A person is never asked to speak at a graduation ceremony unless the individual has many accomplishments, or  exemplary performance has brought him or her to the top. In most cases people who are asked to speak in ceremonies are the dean of the school, a mentor, a politician, or of course, the valedictorian of a high school graduating class or a suma cum laude for a college graduation. Unfortunately, just because someone is smart does not mean he or she knows how to write a graduation speech.

Important points to remember in writing a graduation speech:

• Be calm and at peace. Place yourself in a serene place where you can free your mind from all worries and ponder deeply on the content of your speech.
• Have a pen and paper on hand. It is more creative than setting in front of a computer. It is good to scribble a bit and mumble a bit to allow your mind to get a head start on a great piece. Setting in front of the computer often tempts the thinking individual to do something else.
• Know what is expected. What precisely do the organizers want you to talk about? You may be the campus scholastic champion, but do they want you to talk about your actual experiences, or they just want you to talk about your inspiration, or your study habits?
• Give your audiences consideration. Ask yourself this questions “Who is my audience?” “How am I going to catch their attention?”, “How am I going to avoid boring them?” Speakers speak to educate, inspire, or chastise the audience. In order to do so we need to take heed of the following:

-  The audience’s knowledge of the subject. When your audience’s knows a good deal of the subject you can make assumptions.
-  The audience’s attitudes toward the subject. Other members of the audience may hold opinions opposite to your own. Plan ahead to pacify likely opponents.
-  Know exactly how long and when you are speaking.

• Organize your thoughts. You may begin with a quotation, a story, or an experience. Make sure it is chronologically delivered to avoid confusion. Decide where to put emphasis on strong points. Make sure quotations are being quoted properly. 
• It may help to pray about what you are composing. The greatest works often seem divinely inspired.

See some great videos on how to give a speech.

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We have gotten some very positive feedback since we first published graduation speech quotes on this blog. So without further ado here are some more useful graduation speech quotes.

“Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today.” – Malcom X

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with but a single step.” – Confuciu

“Seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave.” – Prophet Mohamma

“We were all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid.” – Benjamin Franklin

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” – Winston Churchil

“You don’t have to be great to start but you have to start to be great.” – Zig Ziglar

“A man who has never gone to school may steal from a freight car; but if he has a university education, he may steal the whole railroad.”  -Theodore Roosevelt

“Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.” –Judy Garland

“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. ” -Aristotle

“Try not. Do or do not. There is no try.” – Yoda

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. You are the guy who’ll decide where to go.” – Dr. Seuss

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

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• To teach is to touch the heart and impel it to action. (Louis Sullivan)
• This education forms the common mind, Just as the twig is bent, the tree’s inclined.(Alexander Pope)
• The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.(William James)
• Good teaching comes from good people. (Parker Palmer)
• In the world of knowledge, the idea of good appears last of all, and is seen only with effort. (Plato)
• Learning is like a jigsaw puzzle. When you first lay the pieces out, it doesn’t make much sense. When you start to connect the pieces, you then begin to see how it all fits together. (Anonymous)
• Education is the journey from cocksure arrogance to thoughtful uncertainty. (Kevin Huenison)
• Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything one learned in school. (Albert Einstein)
• Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. (Chinese proverb)
• Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught. (Oscar Wilde)
• College is about three things: homework fun and sleep … but you can only choose two. (Andy Stern)
• Knowledge is a wild thing,it must be hunted before being tamed. (Anonymous)
• It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows. (Epictetus)

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