Oh, the places they went: Top quotes from this year’s commencement addresses

(The Hill) — The class of 2023 has walked the stage for the last time. 

As millions of students and their families celebrate, universities have as usual brought in some huge names to bid farewell to their graduates, ranging from Hollywood to the White House, with Vice President Kamala Harris giving the first West Point commencement speech by a woman.

Here are some of the best quotes from this year’s commencement addresses:

President Joe Biden at the Air Force Academy

President Joe Biden speaks Thursday during the 2023 United States Air Force Academy Graduation Ceremony at Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs, Colo. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

“When people around the world see a United States gray tail flying overhead, or the stars and stripes on your shoulders, they know what that means no matter where you go: freedom, opportunity, possibilities, hope.”

“When I was graduating from high school 300 years ago, I applied to the Naval Academy. And I was picked by the senator — there’s two ways senators can pick. You can pick individually, or they can name 10 people and let the academy choose. And I was a relatively good football player, so I had a shot.”

“And I remember the day that a guy name Steve Dunning, from my class, was also nominated. We drove up. It was about 7:00 in the morning. We were going to drive down to Annapolis. And I had just heard the night before: They had a halfback named Joe Bellino, won the Heisman Trophy, and a quarterback named Roger Staubach. I went to Delaware.” June 1

Former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) at Colorado College

“America cannot remain a free nation if we abandon the truth. So as you go out to change the world, resolve that you will stand in truth.” May 28

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) at George Mason University

“As you close this chapter of your lives and start to write the next, you will have choices ahead of you, some easy and some that will rock you to your core. Will you blaze new paths? Will you stand strong in the face of criticism and adversity? Will you inspire friends, family, community, nation in the world around you to be better than before? Will you create the new, accelerate the next, grow the needed? Will you be a builder?” May 18

Oprah Winfrey at Tennessee State University

Oprah Winfrey delivers the commencement address during the Tennessee State University graduation ceremony in Nashville. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

“Life is always talking to us and this is what I do know. When you tap into what it’s trying to tell you, when you get yourself quiet enough to listen, I mean really listen, you can distill the still small voice, which is always representing the truth of you from the voice of the world.” May 6

Tom Hanks at Harvard University

Actor Tom Hanks examines a ball as part of a spoof during Harvard University commencement exercises on the school’s campus in Cambridge, Mass. Hanks was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Arts during the ceremonies. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

“Now, without having done a lick of work, without having spent any time in class, without once walking into that library, in order to have anything to do with the graduating class of Harvard, its faculty, or its distinguished alumni, I make a damn good living playing someone who did.”

“For every graduating class, there is a choice to be made. It’s the same option for all grown-ups who have to decide to be one of three types of Americans: those who embrace liberty and freedom for all, those who won’t, or those who are indifferent. Only the first do the work of creating a more perfect union. A nation indivisible. The others get in the way.” May 25

Intel CEO Patrick Gelsinger at Carnegie Mellon University

“As we embark on the next phase of this wonderful journey of life, you are the superheroes who will embrace these superpowers as the basis for innovations we cannot even begin to imagine yet. Join me in shaping them as a force for good, improving the lives of every single human on the planet through the magic of silicon and digitization. When technology is a force for good, it truly is magic.” May 14

Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) at Bard College

“It is our hope that you will go into the world, and that with head and heart and ready hands, you will get yourself ready for service. The village has been preparing you. The village has been helping to build the boat. But as you set sail, as you leave this place, don’t forget about the people who helped to get you ready.” May 27

NCAA President and former Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) at Bentley University

“Every hand will come with surprises and disappointment. Yours will, too. Who will play that hand with you? It’s one of the biggest and most important choices of all that you will make.” May 20

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre at Rice University

“The world is malleable and we are the ones with the power to transform it but only, but only, if we are willing to take the chance. Hoping for more is not naive. Don’t let anyone tell you that. It is brave. We choose to hope. We aren’t ignorant of all the obstacles in our way. We are simply choosing to say, ‘I know the road ahead will be long so I better start the walking’ because hope is action.” May 6

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at the Naval Academy

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin delivers remarks during the U.S. Naval Academy Graduation and Commissioning Ceremony in Annapolis, Md. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

“But the American flag, atop a U.S. Navy ship, has long been a symbol of hope for a more free and secure world. So graduates, you will deploy forward, you will travel the globe to defend our democracy, and you will learn that the lifeblood of the rules-based international order is actually sea water.” May 26

‘NBC Nightly News’ anchor Lester Holt at Villanova University

“Sometimes we just need your reasoning, your sober thinking, thoughts born of learning and real experience that elevate our problem-solving. And know that not everything requires an instant, immediate response. Take a chance. Learn to pause, to be silent, to pick your moment based on knowledge and full understanding. Foster inform debate.” May 19

Vice President Harris at the United States Military Academy at West Point

Vice President Harris arrives to deliver the keynote address at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy’s 141st Commencement Exercises in New London, Conn. (AP Photo/Stephen Dunn)

“And let us also be clear: The power of America’s military not only rests on our technology, our weaponry, our hardware.  It rests on the character and the resolve of our people. America has no greater resource, no greater strategic asset than the men and women who wear our uniform.  Our soldiers are the best trained and most prepared in the world; the most effective, most cohesive, and most lethal warriors in the world. And as officers, you are about to be granted one of the greatest privileges and most sacred duties that our nation can bestow: to lead American service members.” May 27

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) at Oral Roberts University

“And I want to let you in on something. There’s going to be storms in your life. There’s going to be challenges and we have the ability to choose how we respond to those storms. God doesn’t call us to lean on a shovel and pray for a hole. He wants us to get to work.” May 6