Tim Cook Leaves the Audience SPEECHLESS One of the Best Motivational Speeches Ever

look back over your shoulder fondly

and say goodbye to act one of your life

and then quickly look forward

act two begins today

it’s your turn to reach out

and take the baton

[Music]

you enter the world at a time of great

challenge

our country is deeply divided and too

many americans refuse to hear any

opinion that differs from their own

our planet is warming with devastating

consequences and there’s some that even

deny it’s even happening

our schools and communities

suffer from deep inequality we fail to

guarantee every student the right to a

good education

and yet

we are not powerless in the face of

these problems

you

are not powerless to fix them no

generation has ever had more power than

yours

and no generation

has a chance to change things faster

than yours can

the pace at which progress is possible

has accelerated dramatically

aided by technology every individual has

the tools potential and reach to build a

better world

that

makes this

the best time in history to be alive

whatever you choose to do with your life

wherever your passion takes you

i urge you to take the power you have

been given and use it for good

aspire to leave this world better than

you found it

i didn’t always see life as clearly as i

do today

but i’ve learned the greatest challenge

of life

is knowing when to break with

conventional wisdom

don’t just accept the world you inherit

today

don’t just accept the status quo

no big challenge has ever been solved

and no lasting improvement has ever been

achieved

unless people dares to try something

different

dare to think different

i was lucky

to learn from someone who believed this

deeply

someone who knew that changing the world

starts with following a vision not a

path

he was my friend

and mentor

steve jobs

steve’s vision was the great ideas comes

from a restless refusal to accept things

as they are

and those principles still guide us at

apple today

we reject the notion that global warming

is inevitable

that’s why we run apple on a hundred

percent renewable energy

we thank you

we reject the excuse that getting the

most out of technology means trading

away your right to privacy

so we choose a different path

collecting as little of your data as

possible being thoughtful and respectful

when it’s in our care

because we know it belongs to you

in every way at every turn the question

we ask ourselves is not what can we do

but what should we do

because steve taught us that’s how

change happens

and from him i learned to never be

content with the way that things are

i believe this mindset comes naturally

to young people and you should never let

go of this restlessness

so today’s ceremony

isn’t just about presenting you with a

degree

it’s about presenting you with a

question

how will you challenge the status quo

how will you push the world forward

when you look across this country and

when you see people’s lives held back by

discrimination in poverty

when you see injustice and inequality

you should be the last people

to accept things as they are

whatever path you’ve chosen be it

medicine or business engineering of the

humanities whatever drives your

passion be the last to accept the notion

that the world you inherit cannot be

improved

be the last to accept the excuse that

says that’s just how things are done

here

should be the last people to accept it

and you should be the first to change it

the world-class education you’ve

received that you’ve worked so hard for

gives you opportunities that few people

have

[Music]

you are uniquely qualified

and therefore uniquely responsible

to build a better way forward

that won’t be easy

it will require great courage

but that courage will not only help you

live your life to the fullest

it will empower you to transform the

lives of others

last month i was in birmingham to mark

the 50th anniversary of dr king’s

assassination

and i had the incredible privilege of

spending time with women and men who

marched and worked alongside him

many of them were younger at the time

than you are now

they told me when they defied their

parents

and joined the sit-ins and the boycotts

when they faced the police dogs and the

fire hoses

they were risking everything they had

becoming foot soldiers for justice

without a second thought

because they knew that change had to

come

because they believed so deeply in the

cause of justice

because they knew even all the adversity

that they had faced

they had the chance to build something

better for the next generation

we can all learn from their example

if you hope to change the world

you must find your fearlessness

fearlessness means taking the first step

[Music]

even if you don’t know where it will

take you

it means being driven by a higher

purpose

rather than by applause

it means knowing that you reveal your

character when you stand apart more than

when you stand with the crowd

if you step up without fear of failure

if you talk and listen to each other

without fear of rejection

if you act with decency and kindness

even when no one is looking even if it

seems small or inconsequential

trust me

the rest will fall into place

more importantly you’ll be able to

tackle the big things when they come

your way

it’s in those truly trying moments that

the fearless inspire us

fearless like the women who say me too

and time’s up women who cast light into

dark places

and move us to a more just and equal

future

fearless like those who fight for the

rights of immigrants who understand that

our only hopeful future

is one that embraces all who want to

contribute

[Applause]

be fearless

be the last people to accept things as

they are and the first people to stand

up

and change them for the better

in 1964

martin luther king jr

gave a speech at page auditorium to an

overflow crowd

students who couldn’t get a seat

listened from outside on the lawn

dr king warned them

that someday

we would all have to atone

not only for the words and actions of

the bad people

but for the appalling silence

and indifference of the good people who

sit around and say

wait on time

[Music]

[Applause]

martin luther king stood right here at

duke and said

the time is always right

to do right

for you

that time is now

it will always be now

it’s time to add your brick to the path

of progress

it’s time for all of us to move forward

and it’s time for you to lead the way

[Music]

you