下载文档第一篇：奥普拉,温弗瑞2016年哈佛大学毕业典礼演讲视频下载
奥普拉哈佛毕业典礼演讲：人生唯一目标就是做真实的自己 oprah winfrey: oh my goodness!im at harvard!wow!to president faust, my fellow honorands, carl that was so beautiful, thank you so much, and james rothenberg, stephanie wilson, harvard faculty with a special bow to my friend dr.henry lewis gates.oprah winfrey: all of you alumni with a special bow to the class of 88, your hundred fifteen million dollars.oprah winfrey: and to you, members of the harvard class of 2013!hello!oprah winfrey: and we understand that most americans believe in a clear path to citizenship for the 12,000,000 undocumented immigrants who reside in this country because its possible to both enforce our篇二：奥普拉哈佛毕业典礼演讲：人生唯一目标就是做真实的自己
奥普拉哈佛毕业典礼演讲：人生唯一目标就是做真实的自己 oh my goodness!im at haaaaaarvard!thats how oprah winfrey began her speech at harvard university graduation ceremony—in her spirited, signature way.winfrey also received an honorary doctor of law degree from the university before taking to the podium.温弗瑞演讲中4条最励志的语录
谈失败的好处 there is no such thing as failure.failure is just life trying to move us in another direction.世间并不存在“失败”，那不过是生活想让我们换个方向走走罢了。learn from every mistake, because every experience, particularly your mistakes, are there to teach you and force you into being more who you are.要从错误中吸取教训，因为你的每一次经历、尤其是你犯下的错误，都将帮助你、推动你更好地做自己。
2.on her own biggest personal failure.谈自身最大的失败
我突然想到某首古老赞美诗中的一句话：“困难只是暂时的”，我遇到的麻烦同样会有结束的一天。然后我想，我会将这一页翻过去，我会好起来的。
谈职业生涯所做访谈的共同性 beyonce in all her beyonce-ness...they all want to know: was that okay? did you hear me? did you see me? did what i said mean anything to you? 我发现，我所有的访谈有一个共同性，那就是人人都希望自己被认可、被理解。they all want to know: was that okay? did you hear me? did you see me? did what i said mean anything to you? 我的采访对象都想知道：“我的表现ok吗？你听到我看到我吗？我说的话对你有价值吗？”
4.on the key to success and happiness.谈成功和快乐的关键 you will find true success and happiness if you have only one goal.there really is only one, and that is this: to fulfill the highest, most truthful expression of yourself as a human being.如果你只认准一个目标，那你就能获得真正的成功和快乐。人生确实只有一个目标，那就是：最大程度地、最真实地展现自己。“不要问自己世界需要什么，问问是什么让你精神抖擞地活着，然后就去做，因为世界所需要的就是一个个朝气蓬勃的人。”篇三：奥普拉2013哈佛毕业演讲(中英)oh my goodness!im at harvard!wow!to president faust, my fellow honorands, carl that was so beautiful, thank you so much, and james rothenberg, stephanie wilson, harvard faculty with a special bow to my friend dr.henry lewis gates.all of you alumni with a special bow to the class of 88, your hundred fifteen million dollars.and to you, members of the harvard class of 2013!hello!a personality.but it helps.and while i may not have graduated from here i admit that my feelings, failure and finding happiness 感觉、失败及寻找幸福——奥普拉·温弗瑞------------——美国著名电视节目主持人奥普拉·温弗瑞2008年在斯坦福大学毕业典礼上发表的演讲 thank you, president hennessy, and to the trustees 受托人 and the faculty 教师, to all of the parents and grandparents, to you, the stanford graduates.thank you for letting me share this amazing day with you.you see, kirbys a very smart girl.she wants people to get to know her on her own terms, she says.not in terms of who she knows.so, she never wants anyone whos first meeting her to know that i know her and she knows me.so, when she first came to stanford for new student orientation 典礼with her mom, i i said, sort of? you sort of know me? well, i have photographic proof证明.i have pictures which i can e-mail to you all of kirby riding horsey马 with me on all fours.so, i more than sort-of know kirby bumpus.and im so happy to be here, just happy that i finally, after four years, get to see her room.theres really nowhere else id rather be, because im so proud of kirby, who graduates today with two degrees, one in human bio and the other in psychology.love you, kirby cakes!thats how well i know her.i can call her cakes.。and so proud of her mother and father, who helped her get through this time, and her brother, will.i really had nothing to do with her graduating from stanford, but every time anybodys asked me in the past couple of weeks what i was doing, i would say, im getting ready to go to stanford.i just love saying stanford.because the truth is, i know i would have never gotten my degree at all, cause i didnt go to stanford.i went to tennessee state university 田纳西州立大学.but i never would have gotten my diploma at all, because i was supposed to graduate back in 1975, but i was short one credit（一个学分）.and i figured, im just going to forget it, cause, you know, im not going to march with my class.because by that point, i was already on television.id been in television since i was 19 and a sophomore 大二.granted, i was the only television anchor person 电视主持人that had an 11 oclock curfew 宵禁 doing the 10 oclock news.seriously, my dad was like, well, that news is over at 10:30.be home by 11.but that didnt matter to me, because i was earning a living.i was on my way.so, i thought, im going to let this college thing go and i only had one credit short.but, my father, from that time on and for years after, was always on my case, because i did not graduate.hed say, oprah gail—thats my middle name—i dont know what youre gonna do without that degree.and id say, but, dad, i have my own television show.and hed say, well, i still dont know what youre going to do without that degree.and id say, but, dad, now im a talk show脱口秀 host.hed say, i dont know how youre going to get another job without that degree.so, i finished my coursework, i turned in my final paper and i got the degree.and my dad was very proud.and i know that, if anything happens, that one credit will be my salvation.but i also know why my dad was insisting on that diploma, because, as b.b.king put it, the beautiful thing about learning is that nobody can take that away from you.and learning is really in the broadest sense what i want to talk about today, because your education, of course, isnt ending here.in many ways, its only just begun.sometimes as full-blown crises全面危机.and the secret ive learned to getting ahead is being open to the lessons, lessons from the grandest university of all, that is, the universe itself.its being able to walk through life eager and open to feelings, failure and finding happiness 感觉、失败及寻找幸福——奥普拉·温弗瑞------------——美国著名电视节目主持人奥普拉·温弗瑞2008年在斯坦福大学毕业典礼上发表的演讲 thank you, president hennessy, and to the trustees and the faculty, to all of the parents and grandparents, to you, the stanford graduates.thank you for letting me share this amazing day with you.hennessy校长，全体教员，家长，还有斯坦福的毕业生门，非常感谢你们。感谢你们让我和你们分享这美好的一天。
有些人走到kirby面前，对kirby说：“我的天啊，那是gayle king吗？”kirby说：“嗯，她是我妈妈。”然后人们说：“我的天啊，难道说，你认识oprah winfrey。”kirby说：“有点吧。” i said, sort of? you sort of know me? well, i have photographic proof.i have pictures which i can e-mail to you all of kirby riding horsey with me on all fours.so, i more than sort-of know kirby bumpus.and im so happy to be here, just happy that i finally, after four years, get to see her room.theres really nowhere else id rather be, because im so proud of kirby, who graduates today with two degrees, one in human bio and the other in psychology.love you, kirby cakes!thats how well i know her.i can call her cakes.我说：“有一点。你有一点认识我”。我还有照片为证。我可以把kirby 和我骑马时的照片e-mail给你们。因此我不仅仅只是有点认识kirby bumpus。我非常高兴来到这里，因为四年来我第一次来到她的寝室。我为kirby感到自豪，因为她获得了人类生物学和心理学的双学位。这就是我多么的了解她。我可以叫她cakes。and so proud of her mother and father, who helped her get through this time, and her brother, will.i really had nothing to do with her graduating from stanford, but every time anybodys asked me in the past couple of weeks what i was doing, i would say, im getting ready to go to stanford.我为她的父母感到骄傲，她的父母给了她很大帮助，还有她的哥哥will。我对kirby大学四年真的没有什么帮助。但是在过去的几周里，每当人们问我在做什么时，我都会说：“我正准备去斯坦福” i just love saying stanford.because the truth is, i know i would have never gotten my degree at all, cause i didnt go to stanford.i went to tennessee state university.but i never would have gotten my diploma at all, because i was supposed to graduate back in 1975, but i was short one credit.and i figured, im just going to forget it, cause, you know, im not going to march with my class.because by that point, i was already on television.id been in television since i was 19 and a sophomore.granted, i was the only television anchor person that had an 11 oclock curfew doing the 10 oclock news.我就是喜欢这样说stanford（用一种奇怪的语调）。因为这是真的，我知道根本不会拿到我的学位，因为我没有去斯坦福念书。我去了tennessee 州立大学。但是我本来不会拿到我的毕业证，因为我本应该在1975年毕业，但是我少了一个学分。我认为我还是会忘了这件事。你们知道，我不会比得上我的同班同学。因为我已经上了电视。我在19岁还是大学二年级的时候就已经上了电视。我是唯一一个电视节目主持人，虽然有11点的宵禁，却做着10点钟的新闻。seriously, my dad was like, well, that news is over at 10:30.be home by 11.but that didnt matter to me, because i was earning a living.i was on my way.so, i thought, im going to let this college thing go and i only had one credit short.but, my father, from that time on and for years after, was always on my case, because i did not graduate.hed say, oprah gail—thats my middle name—i dont know what youre gonna do without that degree.and id say, but, dad, i have my own television show.严肃地说，我爸爸告诉我，“好吧，新闻10：30结束。11点之前到家。”但是这对我并不重要，因为我已经自食其力了。我在走我自己的路。所以我想，我不能让关于我大学的那件事就这么过去，我还少一个学分。但是我的父亲从那时起却成了问题。由于我没有毕业，他总是说：“oprah gail（我的中间名字），我不知道没有学位你能做些什么。”然后我说：“但是，爸爸，我已经有我自己的电视节目啦。
第二篇：奥普拉-温弗瑞斯坦福大学毕业典礼演讲
feelings, failure and finding happiness 感觉、失败及寻找幸福——奥普拉·温弗瑞------------——美国著名电视节目主持人奥普拉·温弗瑞2008年在斯坦福大学毕业典礼上发表的演讲 thank you, president hennessy, and to the trustees 受托人 and the faculty 教师, to all of the parents and grandparents, to you, the stanford graduates.thank you for letting me share this amazing day with you.you see, kirbys a very smart girl.she wants people to get to know her on her own terms, she says.not in terms of who she knows.so, she never wants anyone whos first meeting her to know that i know her and she knows me.so, when she first came to stanford for new student orientation 典礼with her mom, i i said, sort of? you sort of know me? well, i have photographic proof证明.i have pictures which i can e-mail to you all of kirby riding horsey马 with me on all fours.so, i more than sort-of know kirby bumpus.and im so happy to be here, just happy that i finally, after four years, get to see her room.theres really nowhere else id rather be, because im so proud of kirby, who graduates today with two degrees, one in human bio and the other in psychology.love you, kirby cakes!thats how well i know her.i can call her cakes.。and so proud of her mother and father, who helped her get through this time, and her brother, will.i really had nothing to do with her graduating from stanford, but every time anybodys asked me in the past couple of weeks what i was doing, i would say, im getting ready to go to stanford.i just love saying stanford.because the truth is, i know i would have never gotten my degree at all, cause i didnt go to stanford.i went to tennessee state university 田纳西州立大学.but i never would have gotten my diploma at all, because i was supposed to graduate back in 1975, but i was short one credit（一个学分）.and i figured, im just going to forget it, cause, you know, im not going to march with my class.because by that point, i was already on television.id been in television since i was 19 and a sophomore 大二.granted, i was the only television anchor person 电视主持人that had an 11 oclock curfew 宵禁 doing the 10 oclock news.seriously, my dad was like, well, that news is over at 10:30.be home by 11.but that didnt matter to me, because i was earning a living.i was on my way.so, i thought, im going to let this college thing go and i only had one credit short.but, my father, from that time on and for years after, was always on my case, because i did not graduate.hed say, oprah gail—thats my middle name—i dont know what youre gonna do without that degree.and id say, but, dad, i have my own television show.and hed say, well, i still dont know what youre going to do without that degree.and id say, but, dad, now im a talk show脱口秀 host.hed say, i dont know how youre going to get another job without that degree.so, i finished my coursework, i turned in my final paper and i got the degree.and my dad was very proud.and i know that, if anything happens, that one credit will be my salvation.but i also know why my dad was insisting on that diploma, because, as b.b.king put it, the beautiful thing about learning is that nobody can take that away from you.and learning is really in the broadest sense what i want to talk about today, because your education, of course, isnt ending here.in many ways, its only just begun.sometimes as full-blown crises全面危机.and the secret ive learned to getting ahead is being open to the lessons, lessons from the grandest university of all, that is, the universe itself.its being able to walk through life eager and open to feelings, failure and finding happiness 感觉、失败及寻找幸福——奥普拉·温弗瑞------------——美国著名电视节目主持人奥普拉·温弗瑞2008年在斯坦福大学毕业典礼上发表的演讲 thank you, president hennessy, and to the trustees and the faculty, to all of the parents and grandparents, to you, the stanford graduates.thank you for letting me share this amazing day with you.hennessy校长，全体教员，家长，还有斯坦福的毕业生门，非常感谢你们。感谢你们让我和你们分享这美好的一天。
有些人走到kirby面前，对kirby说：“我的天啊，那是gayle king吗？”kirby说：“嗯，她是我妈妈。”然后人们说：“我的天啊，难道说，你认识oprah winfrey。”kirby说：“有点吧。” i said, sort of? you sort of know me? well, i have photographic proof.i have pictures which i can e-mail to you all of kirby riding horsey with me on all fours.so, i more than sort-of know kirby bumpus.and im so happy to be here, just happy that i finally, after four years, get to see her room.theres really nowhere else id rather be, because im so proud of kirby, who graduates today with two degrees, one in human bio and the other in psychology.love you, kirby cakes!thats how well i know her.i can call her cakes.我说：“有一点。你有一点认识我”。我还有照片为证。我可以把kirby 和我骑马时的照片e-mail给你们。因此我不仅仅只是有点认识kirby bumpus。我非常高兴来到这里，因为四年来我第一次来到她的寝室。我为kirby感到自豪，因为她获得了人类生物学和心理学的双学位。这就是我多么的了解她。我可以叫她cakes。and so proud of her mother and father, who helped her get through this time, and her brother, will.i really had nothing to do with her graduating from stanford, but every time anybodys asked me in the past couple of weeks what i was doing, i would say, im getting ready to go to stanford.我为她的父母感到骄傲，她的父母给了她很大帮助，还有她的哥哥will。我对kirby大学四年真的没有什么帮助。但是在过去的几周里，每当人们问我在做什么时，我都会说：“我正准备去斯坦福” i just love saying stanford.because the truth is, i know i would have never gotten my degree at all, cause i didnt go to stanford.i went to tennessee state university.but i never would have gotten my diploma at all, because i was supposed to graduate back in 1975, but i was short one credit.and i figured, im just going to forget it, cause, you know, im not going to march with my class.because by that point, i was already on television.id been in television since i was 19 and a sophomore.granted, i was the only television anchor person that had an 11 oclock curfew doing the 10 oclock news.我就是喜欢这样说stanford（用一种奇怪的语调）。因为这是真的，我知道根本不会拿到我的学位，因为我没有去斯坦福念书。我去了tennessee 州立大学。但是我本来不会拿到我的毕业证，因为我本应该在1975年毕业，但是我少了一个学分。我认为我还是会忘了这件事。你们知道，我不会比得上我的同班同学。因为我已经上了电视。我在19岁还是大学二年级的时候就已经上了电视。我是唯一一个电视节目主持人，虽然有11点的宵禁，却做着10点钟的新闻。seriously, my dad was like, well, that news is over at 10:30.be home by 11.but that didnt matter to me, because i was earning a living.i was on my way.so, i thought, im going to let this college thing go and i only had one credit short.but, my father, from that time on and for years after, was always on my case, because i did not graduate.hed say, oprah gail—thats my middle name—i dont know what youre gonna do without that degree.and id say, but, dad, i have my own television show.严肃地说，我爸爸告诉我，“好吧，新闻10：30结束。11点之前到家。”但是这对我并不重要，因为我已经自食其力了。我在走我自己的路。所以我想，我不能让关于我大学的那件事就这么过去，我还少一个学分。但是我的父亲从那时起却成了问题。由于我没有毕业，他总是说：“oprah gail（我的中间名字），我不知道没有学位你能做些什么。”然后我说：“但是，爸爸，我已经有我自己的电视节目啦。” and hed say, well, i still dont know what youre going to do without that degree.and id say, but, dad, now im a talk show host.hed say, i dont know how youre going to get another job without that degree.篇三：奥普拉2008年在斯坦福大学毕业典礼的演讲
脱口秀女王奥普拉2008年在斯坦福大学毕业典礼的演讲
奥普拉·温弗瑞：
美国著名的脱口秀主持人。其主持和制作的节目《奥普拉脱口秀》（the oprah winfrey show，又译作《奥普拉·温芙瑞秀》、《奥普拉秀》、《欧普拉·温芙瑞秀》、《欧普拉秀》等），是美国历史上收视率最高的脱口秀节目。同时，它也是美国历史上播映时间最长的日间电视脱口秀节目。从1986年12月8日至今，这个节目已经走过了20多个年头，播放了多达3000多集。北京时间2009年11月20日，据国外媒体报道，在播出了23年之后，《奥普拉脱口秀》将于2011年9月9日结束。thank you, president hennessy, and to thetrustees and the faculty, to all of the parents and grandparents, to you, the stanford graduates.thank you for letting me share this amazing day with you.hennessy校长，全体教员，家长，还有斯坦福的毕业生门，非常感谢你们。感谢你们让我和你们分享这美好的一天。
我决定透漏一个小秘密给大家来作为这次演讲的开始。这个秘密就是kirby bumpus，斯坦福2008年的毕业生，是我的义女。所以当hennessy校长让我来做演讲时，我受宠若惊，因为自从kirby来这上学以来，这是我第一次被允许到斯坦福来。
正如你们知道的那样kirby是一个非常聪明的女孩。她说，她希望大家通过她自己的努力了解她，而不是她认识谁。因此她从来不希望每一个第一次见到她的人知道她认识我。当她和她妈妈第一次来到斯坦福参加开学典礼时，我听说每个人都十分热情。他们说：“我的天啊，那是gayle king”。因为很多人都知道gayle king是我最好的朋友。
有些人走到kirby面前，对kirby说：“我的天啊，那是gayle king吗？”kirby说：“嗯，她是我妈妈。”然后人们说：“我的天啊，难道说，你认识oprah winfrey。”kirby说：“有点吧。”
i said, sort of? you sort of know me? well, i have photographic proof.i have pictures which i can e-mail to you all of kirby riding horsey with me on all fours.so, i more than sort-of know kirby bumpus.and im so happy to be here, just happy that i finally, after four years, get to see her room.theres really nowhere else id rather be, because im so proud of kirby, who graduates today with two degrees, one in human bio and the other in psychology.love you, kirby cakes!thats how well i know her.i can call her cakes.我说：“有一点。你有一点认识我”。我还有照片为证。我可以把kirby 和我骑马时的照片e-mail给你们。因此我不仅仅只是有点认识kirby bumpus。我非常高兴来到这里，因为四年来我第一次来到她的寝室。我为kirby感到自豪，因为她获得了人类生物学和心理学的双学位。这就是我多么的了解她。我可以叫她cakes。and so proud of her mother and father, who helped her get through this time, and her brother, will.i really had nothing to do with her graduating from stanford, but every time anybodys asked me in the past couple of weeks what i was doing, i would say, im getting ready to go to stanford.我为她的父母感到骄傲，她的父母给了她很大帮助，还有她的哥哥will。我对kirby大学四年真的没有什么帮助。但是在过去的几周里，每当人们问我在做什么时，我都会说：“我正准备去斯坦福” i just love saying stanford.because the truth is, i know i would have never gotten my degree at all, cause i didnt go to stanford.i went to tennessee state university.but i never would have gotten my diploma at all, because i was supposed to graduate back in 1975, but i was short one credit.and i figured, im just going to forget it, cause, you know, im not going to march with my class.because by that point, i was already on television.id been in television since i was 19 and a sophomore.granted, i was the only television anchor person that had an 11 oclock curfew doing the 10 oclock news.我就是喜欢这样说stanford（用一种奇怪的语调）。因为这是真的，我知道根本不会拿到我的学位，因为我没有去斯坦福念书。我去了tennessee 州立大学。但是我本来不会拿到我的毕业证，因为我本应该在1975年毕业，但是我少了一个学分。我认为我还是会忘了这件事。你们知道，我不会比得上我的同班同学。因为我已经上了电视。我在19岁还是大学二年级的时候就已经上了电视。我是唯一一个电视节目主持人，虽然有11点的宵禁，却做着10点钟的新闻。篇四：奥普拉哈佛毕业典礼演讲：人生唯一目标就是做真实的自己
奥普拉哈佛毕业典礼演讲：人生唯一目标就是做真实的自己 oh my goodness!im at haaaaaarvard!thats how oprah winfrey began her speech at harvard university graduation ceremony—in her spirited, signature way.winfrey also received an honorary doctor of law degree from the university before taking to the podium.温弗瑞演讲中4条最励志的语录
谈失败的好处 there is no such thing as failure.failure is just life trying to move us in another direction.世间并不存在“失败”，那不过是生活想让我们换个方向走走罢了。learn from every mistake, because every experience, particularly your mistakes, are there to teach you and force you into being more who you are.要从错误中吸取教训，因为你的每一次经历、尤其是你犯下的错误，都将帮助你、推动你更好地做自己。
2.on her own biggest personal failure.谈自身最大的失败
我突然想到某首古老赞美诗中的一句话：“困难只是暂时的”，我遇到的麻烦同样会有结束的一天。然后我想，我会将这一页翻过去，我会好起来的。
谈职业生涯所做访谈的共同性 beyonce in all her beyonce-ness...they all want to know: was that okay? did you hear me? did you see me? did what i said mean anything to you? 我发现，我所有的访谈有一个共同性，那就是人人都希望自己被认可、被理解。they all want to know: was that okay? did you hear me? did you see me? did what i said mean anything to you? 我的采访对象都想知道：“我的表现ok吗？你听到我看到我吗？我说的话对你有价值吗？”
4.on the key to success and happiness.谈成功和快乐的关键 you will find true success and happiness if you have only one goal.there really is only one, and that is this: to fulfill the highest, most truthful expression of yourself as a human being.如果你只认准一个目标，那你就能获得真正的成功和快乐。人生确实只有一个目标，那就是：最大程度地、最真实地展现自己。
“不要问自己世界需要什么，问问是什么让你精神抖擞地活着，然后就去做，因为世界所需要的就是一个个朝气蓬勃的人。”篇五：奥普拉演讲
奥普拉哈佛大学2013年毕业典礼演讲
当地时间5月31日，脱口秀女王奥普拉·温弗瑞（oprah winfrey）在哈佛的毕业典礼上为毕业生们献上了一场精彩励志演讲。there is no such thing as failure.failure is just life trying to move us in another direction.oh my goodness!im at haaaaaarvard!thats how oprah winfrey began her speech at harvard university graduation ceremony—in her spirited, signature way.winfrey also received an honorary doctor of law degree from the university before taking to the podium。“omg，我竟然在哈??佛！”奥普拉·温弗瑞以这样富有 four most inspiring quotes from winfreys speech温弗瑞演讲中4条最励志的语录 there is no such thing as failure.failure is just life trying to move us in another direction。世间并不存在“失败”，那不过是生活想让我们换条道走走罢了。learn from every mistake, because every experience, particularly your mistakes, are there to teach you and force you into being more who you are。要从错误中吸取教训，因为你的每一次经历、尤其是你犯下的错误，都将帮助你、推动你更好地做自己。2.on her own biggest personal failure。谈自身最大的失败 then the words came to me, trouble dont last always, from an old hymn.this too shall pass.and i thought, i am going to turn this thing around and i will be better for it。我突然想到某首古老赞美诗中的一句话：“困难只是暂时的”，我遇到的麻烦同样会有结束的一天。然后我想，我会将这一页翻过去，我会好起来的。they all want to know: was that okay? did you hear me? did you see me? did what i said mean anything to you?我的采访对象都想知道：“我的表现ok吗？你听到我看到我吗？我说的话对你有价值吗？” 4.on the key to success and happiness。谈成功和快乐的关键 you will find true success and happiness if you have only one goal.there really is only one, and that is this: to fulfill the highest, most truthful expression of yourself as a human being.you want to max out your humanity by using your energy to lift yourself up, your family, and the people you will find true success and happiness if you have only one goal.there really is only one, and that is this: to fulfill the highest, most truthful expression of yourself as a human being。如果你只认准一个目标，那你就能获得真正的成功和快乐。人生确实只有一个目标，那就是：最大程度地、最真实地展现自己。
第三篇：奥普拉·温弗瑞 讲稿
她是私生子，却被母亲遗弃
奥普拉是一个私生子，从小跟妈妈一起生活。难以置信的是，9岁时候，她受到了自己堂兄的侵犯，年幼的她默默忍受了。不懂世事的她因为缺乏教育和管理，14岁那年，她意外怀孕了，连孩子的父亲是谁都不知道；更不幸的是，没过几年，孩子便早夭了，她又重归堕落。她的童年生活，简直可以用悲惨来形容。
或许是因为私生子的关系，从小母亲便对她不好。犯了一点小错便会受到母亲的责骂。缺乏良好的教育，再加上母亲对她置之不理，恶性循环，小奥普拉一步步走向堕落。她的母亲难以忍受她，便将她送到了父亲的身边。可作为一个私生子，又是黑人，她又能有多好的待遇呢？
父亲和继母对她严加管教，有时候甚至以不学习不让吃饭来威胁她。离开了抛弃她的母亲，好在坚强的她并未放弃自己，接受着这来之不易的改造机会。
她仿佛是个灰姑娘，可她没有绝美的面庞，没有好心的精灵，她只有自己。于她而言，王子并不是改变人生的关键，她在功课上特别努力，并且最后考上了大学，赢得了田纳西州小姐的桂冠。她在大众眼里确实并不美丽，甚至属于长得很丑的类型。幸运的是，当时的评审看中了她的机智和才华。认为她是一个可塑之才。而这才华远远胜过光有美貌的其他人。也正是她出色的口才，为她后来赢得了著名广播公司的青睐。
长得太丑，去整容都无人接收
毕业后的她很快有了一份工作，却并未得到她意料中的反馈，于是，她被调职了。与此同时，她的领导要求她去整容，因为她的相貌不符合当时黑人美女的要求。可悲并且无奈的是，连整容医生看到她的脸都觉得无药可救，不想给她做手术。
这看似幸运，却又像是赤裸裸的嘲讽。然而成功怎会是朝夕之间的成就呢？
若容貌是阻碍，便用才华披荆斩棘，若挫折是机遇，便要越挫越勇。
看脸的时代又怎么样，她就算没有一张美脸照样可以活得很出色。调职后的她更加发奋努力，很快她就掌握到了要领，迅速打响名气，成为红极一时的女主持人。芝加哥美国广播公司也因此注意到了她，以23万美元的年薪将奥普拉招致麾下。她是灰姑娘，但要当的是女将领，而不是公主
虽然她已经名声大噪，但是在那个时候，女人和黑人仍然是容易被看轻的。传媒行业日新月异，倘若不创新，停滞不前，她很快就会被取代，这样的危机感促使着她对节目不断进行着改革。
在她眼中，传统从来都不是桎梏，而是用来被打破的东西。
第一个创新者总是面临着更多的阻碍，可她从未却步。她渴望更成功、更优秀，她这位灰姑娘与生俱来就是要成为一名女将领，而非公主。
在她的节目里，也没有固定形式。不是一对一面对镜头开始审问试的访谈，有时会布置成晚宴的形式，让参与的嘉宾能够做到完全放松和信任自己，当成自己久违的好友一样促膝长谈。甚至每每在谈到自己的时候，也毫不避讳提及不堪回首的过去。
黑色玫瑰，也能发出耀眼光芒
“奥普拉脱口秀”成为她的个人品牌，直到今天一直占据着美国“脱口秀”节目的头把交椅。
她凭借个人魅力，邀请得了从不轻易上节目的流行天王迈克尔·杰克逊，而迈克尔也在她的节目中真正披露心声，甚至第一次坦言他的皮肤让人难以理解地变白，是因为罹患白癜风。
《我心永恒》的演唱者席琳·迪翁曾24次登上奥普拉脱口秀，美国总统奥巴马曾携夫人参加节目，第一夫人米歇尔的50岁生日，更是在奥普拉的别墅中度过的。
能够达到如此成就，已经可谓是人生赢家了。
多年的拼搏仿佛已经成为了惯性，她无法停下前进的脚步。越是从黑暗中走出来的人越是惧怕黑暗。哪怕她敢于在节目中袒露自己混沌的过往，可是经历再怎样久远，也会留下一抹疤痕。
可是坚毅的人，就能凭借自己的努力，让疤痕变为勋章。拍电影、出书、做传媒公司，她永远都没有停止脚步。结交了世界名流，顺利跻身上层社会，获得各类殊荣。现在，再也没有人会嘲笑她长得丑。就算曾经有再多的黑历史，现在也已经靠自己的努力完全洗白。那些黑历史不是她屈辱的过往，而是前行的动力。对大众来说，奥普拉已经是成功女人的典范，可是对她来说，成功始终是下一个目的地。
一个人想要彻头彻尾、由内而外的改变，最重要的影响因素还是她自己。“做一件事最好的时机是十年前，其次是现在。”当别人都否定你的时候，自己一定要记得肯定自己。
终有一天，你的所有努力都会得到回报，即使不被大众所熟知，你也会成为你自己的英雄。当你再回首，你会感谢当时不言放弃的自己。
第四篇：2013年奥普拉·温弗瑞哈佛毕业典礼演讲稿
奥普拉2013哈佛大学毕业典礼英语演讲稿：
Oh my goodness!I'm at Harvard!Wow!To President Faust, my fellow honorands, Carl that was so beautiful, thank you so much, and James Rothenberg, Stephanie Wilson, Harvard faculty with a special bow to my friend Dr.Henry Lewis Gates.All of you alumni with a special bow to the class of '88, your hundred fifteen million dollars.And to you, members of the Harvard class of 2013!Hello!I thank you for allowing me to be a part of the conclusion of this chapter of your lives and the commencement of your next chapter.To say that I'm honored doesn't even begin to quantify the depth of gratitude that really accompanies an honorary doctorate from Harvard.Not too many little girls from rural Mississippi have made it all the way here to Cambridge.And I can tell you that I consider today as I sat on the stage this morning getting teary for you all and then teary for myself, I consider today a defining milestone in a very long and a blessed journey.My one hope today is that I can be a source of some inspiration.I'm going to address my remarks to anybody who has ever felt inferior or felt disadvantaged, felt screwed by life, this is a speech for the quad.Actually I was so honored I wanted to do something really special for you.I wanted to be able to have you look under your seats and there would be free master and doctor degrees but I see you got that covered already.I will be honest with you.I felt a lot of pressure over the past few weeks to come up with something that I could share with you that you hadn't heard before because after all you all went to Harvard, I did not.But then I realized that you don't have to necessarily go to Harvard to have a driven obsessive Type A personality.But it helps.And while I may not have graduated from here I admit that my personality is about as Harvard as they come.You know my television career began unexpectedly.As you heard this morning I was in the Miss Fire Prevention contest.That was when I was 16 years old in Nashville, Tennessee and you had the requirement of having to have red hair in order to win up until the year that I entered.So they were doing the question and answer period because I knew I wasn't going to win under the swimsuit competition.So during the question and answer period the question came “Why, young lady, what would you like to be when you grow up?” And by the time they got to me all the good answers were gone.So I had seen Barbara Walters on the Today Show that morning so I answered “I would like to be a journalist.I would like to tell other people's stories in a way that makes a difference in their lives and the world.” And as those words were coming out of my mouth I went whoa!This is pretty good!I would like to be a journalist.I want to make a difference.Well I was on television by the time I was 19 years old.And in 1986 I launched my own television show with a relentless determination to succeed at first.I was nervous about the competition and then I became my own competition raising the bar every year, pushing, pushing, pushing myself as hard as I knew.Sound familiar to anybody here? Eventually we did make it to the top and we stayed there for 25 years.The Oprah Winfrey Show was number one in our time slot for 21 years and I have to tell you I became pretty comfortable with that level of success.But a few years ago I decided as you will at some point, that it was time to recalculate, find new territory, break new ground.So I ended the show and launched OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network.The initials just worked out for me.So one year later after launching OWN nearly every media outlet had proclaimed that my new venture was a flop.Not just a flop but a big bold flop they call it.I can still remember the day I opened up USA Today and read the headline “Oprah, not quite standing on her OWN.” I mean really, USA Today? Now that's the nice newspaper!It really was this time last year the worst period in my professional life.I was stressed and I was frustrated and quite frankly I was actually I was embarrassed.It was right around that time that President Faust called and asked me to speak here and I thought you want me to speak to Harvard graduates? What could I possibly say to Harvard graduates, some of the most successful graduates in the world in the very moment when I had stopped succeeding? So I got off the phone with President Faust and I went to the shower.It was either that or a bag of Oreos.So I chose the shower.And I was in the shower a long time and as I was in the shower the words of an old hymn came to me.You may not know it.It's “By and by, when the morning comes.” And I started thinking about when the morning might come because at the time I thought I was stuck in a hole.And the words came to me “Trouble don't last always” from that hymn, “this too shall pass.” And I thought as I got out of the shower I am going to turn this thing around and I will be better for it.And when I do, I'm going to go to Harvard and I'm going to speak the truth of it!So I'm here today to tell you I have turned that network around!And it was all because I wanted to do it by the time I got to speak to you all so thank you so much.You don't know what motivation you were for me, thank you.I'm even prouder to share a fundamental truth that you might not have learned even as graduates of Harvard unless you studied the ancient Greek hero with Professor Nagy.Professor Nagy as we were coming in this morning said “Please Ms.Winfrey, walk decisively.” I shall walk decisively.This is what I want to share.It doesn't matter how far you might rise.At some point you are bound to stumble because if you're constantly doing what we do, raising the bar.If you're constantly pushing yourself higher, higher the law of averages not to mention the Myth of Icarus predicts that you will at some point fall.And when you do I want you to know this, remember this: there is no such thing as failure.Failure is just life trying to move us in another direction.Now when you're down there in the hole, it looks like failure.So this past year I had to spoon feed those words to myself.And when you're down in the hole, when that moment comes, it's really okay to feel bad for a little while.Give yourself time to mourn what you think you may have lost but then here's the key, learn from every mistake because every experience, encounter, and particularly your mistakes are there to teach you and force you into being more who you are.And then figure out what is the next right move.And the key to life is to develop an internal moral emotional G.P.S.that can tell you which way to go.Because now and forever more when you Google yourself your search results will read “Harvard, 2013”.And in a very competitive world that really is a calling card because I can tell you as one who employs a lot of people when I see “Harvard” I sit up a little straighter and say “Where is he or she? Bring them in.” it's an impressive calling card that can lead to even more impressive bullets in the years ahead: lawyer, senator, C.E.O., scientist, physicist, winners of Nobel and Pulitzer Prizes or late night talk show host.But the challenge of life I have found is to build a resume that doesn't simply tell a story about what you want to be but it's a story about who you want to be.It's a resume that doesn't just tell a story about what you want to accomplish but why.A story that's not just a collection of titles and positions but a story that's really about your purpose.Because when you inevitably stumble and find yourself stuck in a hole that is the story that will get you out.What is your true calling? What is your dharma? What is your purpose? For me that discovery came in 1994 when I interviewed a little girl who had decided to collect pocket change in order to help other people in need.She raised a thousand dollars all by herself and I thought well if that little 9 year old girl with a bucket and big heart could do that I wonder what I could do? So I asked for our viewers to take up their own change collection and in one month just from pennies and nickels and dimes we raised more than three million dollars that we used to send one student from every state in the United States to college.That was the beginning of the Angel Network.And so what I did was I simply asked our viewers “Do what you can wherever you are, from wherever you sit in life.Give me your time or your talent your money if you have it.” And they did.Extend yourself in kindness to other human beings wherever you can.And together we built 55 schools in 12 different countries and restored nearly 300 homes that were devastated by hurricanes Rita and Katrina.So the Angel Network I have been on the air for a long time, but it was the Angel Network that actually focused my internal G.P.S.It helped me to decide that I wasn't going to just be on TV every day but that the goal of my shows, my interviews, my business, my philanthropy all of it, whatever ventures I might pursue would be to make clear that what unites us is ultimately far more redeeming and compelling than anything that separates me.Because what had become clear to me and I want you to know it isn't always clear in the beginning because as I said I had been on television since I was 19 years old.But around '94 I got really clear.So don't expect the clarity to come all at once to know your purpose right away, but what became clear to me was that I was here on earth to use television and not be used by it;to use television to illuminate the transcendent power of our better angels.So this Angel Network, it didn't just change the lives of those who were helped, but the lives of those who also did the helping.It reminded us that no matter who we are or what we look like or what we may believe it is both possible and more importantly it becomes powerful to come together in common purpose and common effort.I saw something on the Bill Moore Show recently that so reminded me of this point.It was an interview with David and Francine Wheeler.They lost their 7 year old son, Ben in the Sandy Hook tragedy.And even though gun safety legislation to strengthen background checks had just been voted down in Congress at the time that they were doing this interview they talked about how they refused to be discouraged.Francine said this, she said “Our hearts are broken but our spirits are not.I'm going to tell them what it's like to find a conversation about change that is love, and I'm going to do that without fighting them.” And then her husband David added this, “You simply cannot demonize or vilify someone who doesn't agree with you, because the minute you do that, your discussion is over.And we cannot do that any longer.The problem is too enormous.There has to be some way that this darkness can be banished with light.” In our political system and in the media we often see the reflection of a country that is polarized, that is paralyzed and is self-interested.And yet, I know you know the truth.We all know that we are better than the cynicism and the pessimism that is regurgitated throughout Washington and the 24-hour cable news cycle.Not my channel, by the way.We understand that the vast majority of people in this country believe in stronger background checks because they realize that we can uphold the Second Amendment and also reduce the violence that is robbing us of our children.They don't have to be incompatible.And we understand that most Americans believe in a clear path to citizenship for the 12,000,000 undocumented immigrants who reside in this country because it's possible to both enforce our laws and at the same time embrace the words on the Statue of Liberty that have welcomed generations of huddled masses to our shores.We can do both.And we understand.I know you do because you went to Harvard.There are people from both parties and no party believe that indigent mothers and families should have access to healthy food and a roof over their heads and a strong public education because here in the richest nation on earth we can afford a basic level of security and opportunity.So the question is what are we going to do about it? Really what are you going to do about it? Maybe you agree with these beliefs.Maybe you don't.Maybe you care about these issues and maybe there are other challenges that you, class of 2013, are passionate about.Maybe you want to make a difference by serving in government.Maybe you want to launch your own television show.Or maybe you simply want to collect some change.Your parents would appreciate that about now.The point is your generation is charged with this task of breaking through what the body politic has thus far made impervious to change.Each of you has been blessed with this enormous opportunity of attending this prestigious school.You now have a chance to better your life, the lives of your neighbors and also the life of our country.When you do that let me tell you what I know for sure.That's when your story gets really good.Maya Angelou always says “When you learn, teach.When you get, give.That my friends is what gives your story purpose and meaning.” So you all have the power in your own way to develop your own Angel Network and in doing so your class will be armed with more tools of influence and empowerment than any other generation in history.I did it in an analog world.I was blessed with a platform that at its height reached nearly 20,000,000 viewers a day.Now here in a world of Twitter and Facebook and YouTube and Tumbler, you can reach billions in just seconds.You're the generation that rejected predictions about your detachment and your disengagement by showing up to vote in record numbers in 2008.And when the pundits said they said they talked about you, they said you'd be too disappointed, you'd be too dejected to repeat that same kind of turnout in 2012 election and you proved them wrong by showing up in even greater numbers.That's who you are.This generation your generation I know has developed a finely honed radar for B.S.Can you say “B.S.” at Harvard? The spin and phoniness and artificial nastiness that saturates so much of our national debate.I know you all understand better than most that real progress requires authentic-an authentic way of being, honesty, and above all empathy.I have to say that the single most important lesson I learned in 25 years talking every single day to people was that there is a common denominator in our human experience.Most of us I tell you we don't want to be pided.What we want, the common denominator that I found in every single interview, is we want to be validated.We want to be understood.I have done over 35,000 interviews in my career and as soon as that camera shuts off everyone always turns to me and inevitably in their own way asks this question “Was that okay?” I heard it from President Bush, I heard it from President Obama.I've heard it from heroes and from housewives.I've heard it from victims and perpetrators of crimes.I even heard it from Beyonce and all of her Beyonceness.She finishes performing, hands me the microphone and says “Was that okay?” Friends and family, yours, enemies, strangers in every argument in every encounter, every exchange I will tell you they all want to know one thing: was that okay? Did you hear me? Do you see me? Did what I say mean anything to you? And even though this is a college where Facebook was born my hope is that you would try to go out and have more face-to-face conversations with people you may disagree with.That you'll have the courage to look them in the eye and hear their point of view and help make sure that the speed and distance and anonymity of our world doesn't cause us to lose our ability to stand in somebody else's shoes and recognize all that we share as a people.This is imperative for you as an inpidual and for our success as a nation.“There has to be some way that this darkness can be banished with light,” says the man whose little boy was massacred on just an ordinary Friday in December.So whether you call it soul or spirit or higher self, intelligence, there is I know this, there is a light inside each of you all of us that illuminates your very human beingness if you let it.And as a young girl from rural Mississippi I learned long ago that being myself was much easier than pretending to be Barbara Walters.Although when I first started because I had Barbara in my head I would try to sit like Barbara, talk like Barbara, move like Barbara and then one night I was on the news reading the news and I called Canada Can-a-da, and that was the end of me being Barbara.I cracked myself up on TV.Couldn't stop laughing and my real personality came through and I figured out oh gee, I can be a much better Oprah than I could be a pretend Barbara.I know that you all might have a little anxiety now and hesitation about leaving the comfort of college and putting those Harvard credentials to the test.But no matter what challenges or setbacks or disappointments you may encounter along the way you will find true success and happiness if you have only one goal, there really is only one and that is this: to fulfill the highest most truthful expression of yourself as a human being.You want to max out your humanity by using your energy to lift yourself up, your family and the people around you.Theologian Howard Thurman said it best.He said “Don't ask yourself what the world needs.Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” The world needs-People like Michael Stolzenberg from Fort Lauderdale.When Michael was just 8 years old Michael nearly died from a bacterial infection that cost him both of his hands and both of his feet.And in an instant this vibrant little boy became a quadruple amputee and his life was changed forever.But in losing who he once was Michael discovered who he wanted to be.He refused to sit in that wheelchair all day and feel sorry for himself so with prosthetics he learned to walk and run and play again.He joined his middle school lacrosse team and last month when he learned that so many victims of the Boston Marathon bombing would become new amputees Michael decided to banish that darkness with light.Michael and his brother Harris created Mikeysrun.com to raise 1,000,000 dollars for other amputees.By the time Harris runs the 2014 Boston Marathon.More than 1,000 miles away from here these two young brothers are bringing people together to support this Boston community the way their community came together to support Michael.And when this 13 year old man was asked about his fellow amputees he said this “First they will be sad.They're losing something they will never get back and that's scary.I was scared.But they'll be okay.They just don't know that yet.” We might not always know it.We might not always see it, or hear it on the news or even feel it in our daily lives but I have faith that no matter what class of 2013 you will be okay and you will make sure our country is okay.I have faith because of that 9 year old girl who went out and collected the change.I have faith because of David and Francine Wheeler, I have faith because of Michael and Harris Stolzenberg and I have faith because of you, the network of angeles sitting here today.One of them Kadija Williams who came to Harvard four years ago.Kadija had attended 12 schools in 12 years living out of garbage bags amongst pimps and prostitutes and drug dealers, homeless, going in to department stores, Wal-Mart in the morning to bathe herself so that she wouldn't smell in front of her classmates and today she graduates as a member of the Harvard class of 2013.From time to time you may stumble fall, you will for sure count in this no doubt, you will have questions and you will have doubts about your path but I know this, if you're willing to listen to be guided by that still small voice that is the G.P.S.within yourself, to find out what makes you come alive you will be more than okay.You will be happy, you will be successful, and you will make a difference in the world.Congratulations class of 2013, congratulations to your family and friends, good luck and thank you for listening.Was that okay?
第五篇：奥普拉·温弗瑞斯坦福大学毕业典礼演讲：感觉、失败及寻找幸福
Feelings, Failure and Finding Happiness Thank you, President Hennessy, and to thetrustees and the faculty, to all of the parents and grandparents, to you, the Stanford graduates.Thank you for letting me share this amazing day with you.I need to begin by letting everyone in on a little secret.The secret is that Kirby Bumpus, Stanford Class of '08, is my goddaughter.So, I was thrilled when President Hennessy asked me to be your Commencement speaker, because this is the first time I've been allowed on campus since Kirby's been here.You see, Kirby's a very smart girl.She wants people to get to know her on her own terms, she says.Not in terms of who she knows.So, she never wants anyone who's first meeting her to know that I know her and she knows me.So, when she first came to Stanford for new student orientation with her mom, I hear that they arrived and everybody was so welcoming, and somebody came up to Kirby and they said, “Ohmy god, that's Gayle King!” Because a lot of people know Gayle King as my BFF [best friend forever].And so somebody comes up to Kirby, and they say, “Oh my god, is that Gayle King?” And Kirby's like, “Uh-huh.She's my mom.”And so the person says, “Oh my god, does it mean, like, you know Oprah Winfrey?”And Kirby says, “Sort of.” I said, “Sort of? You sort of know me?” Well, I have photographic proof.I have pictures which I can e-mail to you all of Kirby riding horsey with me on all fours.So, I more than sort-of know Kirby Bumpus.And I'm so happy to be here, just happy that I finally, after four years, get to see her room.There's really nowhere else I'd rather be, because I'm so proud of Kirby, who graduates today with two degrees, one in human bio and the other in psychology.Love you, Kirby Cakes!That's how well I know her.I can call her Cakes.And so proud of her mother and father, who helped her get through this time, and her brother, Will.I really had nothing to do with her graduating from Stanford, but every time anybody's asked me in the past couple of weeks what I was doing, I would say, “I'm getting ready to go to Stanford.” I just love saying “Stanford.” Because the truth is, I know I would have never gotten my degree at all, 'cause I didn't go to Stanford.I went to Tennessee State University.But I never would have gotten my diploma at all, because I was supposed to graduate back in 1975, but I was short one credit.And I figured, I'm just going to forget it, 'cause, you know, I'm not going to march with my class.Because by that point, I was already on television.I'd been in television since I was 19 and a sophomore.Granted, I was the only television anchor person that had an 11 o'clock curfew doing the 10 o'clock news.Seriously, my dad was like, “Well, that news is over at 10:30.Be home by 11.” And I'd say, “But, Dad, now I'm a talk show host.” He'd say, “I don't know how you're going to get another job without that degree.” So, in 1987, Tennessee State University invited me back to speak at their commencement.By then, I had my own show, was nationally syndicated.I'd made a movie, had been nominated for an Oscar and founded my company, Harpo.But I told them, I cannot come and give a speech unless I can earn one more credit, because my dad's still saying I'm not going to get anywhere without that degree.So, I finished my coursework, I turned in my final paper and I got the degree.And my dad was very proud.And I know that, if anything happens, that one credit will be my salvation.But I also know why my dad was insisting on that diploma, because, as B.B.King put it, “The beautiful thing about learning is that nobody can take that away from you.” And learning is really in the broadest sense what I want to talk about today, because your education, of course, isn't ending here.In many ways, it's only just begun.The world has so many lessons to teach you.I consider the world, this Earth, to be like a school and our life the classrooms.And sometimes here in this Planet Earth school the lessons often come dressed up as detours or roadblocks.And sometimes as full-blown crises.And the secret I've learned to getting ahead is being open to the lessons, lessons from the grandest university of all, that is, the universe itself.It's being able to walk through life eager and open to self-improvement and that which is going to best help you evolve, 'cause that's really why we're here, to evolve as human beings.To grow into more of ourselves, always moving to the next level of understanding, the next level of compassion and growth.I think about one of the greatest compliments I've ever received: I interviewed with a reporter when I was first starting out in Chicago.And then many years later, I saw the same reporter.And she said to me, “You know what? You really haven't changed.You've just become more of yourself.” And that is really what we're all trying to do, become more of ourselves.And I believe that there's a lesson in almost everything that you do and every experience, and getting the lesson is how you move forward.It's how you enrich your spirit.And, trust me, I know that inner wisdom is more precious than wealth.The more you spend it, the more you gain.So, today, I just want to share a few lessons—meaning three—that I've learned in my journey so far.And aren't you glad? Don't you hate it when somebody says, “I'm going to share a few,” and it's 10 lessons later? And, you're like, “Listen, this is my graduation.This is not about you.” So, it's only going to be three.The three lessons that have had the greatest impact on my life have to do with feelings, with failure and with finding happiness.A year after I left college, I was given the opportunity to co-anchor the 6 o'clock news in Baltimore, because the whole goal in the media at the time I was coming up was you try to move to larger markets.And Baltimore was a much larger market than Nashville.So, getting the 6 o'clock news co-anchor job at 22 was such a big deal.It felt like the biggest deal in the world at the time.And I was so proud, because I was finally going to have my chance to be like Barbara Walters, which is who I had been trying to emulate since the start of my TV career.So, I was 22 years old, making $22,000 a year.And it's where I met my best friend, Gayle, who was an intern at the same TV station.And once we became friends, we'd say, “Oh my god, I can't believe it!You're making $22,000 and you're only 22.Imagine when you're 40 and you're making $40,000!” When I turned 40, I was so glad that didn't happen.So, here I am, 22, making $22,000 a year and, yet, it didn't feel right.It didn't feel right.The first sign, as President Hennessy was saying, was when they tried to change my name.The news director said to me at the time, “Nobody's going to remember Oprah.So, we want to change your name.We've come up with a name we think that people will remember and people will like.It's a friendly name: Suzie.” Hi, Suzie.Very friendly.You can't be angry with Suzie.Remember Suzie.But my name wasn't Suzie.And, you know, I'd grown up not really loving my name, because when you're looking for your little name on the lunch boxes and the license plate tags, you're never going to find Oprah.So, I grew up not loving the name, but once I was asked to change it, I thought, well, it is my name and do I look like a Suzie to you? So, I thought, no, it doesn't feel right.I'm not going to change my name.And if people remember it or not, that's OK.And then they said they didn't like the way I looked.This was in 1976, when your boss could call you in and say, “I don't like the way you look.” Now that would be called a lawsuit, but back then they could just say, “I don't like the way you look.” Which, in case some of you in the back, if you can't tell, is nothing like Barbara Walters.So, they sent me to a salon where they gave me a perm, and after a few days all my hair fell out and I had to shave my head.And then they really didn't like the way I looked.Because now I am black and bald and sitting on TV.Not a pretty picture.But even worse than being bald, I really hated, hated, hated being sent to report on other people's tragedies as a part of my daily duty, knowing that I was just expected to observe, when everything in my instinct told me that I should be doing something, I should be lending a hand.So, as President Hennessy said, I'd cover a fire and then I'd go back and I'd try to give the victims blankets.And I wouldn't be able to sleep at night because of all the things I was covering during the day.And, meanwhile, I was trying to sit gracefully like Barbara and make myself talk like Barbara.And I thought, well, I could make a pretty goofy Barbara.And if I could figure out how to be myself, I could be a pretty good Oprah.I was trying to sound elegant like Barbara.And sometimes I didn't read my copy, because something inside me said, this should be spontaneous.So, I wanted to get the news as I was giving it to the people.So, sometimes, I wouldn't read my copy and it would be, like, six people on a pileup on I-40.Oh, my goodness.And sometimes I wouldn't read the copy—because I wanted to be spontaneous—and I'd come across a list of words I didn't know and I'd mispronounce.And one day I was reading copy and I called Canada “ca nada.” And I decided, this Barbara thing's not going too well.I should try being myself.But at the same time, my dad was saying, “Oprah Gail, this is an opportunity of a lifetime.You better keep that job.” And my boss was saying, “This is the nightly news.You're an anchor, not a social worker.Just do your job.” So, I was juggling these messages of expectation and obligation and feeling really miserable with myself.I'd go home at night and fill up my journals, 'cause I've kept a journal since I was 15—so I now have volumes of journals.So, I'd go home at night and fill up my journals about how miserable I was and frustrated.Then I'd eat my anxiety.That's where I learned that habit.And after eight months, I lost that job.They said I was too emotional.I was too much.But since they didn't want to pay out the contract, they put me on a talk show in Baltimore.And the moment I sat down on that show, the moment I did, I felt like I'd come home.I realized that TV could be more than just a playground, but a platform for service, for helping other people lift their lives.And the moment I sat down, doing that talk show, it felt like breathing.It felt right.And that's where everything that followed for me began.And I got that lesson.When you're doing the work you're meant to do, it feels right and every day is a bonus, regardless of what you're getting paid.It's true.And how do you know when you're doing something right? How do you know that? It feels so.What I know now is that feelings are really your GPS system for life.When you're supposed to do something or not supposed to do something, your emotional guidance system lets you know.The trick is to learn to check your ego at the door and start checking your gut instead.Every right decision I've made—every right decision I've ever made—has come from my gut.And every wrong decision I've ever made was a result of me not listening to the greater voice of myself.If it doesn't feel right, don't do it.That's the lesson.And that lesson alone will save you, my friends, a lot of grief.Even doubt means don't.This is what I've learned.There are many times when you don't know what to do.When you don't know what to do, get still, get very still, until you do know what to do.And when you do get still and let your internal motivation be the driver, not only will your personal life improve, but you will gain a competitive edge in the working world as well.Because, as Daniel Pink writes in his best-seller, A Whole New Mind, we're entering a whole new age.And he calls it the Conceptual Age, where traits that set people apart today are going to come from our hearts—right brain—as well as our heads.It's no longer just the logical, linear, rules-based thinking that matters, he says.It's also empathy and joyfulness and purpose, inner traits that have transcendent worth.These qualities bloom when we're doing what we love, when we're involving the wholeness of ourselves in our work, both our expertise and our emotion.So, I say to you, forget about the fast lane.If you really want to fly, just harness your power to your passion.Honor your calling.Everybody has one.Trust your heart and success will come to you.So, how do I define success? Let me tell you, money's pretty nice.I'm not going to stand up here and tell you that it's not about money, 'cause money is very nice.I like money.It's good for buying things.But having a lot of money does not automatically make you a successful person.What you want is money and meaning.You want your work to be meaningful.Because meaning is what brings the real richness to your life.What you really want is to be surrounded by people you trust and treasure and by people who cherish you.That's when you're really rich.So, lesson one, follow your feelings.If it feels right, move forward.If it doesn't feel right, don't do it.Now I want to talk a little bit about failings, because nobody's journey is seamless or smooth.We all stumble.We all have setbacks.If things go wrong, you hit a dead end—as you will—it's just life's way of saying time to change course.So, ask every failure—this is what I do with every failure, every crisis, every difficult time—I say, what is this here to teach me? And as soon as you get the lesson, you get to move on.If you really get the lesson, you pass and you don't have to repeat the class.If you don't get the lesson, it shows up wearing another pair of pants—or skirt—to give you some remedial work.And what I've found is that difficulties come when you don't pay attention to life's whisper, because life always whispers to you first.And if you ignore the whisper, sooner or later you'll get a scream.Whatever you resist persists.But, if you ask the right question—not why is this happening, but what is this here to teach me?—it puts you in the place and space to get the lesson you need.My friend Eckhart Tolle, who's written this wonderful book called A New Earth that's all about letting the awareness of who you are stimulate everything that you do, he puts it like this: He says, don't react against a bad situation;merge with that situation instead.And the solution will arise from the challenge.Because surrendering yourself doesn't mean giving up;it means acting with responsibility.Many of you know that, as President Hennessy said, I started this school in Africa.And I founded the school, where I'm trying to give South African girls a shot at a future like yours—Stanford.And I spent five years making sure that school would be as beautiful as the students.I wanted every girl to feel her worth reflected in her surroundings.So, I checked every blueprint, I picked every pillow.I was looking at the grout in between the bricks.I knew every thread count of the sheets.I chose every girl from the villages, from nine provinces.And yet, last fall, I was faced with a crisis I had never anticipated.I was told that one of the dorm matrons was suspected of sexual abuse.That was, as you can imagine, devastating news.First, I cried—actually, I sobbed—for about half an hour.And then I said, let's get to it;that's all you get, a half an hour.You need to focus on the now, what you need to do now.So, I contacted a child trauma specialist.I put together a team of investigators.I made sure the girls had counseling and support.And Gayle and I got on a plane and flew to South Africa.And the whole time I kept asking that question: What is this here to teach me? And, as difficult as that experience has been, I got a lot of lessons.I understand now the mistakes I made, because I had been paying attention to all of the wrong things.I'd built that school from the outside in, when what really mattered was the inside out.So, it's a lesson that applies to all of our lives as a whole.What matters most is what's inside.What matters most is the sense of integrity, of quality and beauty.I got that lesson.And what I know is that the girls came away with something, too.They have emerged from this more resilient and knowing that their voices have power.And their resilience and spirit have given me more than I could ever give to them, which leads me to my final lesson—the one about finding happiness—which we could talk about all day, but I know you have other wacky things to do.Not a small topic this is, finding happiness.But in some ways I think it's the simplest of all.Gwendolyn Brooks wrote a poem for her children.It's called “Speech to the Young : Speech to the Progress-Toward.” And she says at the end, “Live not for battles won./ Live not for the-end-of-the-song./ Live in the along.” She's saying, like Eckhart Tolle, that you have to live for the present.You have to be in the moment.Whatever has happened to you in your past has no power over this present moment, because life is now.But I think she's also saying, be a part of something.Don't live for yourself alone.This is what I know for sure: In order to be truly happy, you must live along with and you have to stand for something larger than yourself.Because life is a reciprocal exchange.To move forward you have to give back.And to me, that is the greatest lesson of life.To be happy, you have to give something back.I know you know that, because that's a lesson that's woven into the very fabric of this university.It's a lesson that Jane and Leland Stanford got and one they've bequeathed to you.Because all of you know the story of how this great school came to be, how the Stanfords lost their only child to typhoid at the age of 15.They had every right and they had every reason to turn their backs against the world at that time, but instead, they channeled their grief and their pain into an act of grace.Within a year of their son's death, they had made the founding grant for this great school, pledging to do for other people's children what they were not able to do for their own boy.The lesson here is clear, and that is, if you're hurting, you need to help somebody ease their hurt.If you're in pain, help somebody else's pain.And when you're in a mess, you get yourself out of the mess helping somebody out of theirs.And in the process, you get to become a member of what I call the greatest fellowship of all, the sorority of compassion and the fraternity of service.The Stanfords had suffered the worst thing any mom and dad can ever endure, yet they understood that helping others is the way we help ourselves.And this wisdom is increasingly supported by scientific and sociological research.It's no longer just woo-woo soft-skills talk.There's actually a helper's high, a spiritual surge you gain from serving others.So, if you want to feel good, you have to go out and do some good.But when you do good, I hope you strive for more than just the good feeling that service provides, because I know this for sure, that doing good actually makes you better.So, whatever field you choose, if you operate from the paradigm of service, I know your life will have more value and you will be happy.I was always happy doing my talk show, but that happiness reached a depth of fulfillment, of joy, that I really can't describe to you or measure when I stopped just being on TV and looking at TV as a job and decided to use television, to use it and not have it use me, to use it as a platform to serve my viewers.That alone changed the trajectory of my success.So, I know this—that whether you're an actor, you offer your talent in the way that most inspires art.If you're an anatomist, you look at your gift as knowledge and service to healing.Whether you've been called, as so many of you here today getting doctorates and other degrees, to the professions of business, law, engineering, humanities, science, medicine, if you choose to offer your skills and talent in service, when you choose the paradigm of service, looking at life through that paradigm, it turns everything you do from a job into a gift.And I know you haven't spent all this time at Stanford just to go out and get a job.You've been enriched in countless ways.There's no better way to make your mark on the world and to share that abundance with others.My constant prayer for myself is to be used in service for the greater good.So, let me end with one of my favorite quotes from Martin Luther King.Dr.King said, “Not everybody can be famous.” And I don't know, but everybody today seems to want to be famous.But fame is a trip.People follow you to the bathroom, listen to you pee.It's just—try to pee quietly.It doesn't matter, they come out and say, “Oh my god, it's you.You peed.” That's the fame trip, so I don't know if you want that.So, Dr.King said, “Not everybody can be famous.But everybody can be great, because greatness is determined by service.” Those of you who are history scholars may know the rest of that passage.He said, “You don't have to have a college degree to serve.You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve.You don't have to know about Plato or Aristotle to serve.You don't have to know Einstein's theory of relativity to serve.You don't have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve.You only need a heart full of grace and a soul generated by love.” In a few moments, you'll all be officially Stanford's '08.You have the heart and the smarts to go with it.And it's up to you to decide, really, where will you now use those gifts? You've got the diploma, so go out and get the lessons, 'cause I know great things are sure to come.You know, I've always believed that everything is better when you share it, so before I go, I wanted to share a graduation gift with you.Underneath your seats you'll find two of my favorite books.Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth is my current book club selection.Our New Earth webcast has been downloaded 30 million times with that book.And Daniel Pink's A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future has reassured me I'm in the right direction.I really wanted to give you cars but I just couldn't pull that off!Congratulations, '08!
