Theme
Commencement Speeches About Courage
Courage in these addresses is rarely heroic; it's the ordinary decision to act before you feel ready. Speakers press graduates to take the risky job, say the unpopular thing, and move toward the hard problem instead of the safe one.
83 speeches / 35 core matches
How to read this theme
Courage in these addresses is rarely heroic; it's the ordinary decision to act before you feel ready. Speakers press graduates to take the risky job, say the unpopular thing, and move toward the hard problem instead of the safe one.
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Begin with these speeches if you want the clearest path into courage.
Katie Ledecky Stanford University / 2025 Why it belongs here She urges graduates not to be afraid to take the lead, go fast when young and unknown, and find out what they are capable of even against cautious advice. This theme is central to the speech. 02 
William H. McRaven University of Texas, Austin / 2014 Why it belongs here He encourages taking bold risks like sliding down the obstacle head first and standing your ground against the sharks despite fear. This theme is central to the speech. 03 
Ed Helms Knox College / 2013 Why it belongs here Helms argues that fear, especially fear of the unknown, should trigger engagement rather than avoidance, urging graduates to act despite their fears. This theme is central to the speech. Featured speeches
Visual speech maps and strong matches
Why it belongs here She urges graduates not to be afraid to take the lead, go fast when young and unknown, and find out what they are capable of even against cautious advice.
Why it belongs here Brown urges graduates never to let fear keep them from expanding their sense of self, framing stepping into the unknown and discomfort as where growth happens.
Why it belongs here Engel repeatedly urges graduates to take leaps into the unknown, gamble, and go outside their comfort zones, illustrated by his risky move to Cairo and sneaking into Iraq as a fake human...
Why it belongs here He encourages taking bold risks like sliding down the obstacle head first and standing your ground against the sharks despite fear.
Why it belongs here Helms argues that fear, especially fear of the unknown, should trigger engagement rather than avoidance, urging graduates to act despite their fears.
Why it belongs here He champions having a 'healthy disregard for the impossible' and taking crazy, bold risks like maxing out credit cards to build Google.
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Core matches first
Labels describe how directly each speech matches this theme.
Core matches 35
Stanford University / 2025 / Olympian and Stanford alumna
Stanford University / 2018 / Actor and Stanford alumnus
Stanford University / 2015 / NBC News chief foreign correspondent
University of Texas, Austin / 2014 / Retired U.S. Navy admiral
Knox College / 2013 / Field: arts
University of Michigan / 2009 / Field: tech
Wake Forest University / 2015 / Field: arts
New York University / 2014 / Field: politics
Austin Community College / 2014 / Field: business
George Washington University / 2013 / Actor and George Washington University alumna
University of Michigan / 2013 / Field: tech
University of Virginia / 2013 / Field: arts
Colorado College / 2012 / Field: arts
Maharishi University / 2012 / Field: letters
USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism / 2012 / Field: letters
Wellesley College / 2012 / Field: arts
Dominican University of California / 2012 / Field: letters
Ball State University / 2012 / Field: arts
University of Pennsylvania / 2011 / Field: arts
Yale University / 2011 / Actor
Brandeis University / 2010 / Field: politics
University of California, Berkeley / 2010 / Field: arts
Show 11 more core matches
University of Southern California / 2009 / Field: politics
Stanford University / 2004 / Field: arts
Stanford University / 2001 / CEO, Hewlett-Packard
Massachusetts Institute of Technology / 2024 / Flagship Pioneering CEO and Moderna co-founder
Massachusetts Institute of Technology / 2020 / Retired U.S. Navy admiral
Yale University / 2013 / Mayor of Newark, New Jersey
Massachusetts Institute of Technology / 2010 / Chairman and co-founder, Analog Devices
University of Texas, Austin / 2003 / Field: business
Related mentions 48
Stanford University / 2023 / Tennis champion
Stanford University / 2021 / Surgeon, writer, and public-health leader
Stanford University / 2019 / CEO, Apple
Stanford University / 2016 / Documentary filmmaker
Wellesley College / 2015 / Field: letters
University of Pennsylvania / 2014 / Field: arts
Morehouse College / 2013 / 44th President of the United States
Auburn University / 2010 / Field: business
Ball State University / 2008 / Field: business
University of Pennsylvania / 2004 / Field: arts
Yale University / 2024 / U.S. Surgeon General
Yale University / 2016 / U.S. representative to the United Nations
Tulane University / 2015 / Field: arts
University of California, Berkeley, Graduate School of Journalism / 2014 / Field: letters
City Colleges of Chicago / 2014 / Field: business
Dartmouth College / 2014 / Television writer, producer, and Dartmouth alumna
Babson College / 2014 / Field: business
Show 30 more related mentions
Hobart and William Smith Colleges / 2013 / Field: politics
Syracuse University / 2012 / Field: arts
Harvard University / 2011 / Field: arts
Stanford University / 2011 / President of Mexico
Barnard College / 2011 / Field: tech
Philadelphia University / 2011 / Field: tech
Princeton University / 2010 / Field: business
Scripps College / 2010 / Field: letters
Stanford University / 2009 / U.S. Supreme Court justice
Liberty University / 2008 / Field: arts
Syracuse University / 2007 / Field: letters
Stanford University / 2006 / Journalist and author
University of Wisconsin / 2004 / Field: arts
University of Wisconsin / 2003 / Field: arts
Massachusetts Institute of Technology / 2000 / President and CEO, Hewlett-Packard
Massachusetts Institute of Technology / 2026 / Advanced Micro Devices CEO
Massachusetts Institute of Technology / 2023 / Engineer, educator, and founder of CrunchLabs
Massachusetts Institute of Technology / 2019 / Founder, Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies
Massachusetts Institute of Technology / 2013 / Co-founder and CEO, Dropbox
Wellesley College / 2010 / Field: letters
Massachusetts Institute of Technology / 2008 / Grameen Bank founder and Nobel Peace Prize recipient
Indiana University / 2006 / Field: arts
Massachusetts Institute of Technology / 2004 / Director, National Institutes of Health
St. John’s College / 2003 / Field: letters
Yale University / 2003 / Foreign-affairs columnist, The New York Times; three-time Pulitzer Prize winner
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