- I suspect that many of you are sitting here today
as newly minted Harvard graduates
wondering what the future holds for you.
I actually can relate to that.
As you know, this is my last commencement
and I'm actually pondering the same question.
Like you, I'm contemplating what happens next.
Whatever your dreams are today,
I wish for you what you wish for yourself,
and I hope that living a meaningful life
is high on your list.
What do I mean by that?
You've worked extremely hard to earn your Harvard degree
but you're also extremely fortunate
to be sitting here today.
With education, with good fortune comes responsibility,
including looking beyond your success to help others.
No one accomplishes anything in life on their own.
At the beginning of this ceremony,
I asked you to recognize your friends and families
who have supported you, and you did,
but you have also received support from countless others.
For example, those who pushed and encouraged you
and who may have recognized something in you
that you did not recognize in yourself.
Those who had confidence in you
even before you proved yourself worthy of their trust.
Those who extended themselves to open doors for you.
And to all of these, you can add the invisible others,
those who volunteered their time to create organizations
that have been central to your life.
Those who worked to build institutions
that nurtured your capacities, talents, and ambitions.
Those who helped to sustain
and strengthen this great university,
which I hope has left its mark on each of you
and from which you now graduate, I could go on.
Soon, it will be your turn to extend the helping hand
and to create hope and opportunity for others.
We expect this of you and even more.
I've never met anyone who thinks
the world we live in is perfect.
This is a statement that's equally true
of liberals and conservatives, Democrats and Republicans,
and those across the political spectrum.
So, if you believe the world is imperfect,
the only way it will get better
is if good people like you work to repair it.
This is now your responsibility.
Harvard gave me a great education,
but it also raised my expectations for myself.
It opened my eyes to what is possible.
At my commencement,
I never imagined that someday I would be standing here
giving the final remarks at your commencement.
I hope as you find your way through life
that you will have similarly pleasant surprises.
And now to all of those
who helped me through the path of life,
to those who gave me opportunities
that I never could have imagined,
to those who gave me the extraordinary responsibility
to lead Harvard over these past five years,
and those who helped me do it, I thank you.
And to Adele, my wife of 48 years,
who's been my partner of this incredible journey
and all others, thank you.
I love you. (audience applauding)
As I prepare to take my leave,
I'm reminded of a quotation from a "Book of Wisdom."
It's called Ethics of Our Fathers.
It's the meditation of a great teacher and a great scholar.
I have learned much from my teachers,
more from my colleagues, but most from my students.
To the class of 2023, thank you for teaching me so well.
I'm grateful to each and every one of you
for being a constant source of hope and optimism.
Serving as your president has been the privilege of my life.
I look forward eagerly to celebrating all
that you will do for the world
and all those whose lives will be made better
by your good work.
To the class of 2023, thank you, farewell
and God speed. (audience applauding)