We learned an important lesson today at LA: Dress to impress–you never know who you’ll meet. And in the vein of learning lessons, we bring you a few lessons in the form of commencement speeches. Tis the season, right?
- Kenyon College Class of 2011 Commencement: Jonathan Franzen, author. The National Book Award winner and author of “Freedom” sums it (it being life and everything else), with “Pain hurts, but doesn’t kill.”
- 10 Things Your Commencement Speaker Won’t Tell You, by Charles Wheelan at The Wall Street Journal. “Some of your worst days lie ahead.”
It seems like these are depressing pieces–but trust us. There’s some good inspiration in there, too. But if you need a laugh:
- Northwestern University Class of 2011 Commencement: Stephen Colbert. Read the beginning and laugh. Read through the middle and learn how Kinkos got its name (and laugh really hard). Read to the end and find some wonderful gems.