13 of the best graduation speeches of all time

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J.K. Rowling reading Harry Potter at White House

Getty Images/Chip Somodevilla

Author J.K. Rowling.

Many commencement speeches are forgettable. A lot are filled with the same cliché advice. But some are so good - so inspiring and poignant - that they stick with us forever.

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While certainly there's room for debate (was Stephen Colbert's speech at Northwestern really better than the one he gave at Knox College?), we've culled the best-of lists to put together a guide to our favorites.

From Steve Jobs to Toni Morrison, Kurt Vonnegut to John F. Kennedy, here are the speeches you wish you'd heard on your graduation day.