a boxer
or quadriplegic or someone
brilliant lawyer the whole range of
stuff mm-hmm
you know with the training that I had
this way we were trained you know to
play any partners there’s no such thing
as you can’t play a party Megan I’d be
right before a particular part yeah but
I don’t think there’s a part I can’t
attempt to play I could at least analyze
and try to break down and put the
performance together may not be any good
yeah but I was taught one of the things
that I was taught that sticks in my mind
was a gentleman by the name of Bill ball
who was the artistic director of the
American Conservatory Theater in San
Francisco and he always talked about
failing big see if you’re gonna fail
fail big and I’m like I like that for I
do too you know I’m not a fallback
mentality kind of person people would
say well you know but I have another
career to fall back on I’m like I don’t
want to fall back
I want anything if I fall I’m gonna fall
forward I want to see what I’m hitting
or find exactly you know what I mean I
don’t wanna bet I never understood that
mentality I never understood it I’m like
I’m going that way yeah yeah I mean if
you worry about being safe and secure
and if it’s security
well its security is your by word then
you know you’re never gonna reach out
and do anything I don’t think that’s
gonna protect you you know I was gonna
give you any kind of genuine
satisfaction know if you could feel
worried about that then you know it was
no lie in other words if you’re a sailor
you would never leave port the right
only care about security
there was an IQ question I think is my
acute question where they had nine dots
yeah and you had to connect the dots I
think with five lines without lifting
the pencil the only way you could do it
was to go outside the box yeah you know
when people sit there with it go out man
that’s right you can’t do it what you
can’t nobody said you can’t go outside
the box yeah you know never give up
without commitment
you’ll never start but more importantly
without consistency you’ll never finish
it’s not easy
if it was easy there’d be no Kerry
Washington if it was easy there’d be no
taraji Henson P Henson
if it were easy there’d be no Octavia
Spencer but not only that if it were
easy there’d be no Viola Davis it more
easy there’d be no Michael T Williamson
no Stephen McKinley Henderson no Russell
Hornsby it more easy there’d be no
Denzel Washington so keep working keep
striving never give up fall down seven
times get up eight e’s is a greater
threat to progress than hardship 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
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
pull forward every failed experiment is
one step closer to success 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 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 fear you
don’t pay a lot attention to reviews and
those kind of things well you know
you’re always affected by opinion but
the more opinions there are of you the
may the more I the less I look at them
because I just can’t live my life based
upon what other people think about me so
I can’t concern myself too much with
what other people think you know it’s
just not healthy I don’t think I can I
could continue to do what I do if I was
constantly worrying about what somebody
thought about it
you hear often that black actors black
movies don’t play well overseas is that
the truth or is that an excuse
I heard everything
and what I hear keeps changing because
they used to say it didn’t sell over
here and it does then they say it
doesn’t sell in the south then it does
doesn’t sell in Europe and it does so I
just keep pushing it well what an
opportunity I have to prove them wrong 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 pray I pray and I
pray but I continue 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 it was at the
Court Theatre he 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 I’ve been the guy at the
Oscars without my name being called I’ve
been the guy at Oscars when my name is
call I’ve been the guy to Oscars when
everybody thought it was wrong called my
name and they didn’t God lived it so
what would you say to the people who are
looking at this process and saying it’s
unfair yeah and so what give up you’re
looking for an excuse you’ll find one in
race you can find it wherever you like
you can’t live like that you just do the
best you can do yeah I tried everything
yeah professional yeah I was pre-med in
college then I said I’d be adopted and I
was political science I said I’d be a
lawyer then I studied journalism so I
actually was working my way toward the
arts without realizing that’s why I told
my children a liberal arts education is
okay you don’t have to know at 17 I was
17 when I started college you don’t have
to know at 17 what you’re gonna do the
rest of your life so I worked it out I
found my way to this theatre I started
with Eugene O’Neill’s M for Joan I had a
real momentum going from college on
through all these roles and plays that I
just mentioned right up until doing
Carbon Copy in 1980-81 and I didn’t get
any work for about six months and I
thought it
as always working to post a biology I
better go back down at City Council
meeting and but I got a small play a
one-act play about two guys I went a
named Malcolm any other named Elijah I
was even saying Elijah when I first met
I’m looking good big big big big role
and that really jump started my career
again because the play went over very
well
we did it down at the new federal
theater Henry Street Settlement and that
lead I went right from that plate to a
soldier’s play our off-broadway and
right from a soldier’s plate to say no
sir you will fail at some point in your
life except you will lose you will
embarrass yourself you will suck at
something 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 oh I’m an
ordinary man with an extraordinary job
right not the other way around so it’s
all gravy for me you know when I was
younger I used to coach a lot and
nothing made you coach kids sports
nothing made me happier then seeing
other people do well well that’s sort of
my nature and that directing was the
perfect job for that because I love
seeing others do well I mean I’m I’m
okay I did pretty good I’m good I’ve
done all right but to see others do what
you know they’re what they’re capable of
gives me great joy 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 Vaska
universities in the country even though
you’re scared stiff well it may be
frightening
it will 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 maybe even tonight after a few many
glasses of champagne
remember this fall forward
congratulations
I love you god bless you I respect [Applause]
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