William H. McRaven
Retired U.S. Navy admiral
Naval Adm. William H. McRaven addresses UT Austin's 2014 graduates, drawing on ten lessons from his Navy SEAL basic training to illustrate how individuals can change the world. He explains that small disciplined actions, teamwork, perseverance through failure, and courage in dark moments prepare a person to improve the lives of others. He ties these lessons to the university's slogan, 'What starts here changes the world,' arguing that each graduate's decisions can ripple across generations.
Key moments
- 01 Making your bed as the first accomplishment of the day
- 02 Needing others to help you paddle through hardship
- 03 Getting over being a 'sugar cookie' and moving forward
- 04 Being your best in the darkest moment under the keel
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William H. McRaven at Texas, 2014
A University of Texas address mapping ten Navy SEAL lessons about discipline, teamwork, courage, resilience, hope, and changing the world.
Speech arc
- 01University of Texas at Austin
Opening move
- 02Class of 2014
Speech beat
- 03Make your bed
Speech beat
- 04Paddle together
Speech beat
- 05Measure heart
Speech beat
- 06Keep moving after failure
Speech beat
- 07Face the sharks
Speech beat
- 08Never ring the bell
Final charge
Discipline: Small completed tasks create momentum
McRaven turns the simple act of making a bed into a lesson about order, pride, and beginning the day with one finished responsibility.
First task
A small win gives the day a foundation.
Standard
Discipline is visible in ordinary habits before it is tested by crisis.
Ripple
Small actions accumulate into larger change.
McRaven turns the simple act of making a bed into a lesson about order, pride, and beginning the day with one finished responsibility.
Teamwork: No one changes the world alone
The boat crew becomes the speech’s central image of shared effort: survival and progress require people who will paddle with you.
Crew
Every person depends on others in rough water.
Heart
The measure of a teammate is grit and commitment, not size or appearance.
Care
Lifting the tired is part of finishing together.
The boat crew becomes the speech’s central image of shared effort: survival and progress require people who will paddle with you.
Resilience: Failure and unfairness are not reasons to quit
From sugar-cookie inspections to punishing training, McRaven argues that unfairness is inevitable and persistence is a choice.
Unfairness
Life will not always reward effort immediately.
Risk
Sometimes progress requires going headfirst.
Bell
Quitting is framed as a decision the graduate can refuse.
From sugar-cookie inspections to punishing training, McRaven argues that unfairness is inevitable and persistence is a choice.
• Key takeaways •
Discipline begins with ordinary habits
Connects to discipline.
Teamwork carries people through rough water
Connects to teamwork.
Heart matters more than appearance
Connects to resilience.
Failure is survivable if you keep moving
Connects to courage.
Never ringing the bell becomes a public ethic
Connects to leadership.
Closing charge
The address moves from personal discipline to public responsibility, asking graduates to stand up to fear, bullies, and despair.
Be strongest in the darkest moments
Sharks
Courage means facing what circles below.
Darkness
Composure matters most when conditions are hardest.
Hope
One voice can keep a team moving.
The address moves from personal discipline to public responsibility, asking graduates to stand up to fear, bullies, and despair.
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Transcript
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