Commencement Speeches

Cory Booker at Williams (2011)

Quote: “This is the test! It’s not the circumstances you encounter, it is who you are. Will you manifest your truth? And this is the real challenge. I’m here to tell you now that life is not about the big fight, the big battle, your great destination. Life is about the small moments, every single say. Those acts of kindness and decency and love that will define you. That in their aggregate add up to a lifetime of profound contribution. But most of us don’t live with that enthusiasm, with that understanding that we can influence our environment. Right now! Right here! We don’t realize that all of life are moments of choice where you can accept conditions as they are or take responsibility for changing them. And it’s not about waiting until tomorrow.”