Brian Solomon, Forbes Staff
The world’s billionaires are, by definition, some of the
most successful people on the planet — often building their own
companies and changing the world with a new product or a huge
philanthropic endeavor. This makes them natural candidates to give
advice to young college graduates who are just starting out in the
world.
This year, a handful of billionaires gave commencement addresses, including media powerhouse Oprah Winfrey, global philanthropist Melinda Gates, and AOL co-founder Steve Case. Here are some choices passages from their speeches:
Oprah Winfrey: We All Want To Be Understood
“I have to say the single most important lesson I learned in
25 years is there’s a common denominator in our experience… We want to
be validated. We want to be understood. I’ve done over 35,000 interviews
in my career and as soon as that camera shuts off, everyone always
turns to me and says, ‘Was that OK?’ I heard it from President Bush. I
heard it from President Obama… I even heard it from Beyonce in all her Beyonceness!” -Harvard University
Melinda Gates: Human Connection Is Everything
“The people who say technology has disconnected you from
others are wrong. So are the people who say technology automatically
connects you to others. Technology is just a tool. It’s a powerful tool,
but it’s just a tool. Deep human connection is very different. It’s not
a tool. It’s not a means to an end. It is the end — the purpose and the
result of a meaningful life — and it will inspire the most amazing acts
of love, generosity, and humanity.” -Duke University
Shahid Khan: Don’t Take The Easy Road
“Whenever I faced an easy way or a hard way, invariably, the hard way turned out to be the right way.” -University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Steve Case: Be An Attacker
“The attackers are the people with bold, innovative ideas,
who are trying to disrupt the status quo, and usher in a better way. We
need to think out of the box, and be curious, and be willing to take
risks.” -University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
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