William H. McRaven
Retired U.S. Navy admiral
Delivered during MIT's online 2020 Commencement amid the pandemic, McRaven argues that fictional superheroes will not save the world and that the graduates themselves must address challenges like pandemics, war, climate change, poverty, and intolerance. Drawing on his Navy SEAL career and examples from history and science, he outlines the qualities he believes real heroes need. He closes by urging graduates to be the last class to miss a commencement and to go forth as the heroes the world needs.
“To save the world, you will have to be men and women of great integrity.”
Key moments
- 01 Rejecting fictional superheroes and charging graduates to save the world themselves
- 02 Calling for courage, including the moral courage to speak truth to power
- 03 Emphasizing humility, perseverance, and willingness to sacrifice
- 04 Stressing integrity and compassion as essential to heroism
Save the visual map
Download or open the generated poster as a standalone PNG.
William H. McRaven at MIT, 2020
An online commencement address about real heroism in a pandemic year: courage, humility, perseverance, integrity, sacrifice, compassion, and responsibility.
Speech arc
- 01Online ceremony
Opening move
- 02No superheroes
Speech beat
- 03Real heroes
Speech beat
- 04Courage
Speech beat
- 05Humility
Speech beat
- 06Perseverance
Speech beat
- 07Integrity
Speech beat
- 08Compassion
Final charge
Moment: A remote class receives a direct charge
In MIT's pandemic commencement, McRaven turns disappointment into responsibility by telling graduates the world does not need fictional rescuers; it needs them.
Context
The 2020 ceremony moves online during a global crisis.
Premise
Superhero stories give way to civic obligation.
Audience
MIT graduates are addressed as people equipped to act.
In MIT's pandemic commencement, McRaven turns disappointment into responsibility by telling graduates the world does not need fictional rescuers; it needs them.
Courage: Heroes speak truth when pressure rises
The address defines courage as both physical resolve and moral clarity, especially the willingness to speak truth to power.
Voice
Courage includes saying what institutions need to hear.
Risk
Hard moments test whether principles survive consequence.
Duty
Public service begins before conditions are comfortable.
The address defines courage as both physical resolve and moral clarity, especially the willingness to speak truth to power.
Discipline: Humility and perseverance keep work honest
McRaven's military frame becomes a broader ethic: serve without vanity, keep going after failure, and accept sacrifice as part of consequential work.
Humility
Achievement is strongest when ego stays small.
Endurance
Perseverance turns fear and fatigue into continued motion.
Sacrifice
Real impact often costs comfort, time, and certainty.
McRaven's military frame becomes a broader ethic: serve without vanity, keep going after failure, and accept sacrifice as part of consequential work.
• Key takeaways •
Heroism is daily
Connects to courage.
Courage has a moral core
Connects to humility.
Humility disciplines power
Connects to perseverance.
Perseverance outlasts crisis
Connects to integrity.
Compassion aims service
Connects to service.
Closing charge
The speech closes by tying integrity to care: graduates must solve hard problems while seeing the people affected by every decision.
The final standard is compassion
Integrity
Trust grows from doing the right thing when it is difficult.
Care
Compassion keeps heroism from becoming performance.
Promise
Be the last class to miss commencement, and the first to rebuild.
The speech closes by tying integrity to care: graduates must solve hard problems while seeing the people affected by every decision.
Visual speech maps
Browse more visual maps from Massachusetts Institute of Technology or continue with related mapped speeches below.
Transcript
No official full transcript has been located yet. If you know of one, suggestions are welcome.
Provenance
Verified from official archive
Explore this speech
Find the next thread through the archive
Themes in this address
Speeches like this one
Search all speeches ->