Graduation Quotations - Top 35

"Life is my college. May I graduate well, and earnhave wishes."-- Washington Irving"The fireworks
some honors! "-- Louisa May Alcott"Your schoolingbegin today. Each diploma is a lighted match, each
may be over, but remember that your educationone of you is a fuse."-- Ed Koch"The trouble with
still continues."-- Anonymous"The purpose of alearning from experience is that you never
liberal education is to make you philosophicalgraduate."-- Doug Larson"Don't ever dare to take
enough to accept the fact that you will neveryour college as a matter of course~because, like
make much money."-- Anonymous"The youngdemocracy and freedom, many people you'll
graduate is discovering that among thenever know have broken their hearts to get it
necessaries of life, the most important is living."--for you. "-- Alice Drue Miller"To the uneducated, an
Anonymous"There is no need to reach high forA is just three sticks."-- A. A. Milne"A graduation
the stars. They are already within you - justceremony is an event where the commencement
reach deep into yourself!"-- Anonymous"Sooner orspeaker tells thousands of students dressed in
later we all discover that the important momentsidentical caps and gowns that 'individuality' is the
in life are not the advertised ones, not thekey to success."-- Robert Orben"Graduation is
birthdays, the graduations, the weddings, not theonly a concept. In real life every day you
great goals achieved. The real milestones are lessgraduate. Graduation is a process that goes on
prepossessing. They come to the door ofuntil the last day of your life. If you can grasp
memory unannounced, stray dogs that amble in,that , you'll make a difference."-- Arie
sniff around a bit and simply never leave. OurPencovici"The direction in which education starts a
lives are measured by these."-- Susan B.man will determine his future. "-- Plato"A
Anthony"Graduation day is tough for adults. Theygraduation ceremony is an event where the
go to the ceremony as parents. They comecommencement speaker tells thousands of
home as contemporaries. After twenty-twostudents dressed in identical caps and gowns that
years of child-raising, they are unemployed."--'individuality' is the key to success."-- Robert
Erma Bombeck"You are educated. YourPurvis"We know what we are, but know not
certification is in your degree. You may think of itwhat we may be."-- Shakespeare"Some men see
as the ticket to the good life. Let me ask you tothings as they are and ask why. Others dream
think of an alternative. Think of it as your ticketthings that never were and ask why not."--
to change the world."-- Tom Brokaw"People willGeorge Bernard Shaw"A fellow told me he was
frighten you about a graduation....They use wordsgoing to hang-glider school. He said, 'I've been
you don't hear often... 'And we wish yougoing for three months.' I said, 'How many
Godspeed.' It is a warning, Godpeed. It means yousuccessful jumps do you need to make before
are no longer welcome here at these prices."-- Billyou graduate?' He said, 'All of them.'"-- Red
Cosby"A great many college graduates comeSkeleton"At my graduation, I thought we had to
here thinking of lawyers as social engineersmarry what we wished to become. Now you are
arguing the great Constitutional issues."-- Archibaldbecoming the men you once would have wished
Cox"The function of the university is not simplyto marry."-- Gloria Steinem"I have learned this at
to teach bread winning, or to furnish teachers forleast by my experiment; that if one advances
the public schools or to be a centre of politeconfidently in the direction of his dream, and
society; it is, above all, to be the organ of thatendeavors to live the life which he had imagines,
fine adjustment between life and the growinghe will meet with a success unexpected in
knowledge of life, an adjustment which forms thecommon hours. "-- Henry David Thoreau"Go
secret of civilization. "-- W.E.B. Du Bois"The thingsconfidently in the direction of your dreams. Live
taught in schools and colleges are not anthe life you have imagined."-- Henry David
education, but the means of education. "-- RalphThoreau"'These are days you'll remember.' If you
Waldo Emerson"The advantage of a classicalrecall nothing else from your graduation
education is that it enables you to despise theceremony, remember you heard the New Jersey
wealth that it prevents you from achieving."--Governor quote from 10,000 Maniacs."-- Christine
Russell Green"A college education is not aTodd, NJ governor"Commencement speeches
quantitative body of memorized knowledge saltedwere invented largely in the belief that outgoing
away in a card file. It is a taste for knowledge, acollege students should never be released into the
taste for philosophy, if you will; a capacity toworld until they have been properly sedated."--
explore, to question to perceive relationships,Garry Trudeau"A milestone passed, new things
between fields of knowledge and experience. "--begun, dreams as shining as the sun, a goal
A. Whitney Griswold"The whole purpose ofachieved, a victory won! That's Graduation!"--
education is to turn mirrors into windows."--Unknown"It is indeed ironic that we spend our
Sydney Harris"There is a good reason they callschool days yearning to graduate and our
these ceremonies "commencement exercises."remaining days waxing nostalgic about our school
Graduation is not the end; it's the beginning."--days.
Orrin Hatch"Great minds have purposes, others