Welcome, family and friends, champions and supporters.
Welcome, guests from down the street, across the country, and around the world.
And welcome, members of the Class of 2025.
Members of the Class of 2025 from down the street, across the country, and around the world.
Around the world, just as it should be.
I see you this morning not as groups of graduates separated by School but as one Harvard—a community bound by the shared cause of seeking knowledge, of acquiring wisdom, and of serving society—a community composed of remarkable individuals who take their chances rather than rest on their laurels. We gather today to acknowledge your achievements and to celebrate your excellence.
Here, among beloved colleagues and mentors, and distinguished and dedicated faculty and staff, you have learned to consider curiosity a state in which to live, open always to the ever-present possibility of personal growth.
I implore you to hold fast to that lesson after your degrees are conferred today. The world as it is tempts us with the lure of what one might generously call comfortable thinking, a habit of mind that readily convinces us of the merits of our own assumptions, the veracity of our own arguments, and the soundness of our own opinions, positions, and perspectives—so committed to our beliefs that we seek information that confirms them as we discredit evidence that refutes them.
Though many would be loath to admit it, absolute certainty and willful ignorance are two sides of the same coin, a coin with no value but costs beyond measure. False conviction saps true potential. Focused on satisfying a deep desire to be right, we can willingly lose that which is so often gained from being wrong—humility, empathy, generosity, insight—squandering opportunities to expand our thinking and to change our minds in the process.
My hope for you, members of the Class of 2025, is that you stay comfortable being uncomfortable.
Starting with the folding chairs on which you sit now.
Ambition eschews comfort. If—in some near or distant future—you find yourself feeling as if you have it all figured out, as if you know enough to kick up your feet and lean back in your seat, recall this day—and your chairs—and just how much you have to gain from living your life in a state of curiosity, welcoming ideas, both familiar and unfamiliar, with your arms outstretched and your minds open.
You are the hope of this institution embodied—living proof that our mission changes not only the lives of individuals but also the trajectories of communities that you will join, serve, and lead. May you carry the best of what Harvard is and does into the world that awaits you. May you chart a path for others to follow as you choose your own. And may your many destinations bring you joy, satisfaction, and peace.
Your journey will not always be clear, and it will surely be full of unexpected turns, but fortified by openness and curiosity, by what you have learned here, and by the many connections you have made and will make, you will bring honor to yourself, your family, and your alma mater. Thank you, and congratulations.