Cookies on the Business Insider India website

Business Insider India has updated its Privacy and Cookie policy. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the better experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we\'ll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the Business Insider India website. However, you can change your cookie setting at any time by clicking on our Cookie Policy at any time. You can also see our Privacy Policy.

16 of the best graduation speeches of all time

Jun 7, 2016, 22:37 IST

Business Insider

Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg speaks at Harvard's 2012 Class Day.Brian Snyder/Reuters

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.

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.

Rachel Sugar contributed to an earlier version of this article.