What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us. And when we bring what is within us out into the world, miracles happen.
When I graduated with my associate’s degree, our speaker made a joke about us remembering years later who the speaker was, but not remembering anything that was said (it was Gen. Colin Powell). Years later, at my bachelor’s ceremony, the speaker (Condoleezza Rice) made the same joke. They were both right.
Is the little person wearing a hijab or is this just a hoodie? If it’s a hijab, good on Mallett for introducing some cultural diversity. Not that I’m a fan of having a different set of rules for women.
“Take out any idea. Compare ideas, with the one idea left we are left you have no doubt and without a doubt we have enthusiasm! ". — F. Sign “Waiting for the Electrician”
Not to be a downer or anything, but this goes both ways. One could argue, pretty effectively, that a serial killer or mass murderer or authoritarian dictator is merely bringing what is within him/her out into the world. It makes you think twice about the phrase “follow your heart”. Should we really encourage everyone to follow their heart?
I remember filming my sister’s graduation at my grandmother’s request. Good thing, too, because in the middle, I pan over to her in the audience, and she’s fast asleep.
The one somewhat similar I do remember is: Yesterday has come and gone, tomorrow hasn’t arrived yet, God helps us today. I had it on my wall for many years.
In my high school, only the valedictorian and the salutatorian got to give speeches…that’s certainly not thousands of speeches that any one person gets to listen to…
Boy, the things you think are going to be simple. First I remembered this as being a Kennedy quote. But which Kennedy? Better look it up. Oh. Whichever Kennedy did say it, he borrowed it from Ralph Waldo Emerson. Maybe. Emerson may have borrowed it himself. Turns out quotations are like plagues. They spread and spread and spread, and adapt and spread again, and mutate and spread further, and working your way back to Quotation Patient Zero is a pretty low-percentage game. So you end up settling for some vague form of Anonymous.
On the other hand, also like plagues, once you yourself get it, you care a lot less where it came from than you do the effect it’s having on your own personal self.
But virulent quotes are a lot better than plagues. Hippocrates said that.
“You can look it up.” Joe Bob Briggs said that.
“Lotsa luck!” Vonnegut said that.
___________________
End note: While the Electric Interntetz don’t make it any easier to source a quote’s origin, they very readily prove the notion that there is nothing new under the sun. It is incredibly — exasperatingly — possible to come up with a line entirely from your own experiences and imagination only to discover, or have it discovered for you by some generous soul with spare time and a fondness for search engines, that any number of others throughout history have come up with the same line the same way.
So, not to tempt the gods, but when a line from a recent strip — “When you lack the talent to do things other people can’t, you do things other people won’t” — connected with a good number of readers, I was of course happy. But it was when one of those people told me they tried to Google whose quote it was and came up with nothing that I reached positively ecstatic.
Bilan almost 5 years ago
What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us. And when we bring what is within us out into the world, miracles happen.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Sisterdame almost 5 years ago
Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift; – that is why it is called the PRESENT (Kung Fu Panda – among others)
Ignatz Premium Member almost 5 years ago
The elementary school kid has long experience of commencement speeches?
Is everybody in that school like Caulfield?
jackianne1020 almost 5 years ago
When I graduated with my associate’s degree, our speaker made a joke about us remembering years later who the speaker was, but not remembering anything that was said (it was Gen. Colin Powell). Years later, at my bachelor’s ceremony, the speaker (Condoleezza Rice) made the same joke. They were both right.
cervelo almost 5 years ago
Is the little person wearing a hijab or is this just a hoodie? If it’s a hijab, good on Mallett for introducing some cultural diversity. Not that I’m a fan of having a different set of rules for women.
Sportymonk almost 5 years ago
This is the finest group of graduates I have seen since last year and now they are departing here (Thank goodness) …..
The Brooklyn Accent almost 5 years ago
And be sure to wear sunscreen.
sandpiper almost 5 years ago
And after the commencement speeches more campaign methane from all and sundry
Uncle Bob almost 5 years ago
“Take out any idea. Compare ideas, with the one idea left we are left you have no doubt and without a doubt we have enthusiasm! ". — F. Sign “Waiting for the Electrician”
MarkThomas almost 5 years ago
Not to be a downer or anything, but this goes both ways. One could argue, pretty effectively, that a serial killer or mass murderer or authoritarian dictator is merely bringing what is within him/her out into the world. It makes you think twice about the phrase “follow your heart”. Should we really encourage everyone to follow their heart?
SkyFisher almost 5 years ago
I remember filming my sister’s graduation at my grandmother’s request. Good thing, too, because in the middle, I pan over to her in the audience, and she’s fast asleep.
garcoa almost 5 years ago
The one somewhat similar I do remember is: Yesterday has come and gone, tomorrow hasn’t arrived yet, God helps us today. I had it on my wall for many years.
Al Nala almost 5 years ago
WHY would a grade-schooler even care about commencement speeches? Unless he’s dragged to one for an older sibling.
ArtisticArtemis almost 5 years ago
In my high school, only the valedictorian and the salutatorian got to give speeches…that’s certainly not thousands of speeches that any one person gets to listen to…
Night-Gaunt49[Bozo is Boffo] almost 5 years ago
Blog · Posts · Frazz · 10 hrs ·
Boy, the things you think are going to be simple. First I remembered this as being a Kennedy quote. But which Kennedy? Better look it up. Oh. Whichever Kennedy did say it, he borrowed it from Ralph Waldo Emerson. Maybe. Emerson may have borrowed it himself. Turns out quotations are like plagues. They spread and spread and spread, and adapt and spread again, and mutate and spread further, and working your way back to Quotation Patient Zero is a pretty low-percentage game. So you end up settling for some vague form of Anonymous.
On the other hand, also like plagues, once you yourself get it, you care a lot less where it came from than you do the effect it’s having on your own personal self.
But virulent quotes are a lot better than plagues. Hippocrates said that.
“You can look it up.” Joe Bob Briggs said that.
“Lotsa luck!” Vonnegut said that.
___________________
End note: While the Electric Interntetz don’t make it any easier to source a quote’s origin, they very readily prove the notion that there is nothing new under the sun. It is incredibly — exasperatingly — possible to come up with a line entirely from your own experiences and imagination only to discover, or have it discovered for you by some generous soul with spare time and a fondness for search engines, that any number of others throughout history have come up with the same line the same way.
So, not to tempt the gods, but when a line from a recent strip — “When you lack the talent to do things other people can’t, you do things other people won’t” — connected with a good number of readers, I was of course happy. But it was when one of those people told me they tried to Google whose quote it was and came up with nothing that I reached positively ecstatic.
Richard S Russell Premium Member almost 5 years ago
Lies behind us, lies before us, lies in the moment — yup, typical day in the White House.
Dgwphotos almost 5 years ago
“The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of 60 minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is.”
C. S. Lewis
Concretionist almost 5 years ago
Commencement speech lies: Before us. (Someday, they’ll be after us. One may hope that we won’t internalize the lies.)