Oprah Winfrey’s Commencement Speech At Stanford University | Words Of Wisdom

It is a great tradition to have a commencement speech at the universities on the occasion of allotting the degree to the student. The idea being that only knowledge without wisdom is not that much powerful, but sometimes it may play adversely too. The experience of the real world gives the wisdom. Several universities try calling a well known, successful person to address the convocation ceremony and in addition to the degree present the students the knowledge of his/her experience, wisdom and whatever life has taught him/her. This makes students ready to face the real world even more properly.

One such speech was made by Oprah Winfrey at Stanford University at the convocation ceremony for year 2008. We provide the essence of the same here with all due respect to the university, with a vision that it will be helpful to the students all over the world. The glimpses here are not word by word copy of her speech but essence as per my understanding:

• The best thing about the learning is that nobody can take it away from you.
• The world has many lessons to teach you. So your education is not over, it is just begun.
• Keep yourself open to learn new things and consider the earth as the university and life as the class. Sometimes the lessons comes harder, your openness to learn can help you then.
• The inner wisdom is more precious then wealth, it is more achieved when more spent. Keep growing yourself without changing yourself. Be yourself and be enriched.
• Do the work where you feel it right, and then whatever payment your will get for that will be a bonus for you.
• Emotional system have the ability to guide you but you have to keep your ego at the bay.
• Combine expertise and emotions properly to achieve the success. Honour your calling (internal), everybody has one. Trust your heart and success will come to you.
• You are not only rich when you have a lot of money (of course it is needed), in addition you need to be surrounded by the people you trust and who can cherish your life with you.
• Ask every setback, every failure that what it is here to teach you and as soon as you know it, get move on.
• Difficulties come when you don’t pay attention to the life’s whisper.
• Don’t react to the bad situation but merge with the same and the solution will be there.
• Surrendering doesn’t mean you gave up, it means you act responsibly.
• Live in the present.
• To be happy you need to give something back.
• If you are in pain, help someone else to recover from his/her pain.
• To feel good, you have to go out and to something good.
• Doing good actually makes you feel better.
• Not everybody can be famous, but everybody can be great as greatness can be determined by the service. (Dr. Martin Luther King)