valuable gift to you. it requires a measure of humility because it is very difficult to escape the trap that is each of us. i can only experience the world through the experience of almost nobody experiences the world way i do. so how do i get in their heads and see it the way they see it? so i can be a better leader, husband, lawyer, person? judgment is the answer, being intentional about fostering my ability to ask myself, how could it be seen differently? you just spent three years practicing that. it won't shock you to know, there are those people who have gotten out of law school and not demonstrated great judgment and the rest of their i -- lives. how do you do that? weird usesslightly of advice.

the first is, sleep. sleep is not a moral failing. there is all kinds of science to support me. what is going on while you sleep? your brain is engaging in a neurochemical ballet to a mass the data you may during the day and make connections. it is laying down judgment in your head while you sleep. second, slightly weird piece of advice is, you have got to keep a life. one of the things that nurtures and protects judgment is physical distance from whatever is dominating your life. and most of your cases that will be work. you have got to step away from the work. i don't know whether that is kickboxing, stamp collecting, or dancing, you must keep doing it. that physical distance from the work fosters and protects your ability to orbit a situation and see it from different perspectives. get away from this work. as you do that, you have got to

love somebody. full of loved ones because you are supposed to love them. there is a danger, especially in the life of a lawyer, and it is called get back-itis. is, i will always "get back to," fill in the blank, family members, i will get back to that while i do this. one of the challenges of my job, i see a lot of bad things every day. there is no getting back. you will turn, and they will not be there. i have five children. experienced an array of loved ones, because they change each year as they get older. there is no experience in the world like feeling the pounding year olds to steps as

you get in at the end of the day. be there for that, there is no getting back to that. it requires an actual fight to maintain that sort of health in your life. -back-itis will be overwhelming to you. i want you to nurture judgment by sleeping and loving somebody, and sometimes those go together in appropriate circumstances, and that is fine. [laughter] i believe the fbi director said something like that, i will move on. don't let them tell success is about iq. judgment is what makes the difference. that is my piece of advice for career. let me make a pitch for public service. i have been in government service twice, and it has left a hole in my heart. it took me a while to figure

out, it happened when we moved inm new york to virginia 1993. there was a hiring freeze, which got in the way of that transition within the government. so i went to a big law firm with great people, and they give me matching furniture, which i had not yet had in my government career. [laughter] i actually had drapes that match the furniture, a parking space, they paid me well, interesting issues, colleagues i really liked. but something was missing, and it was my amazing wife but noticed it first. she said, what is wrong with you? something she said in lots of different contexts. [laughter] what is wrong with you? we have a five-bedroom colonial, we pay 2050 $2000 for, we have an amazing community here, the kids love it, what is wrong with you? said, i think i miss getting

up in the morning and trying to be part of something good every day. i really miss it. because thingter, goodness one of your professors left, i took his job at the u.s. attorney's office. i was not as smart or good or funny, but i have the job. [laughter] so i was back in public service and i it was a very happy person. ofe you have done that kind work, service work, does not have to be in the government -- for doing something that is not about you or about money is addictive. and when you leave it, it leaves a hole in your heart. the challenges for successful lawyers are, often the things songs ofpsiren prestige and money take you in another direction. i know it can be hard to do public service work, hard on your credit cards, hard for a career.

but actually ache for my lawsuit -- lawsuit classmates who never even tried. professor quoted albert einstein, i will again. he urged young people to not be people of value. -- not to be people of success, but people of value. there is a danger the even get to the end of a life and realize you have accumulated the smoke of success but nothing of real value. here is my most depressing piece of advice for you. occasionally, you need to do something weird and closer rise and imagine yourself at the end of your life. i told you this would not be an uplifting moment. i hope you're old and gray about point, close your eyes, be old and gray and look back. and asking this question from

that vantage point. who do i want to have been? who do i want to have been? if you ask it that way, the smoke is cleared. the things that get in the way, next bigars, the thing, it is all stripped away. at the end of your life, who cares about that stuff? what will matter in a real sense comes into view. everyone want answer in a different way. my answer, i want to have been somebody who was a great husband and father and friend. i want to know my children, their children, and god willing, their children. have taken some time to do something for people who needed me. i hope you will work hard to take the amazing education you have gotten here where you were taught judgment, exposed to the world, to important issues, the challenges summary people in our communities and country face. i hope you'll take the time to

answer that question now and let it guide the way you live your life. be people of a value. end of this life you will look back and say i did something i loved. i was part of something that meant a great deal to me. and i hope you remember that this education began what i hope will be a remarkable and fulfilling journey. you're very lucky, congratulations. [applause] >> vice president joe biden and former house speaker john boehner jointly received the university of notre dame's medal at the school's 2016 commencement ceremony. they spoke about the importance of civility in today's politics, and shared personal stories about their faith. this is 25 minutes. [applause]

>> father jenkins, vice president biden, graduates, it is truly an honor and a privilege to be here with all of you today. just a regular guy who use today have a big job. [laughter] it's been six months since i left public service and it's given me a little time to reflect and something that occurred to me a few months ago about the difficult task of what we call governing. governing, in my view, is the art of the possible. politicians these days are constantly pushed to promise the impossible. this being a presidential election year, you've been hearing a lot of impossible promises. [laughter] governing is not about promising the impossible. governing, in its essence, is

the art of the possible. governing requires us to look for common ground where he can be found, without compromising our principles. speaker, i always drew a distinction between compromise and common ground because i truly do believe they are different things. the fact of the matter is, can find common ground with the other side without compromising your core beliefs. ladies and gentlemen, vice president joe biden is one of those people. joe and i had many disagreements on many different issues. [laughter] i can imagine what he is doing back here. but, you know, i learned the art of being able to disagree without being disgreeble growing up in my dad's bar. even as we disagreed, we both always understood the need to keep looking for things that we could agree on.

because, while i am a republican and joe was a democrat, the fact is, at first we are both americans. so, mr. vice president, it is an honor to share the stage with you today. thinking about what i was going to say this morning -- applause for joe. [applause] i was thinking about what i was going to say this morning and decided that, you know, the speech that i have is not really the speech i'm going to give. when i was sitting in these seats out here like you over 40 years ago i could never have imagined that i would have spent some 34 years in public service. never could have imagined what path in life i would take. and so i began to think about what is really important. i know a lot of you are thinking about what am i going to do? what am i going to do? let me tell you something. you can think about that tomorrow. you can think about it next

week. frankly, you can think about it next year. but what you can't think about right here, right now, is who do , you want to be? you know, i played high school -- intball in high school football for a guy named jerry faust who came up here and did not win as many games as i would have liked to have won as your head coach, but i learned a lot of things from jerry faust. yes i learned a lot of things , about playing football but i said more hail marys in high school than i'll say the rest of my life and i say some every day. [laughter] but when i look back on my life, jerry faust, you know, i'm a high school guy. taught us how to be men and leaders and what was required of us. another good friend, lou holtz. he a lot of -- he won a lot of good games here including the national championship. you've never met a man that was more optimistic, more hard charging, but always having a

smile on his face. there was another person who impacted my life. pope francis. i tried for 20 years to get a pope to come and address a joint session of congress. i never quit trying. and thank goodness pope francis , decided to come. now, after he decided to come, i found out from my oldest daughter was pregnant with my first grandchild and my grandchild was going to be born right before the pope came to the u.s. and so the cardinal and others were working the vatican over to try to get the pope to baptize my grandson. [laughter] well, you have to remember the vatican has a 2,000-year head start on bureaucracy over the u.s. [laughter] to make a long story short they , told us the holy father would be happy to bless your grandchild but really doesn't want to do a baptism outside of the church. so we get to the appointed day.

my grandson was born on august 11. and the pope came on september 24. my chief of staff and i, another catholic guy, greeted the pope, lights, cameras. we got rid of all that and the pope and i went to sit down and i realized there were seven cardinals, the pope, my chief of staff, and i, i looked at him and said, why are we here? [laughter] we had a very nice meeting. as it was breaking up, the pope was standing up. i was standing up. my family was in the other room and began to come in. the pope turned to his assistant and said give me a glass of water. [laughter] really? so i watched the assistant go get a glass of water. he brought it back to the pope. the pope had it in his right hand and he put it in his left hand and i was waiting for him to bless it. but he just took a drink. [laughter] the greatest head fake in history. but as our morning was ending

and after his address, the pope was getting ready to depart the capital. and we were standing in the first floor of the capitol and i realized that it was just the pope and me. and the pope took his left arm and grabbed my left arm and pulled me near him and started to say some of the nicest things anybody has ever said to me. you can imagine by now i get a few tears in my eyes. then the pope took his right arm and put his arm around me and gave me this big bear hug and he looked at me and he said, mr. speaker, please pray for me. i said, your holy father, who am i to pray for you? but i do and i did. but what did i learn from these people? i learned it wasn't the job they had, whether it was the pope or jerry faust or lou holtz. it was who they were as people

that helped me decide who i was going to be and what i was going to be throughout my life. and through the power of the holy spirit, i was fortunate to wake up the next day and decide, i'm out of here. [laughter] and if you want to know more about the holy spirit just google boehner, holy spirit, and you'll get the rest of the story. i'll finish on this note. laetor means rejoice. trust me, every day since last october i have been rejoicing. [laughter] god bless you. god bless this great institution. and good luck in your future. [applause] >> oh, my gosh.

thank you, speaker boehner. ladies and gentlemen, the vice president of the united states, joe biden. [applause] mr. biden: let's get something straight right off the bat. i don't like john boehner. [laughter] i love him. father jenkins, notre dame, thank you. thank you for this honor. the laetor medal. i can say without fear of contradiction, it is the most meaningful award i've ever received in my life. and my mother, katherine eugenia finnegan, i wish she were here but she is looking down to see me receive this.

i must say, father jenkins, my grandfather ambrose finnegan who played for santa clara the turn of the century, was a newspaper man in scranton, always resented notre dame. [laughter] because santa clara, well they had a football team referred to as the notre dame of the west. he said, hell, they're the santa clara of the midwest. grand pop, forgive me. i played football at the university of delaware, in high school, and i finally made it to the 50 yard line at notre dame stadium. [laughter] this is worth the trip, man. [laughter] you all think i'm kidding. i'm not. [laughter] father, you said that politics is a full contact sport.

i agree. but, father, to the detriment of the nation in my view and i think john would agree with me, it has recently become a blood sport. full of invective and arguments. i've been there a long time. john and i served together for over 25 years. i've been elected to the senate seven times and vice president twice. i've not seen it like this in my career. you quoted the holy father when you said he addressed the joint session of congress and said our responsibility was to the tireless pursuit of the common good, the chief aim of politics. father, by the privilege of spending time as john did with the holy father, he not only

consoled me and my family when i lost my bo, but when i met him representing the united states at his inauguration, and i walked up with other heads of state to be formally introduced to him in the basilica, the monsignor i had been spending time with earlier, i hope i was not the reason he resigned, but turned and introduced me to the holy father. before he could, the holy father put out his hand and said, mr. vice president, you are always welcome here. you are always welcome here. think about him. that is the message he has sent to the world.

it's the reason why he is the most respected man in the world as i speak here today. not just among catholics. but muslims, hindus, other community, the jewish . that is not hyperbole, he literally is the most respected man in the world. you are always welcome here. i believe the message he was extendto congress was to everyone, we who hold public office, extend our hands as americans, and say you are always welcome here. who weresed by parents the embodiment of catholic social doctrine. i was taught by the sisters of

st. joseph in high school. everyone is always welcome in my home. i was taught by my mother that no one was better than me, but that everyone was my equal. father, who by my struggled, that every man and woman, everyone, regardless of their station in life, regardless of rather -- whether or not you believe in them -- agree in them, was to be treated with dignity and respect. my father used to say, the greatest sin of all was the abuse of power. political,nomic, psychological, or physical. why i wrote the

violence against women legislation. -- he abhorred the notion of the abuse of power. this is what our roman catholic faith has taught us. i was taught by my family and my faith, that a good life, at its core, which is why i truly like is about being personal. it all comes down to being personal. being engaged. i was taught by my family and my faith to look beyond the caricature of a person, and resists attempt asian when you disagree to ascribe a negative motive. number when you do that,

one, you do not know what that motivates, and number two, it makes it virtually impossible to reach common ground. i was top of my family and faith never to confuse academic credentials and social sophistication with gravitas and judgment. to have the heart to strive to distinguish between what is meaningful and what is ephemeral, and the headed to know the difference between knowledge and judgment. importantly, my family and our faith warned me against the temptation of rationalizing in the pursuit of ambition. i know it is her birthday, but

she won't mind, this is an important business trip. game, butis his last i have to take the red eye back to see it. he will understand. i know he was planning this family vacation for a long, long time, but i have such an opportunity. leave. wrong, but if you engage in this rationalization, which everyone does, never underestimate the ability of the human mind to rationalize. do, it will become very the stormto weather when reality intrudes. and it will. reality will intrude.

in 1972, i was elected the second of this man in the united states of america, 29 years old, not old enough to be sworn in. i had to wait 13 days to be eligible. later, reality intruded. i was in washington hiring my call.and i got a phone tractor-trailer broadsided my wife and three children and had killed my wife and daughter. boys, it was uncertain. thank god, they later fully recovered. at 29 in the

senate is pretty heavy stuff. it is the stuff of which ambition can get out of hand. but reality intruded. later, it happened again. and peopler parents in the audience have gone through worse than i have. they know, many of you know. my son, my bo. john i just learned that the president of kosovo is naming a boulevard in kosovo after my

joseph r biden boulevard. he then volunteered as attorney general and had an exception become -- because you become federal property when you join the national guard, to join iraq for a few years. he later came home a decorated -- with a bronze star. he was in the best physical state of his life. , he wasnning 10 miles cancer inwith stage 4 the brain. two years later it took them, after a heroic struggle.

john talked about, my father talked about, you just have to get up. my son's last words to me were, i am not afraid. promise me you will be all right. expression.n he said, never complain, and never explain. bo never, ever did. and i think back on it. happen if john and i only followed our ambition? missed any ofer

his birthdays or any important thing. thank god i never missed his game for an unimportant political events. best, when hed it was a ternary general during the commencement -- attorney general during the commencement in 2011. he said, you will find peace when there are certain rules that are not malleable. your conscience should not be malleable. your values, these are the means, along with the learning you now possess, they are the things that will guide you. they will also be the things to save you. father, i have read some and i are oldohn

school. we used to treat each other with respect, hang out with each other. john and i are not old school. we are the american schoole that is what you have to restore. when youonly comes deal with your opponent with respect, listening as well as talking. 2016, this is not hyperbole. you are the best-educated, most powered generation and a history of the united states of america. so engage in the tireless pursuit of finding common ground. because not only will you be happier, you will be incredibly

more successful. that is where you will find your reward, and it will make us all better for it. i am so honored to be here with john. it is a great honor to receive this medal. may god bless you all, and may god protect our troops. [applause] >> thank you, i have to leave. remember i said don't rationalize? i have a granddaughter graduating from the university in pennsylvania in a few hours, so so long. [applause]

>> c-span 2016 commencement coverage includes the diversity of notre dame, and we are school's president, reverend john jenkins was been ahead of university since 2005. father jenkins, it included notable catholics, vice president biden and speaker boehner. why were they selected, and what is the meaning of the metals? 1883 tos founded in america whoolic in was made a contribution in some way to broader american society. musicians,rded poets, political leaders, business leaders. religious leaders with this medal. two men who have given

such distinguished service to differentry, from parties, they have been distinguished political leaders in our country. we thought they were very deserving of this medal. >> it has been presented to john f. kennedy, tip o'neill, the singer aaron neville. what was the commonality between speaker boehner and vice president joe biden? what did you hear in her message that struck a similar tone? at our time in this country, as we all know, such acrimony and divisive this. a lot of cynicism about government leaders. what i found so inspiring is two men had great friendship for each other, even know they disagreed on so many

issues. i found that particularly inspiring. which each of in them have been inspired and guided by their faith. particular any -- vice, but president president biden spoke movingly about his losses, and how his faith helped him get through that. both of them were inspiring that way, more on a personal level, serving the common good in our country. martin dempsey, how was he selected, and wide? -- why? have knowns: i general dempsey for a wild. he has devoted his whole life to service for our nation in the military. someone who is quite accomplished.

so much thes not accomplishment, but the real sense of leadership and service that i find it so inspiring in general dempsey. someone who is not about himself, but about giving his life to his country. speaker, andsuperb knows it young people. his commencement address began with commencement karaoke. he is a very good singer, and he asked our young graduates to sing along with him. a few songs that are popular when he graduated, decades ago, and now that they are graduating, it was quite entertaining. studentswrap up for and parents considering where to go in the fall of 2016 or beyond that, what is the reason they should attend notre dame? rev. jenkins: perhaps it is embodied in these individuals. a sense of accomplishment, they

were all very able at what they did. essentially, an essential service. an idea that they gave their lives to something bigger, a broader ideal of service. i hope all who come to notre dame have that aspiration, and i hope anyone considering that will consider notre dame. >> father john jenkins, president of the university of notre dame. thank you very much. >> tonight on the communicators, we broadcast from a conference thenston, sponsored by national cable telecommunications association. panel withture a different communicators. the group will discuss competition in the cable industry, the consolidation of media companies, cyber security, broadband a playmate, and getting broadband lower income homes. the commissioners are joined by a cute -- reporter from

bloomberg dna. we spent a great many staff hours on proceedings and singling out cable in particular , even though they deployed next generation networks. those are the kinds of activities that distract us from the core mission which we have to make sure that this industry in every industry can compete on a level playing field. >> watch the communicators tonight on c-span two. this memorial day we continue to look at 2016 commencement speeches from colleges and universities around the country. next, we will hear from former powell whon michael

now has a national cable and telecommunications association. later, we will show you nasa astronaut jeanette epps, and larry ellison. was a commences feature for pepperdine university in malibu, california. he talked about the effects of technology on society, and the importance of education. injury heared how an sustained in the military taught him about relationships and perseverance. mr. powell is the son of former secretary of state,: powell. his marks are 15 minutes. mr. powell: good, glorious morning, it is a pleasure to be here. i want to start off by thinking the provost and the faculty, the president and the administration, and the students for bestowing upon me the exceptional honor of joining the pepperdine community. this will be a day i will long cherished. i am really thrilled to be here.

as i look out on this assembled crowd, i see a lot of joy in the faces of all of you. as you are clad in your caps and gowns, and prepared to enter the working world. perch, there needs to be a pause for concern. why? because the robots are rising. the cars are driving themselves, and computers are humiliating human beings in contests of the wit the musset recent example, the googles computer that annihilated the reigning aampion in a game of go, 2500-year-old game so, kitty, there are more moves than there are atoms in the universe. poised to replace workers.

it might be understandable if you're sitting there questioning whether your years of liberal arts study have done much to make you valuable in this ex machina utopia that is unfolding ahead of you. are you stepped in for a life of nursemaid, keeping him comfortable, maybe reading tolstoy or plato to pass the time? i know millennials blur their technological ways, but i worry that you are lured to your demise. when you are tweeting and retreating, posting and reposting, chatting and re-chatting, the machines are modeling your behavior, learning your skills they can cast you in a corner and leave you suckling your iphone while they can do the work that drives our economy. does the liberal arts student have a chance these days?

there certainly is a chorus of critics who say, no. artsese naysayers, liberal college is an extensive system that produces well read students with no practical skills. to them come of the arts and humanities should be pushed aside and replaced with science, technology, engineering, math, and of course, coding. i say these academy teachers are are wrong.ters [applause] value of a liberal arts education is not fading. to the contrary, i believe it is the greatest task to be accomplished in them modern, digital age. to have a everyone mind with the deep intellectual curiosity, and a strong moral sense. this is exactly what liberal arts colleges produce, and with

the world sorely needs. the world needs you. destruction is the glory, they tech are deconstructing and eroding traditional institutions, changing societal values, convulsing the and economic systems and changing the nature of human relationships. making sense of it all requires more than coders and technocrats, it requires the perspective of a historian, the inside of a sociologist, and the reflections of the philosopher. haltns are not what will the spread of terrorism and religious extremism. what will, the people who understand the fundamentals of religion, understand its true purpose, and can find a path to restore the true meaning of faith, forgiveness, and peace. in the digital age, the only

constant is change itself. the large number of jobs today did not exist five years ago. the furious explosion of technology makes it impossible to predict the world in five years, let alone 50. for this ever-changing world, the future belongs to those who are adaptable. those who can change directions, spot newthemselves, opportunities, and continuously innovate. liberal arts study has molded you into that type of person. above all, the mother valuable thing you have been taught is how to teach yourself. you are capable of lifelong learning, and that gives you a competitive edge in an unpredictable world. but making a meaningful life goes well beyond adapting whatever location awaits you. in a world where many tasks are

being mastered by machines, you will have to rely on the one thing that most distinguishes you from circuits and silicon, and that is your humanity. to cultivate your humanity, you much consciously move beyond the career-centered work of selecting data, accumulating information, and acquiring knowledge. life, instead, is found in a steady and graceful and humble pursuit of wisdom. admiration foral the end -- unflinching commitment to that path. its mission is to prepare a person to become moral and intellectual leaders and provide a valuable surface -- service above material success. wisdom seekers must define their worth beyond external measures of achievement. wisdom, at its core, is discovered internally.

it begins with understanding your weaknesses in your shortcomings, and quietly attending every day to being a better person when the sun sets, then you were when it rose that morning. the search for wisdom is never been easy. is upday, that path skewered in the weeds of a culture obsessed with fame, money, and celebrity. personality has become more celebrated than character. the loud seem more revered than the quiet. and i said technology is partly responsible. yes, the candy treats of technology, while delicious, are -- intog many in that our society into the shallows. young people today risk of being turned into self-centered, personal brand managers. managing their image on social networks, spending their energies collecting likes and

followers, and curating their highlight reels to friends on facebook. in short, i feel like a nation of people chasing attention more than achievement. one obsessed with 140 characters of information, rather than words of meaning and substance. new andyeems to be the warhol canvas, where you find your 15 minutes of fame. but if you want to find a higher purpose, you must resist running a celebrity, around collecting trophies, , you have touses find the road to character. new york times columnist offered a brilliant book of that name, and in it, he said there are two sets of human virtues. the resume virtues, and the eulogy virtues. the resume virtues are the skills that contribute to your

external success in the job market. the eulogy virtues are deeper. as he said, they are the virtues they get talked about at your funeral. the ones that exists at the core whether your, kind, brave, honest, or faithful. what kinds of relationships you formed in life. this person wants to have a serene inner character, a solid sense of right and wrong. not only to do good, but to be good. he wants to love intimately, sacrifice self in the service of others, live in obedience to some transcendent trust, to have a cozy civic inner soul that honors creation, and many possibilities. a wise person cultivates eulogy virtues throughout their life. a sage is forged in the kiln of time, from decades of experience is that none of you have yet to have.

but if you set your compass to that destination now, as you take your first steps, you will surely get there. journey,ou start your i offer just a few lessons from my own crucible of experience. to begin with, a wise person is always confident, but never certain. a wise person understands the anditude can be a vice, weakness can be a virtue. if you appreciate the vast complexity of our universe, you know that our senses limit our perceptions to only a tiny fraction of reality. much more is unknown to us then is known. avoiding certitude leaves your mind open to see the you might be wrong. it leaves you prepared to revise your opinions, based on new facts, and new perspectives, or better argument.

certitude is blinding, it leads to arrogance and closes the mind. however, doestude not mean a life without conviction. in a world of ambiguity and contention, you need a moral compass. you must develop principles the you compromise for no one. not for a loved one, not for a job, and not for a chance at fame or wealth. to serve as your anger in a storm, preventing you from being blown away by the winds of expediency, and help you be at peace with the choices you will have to make in life. a wise person is highly observant and understands the power of silence. then yourself to notice little things. in my life, i mark when i see the first flower in spring, or drops the first leaves and fall. noticing lets you see more keenly into the world and gain insights that others miss the

rush of the day. moreover, it keeps you mindful of the present. not stressed by a past you cannot change or a future you cannot know. silence is golden, for as they say, when you are talking, you are not listening. it is a very powerful skill to be able to be alone with your own thoughts. wise person practices gratitude, compassion, acceptance, forgiveness, and sees a higher purpose in life. gratitude is acknowledging and appreciating your blessings. it is the outer expression of humility. withssion is being in tune the interstate of another, with the intention to ease suffering and increase joy. well-known quote says be kind, for everyone you meet is .ighting a hard battle acceptance means appreciating

what is not in your control. me the serenity to accept the things i cannot change, the courage to change the things i can, and the wisdom to know the difference. forgiveness is the choice to give up anger and resentment. give toe choice to others, even those who do not deserve your kindness. higher meaning gives your life and your work a purpose. it makes you happier, more focused, and more spiritually connected. finally, a wise person knows she is mortal. where you are now, i give no thought to the fact that the life before me would someday have an end. often, people first confront their tally when they reach middle age, and their knees hurt and their cholesterol is bad. and their blood pressure is up.

but appreciating that life is finite while you are young will give you the proper perspective for living meaningfully. as emily dickinson wrote, that it will never come again, is what makes life so sweet. i learned this lesson the hard i was just a few years from where you are sitting now. i was an army officer in germany, living my dream. warning, iy, with no was thrown from an army vehicle and i lay in a highway with a --ken spine and a shattered pelvic cradle. i did not know if my life had hours or years remaining. i spent an entire year in the hospital. relying on the skilled hands of others, the love and support of my family and friends, my own

faith, and my own spirit to live, and my determination to find a meaningful life. it may sound on, but it is the best thing that ever happened to me. me the life is precious. it taught me that nothing is more important than relationships. it taught me to move toward those who are loving and kind and move rapidly away from those wallowing in negativity and blinded by self-promotion and ambition. majesty of thee universe and how small i am in it. it taught me the true importance of perseverance. in the importance of pursuing wisdom. if i can impart the same lesson --you now, without having you will have a life rich with meaning, and you will have nothing to fear from the robots. thank you very much. [applause]

more 2016 commencement speeches now, with marcia mcnutt, who in july will become the first woman to lead the national academy of sciences. she was also the first editor and chief for science magazine. she returns to her on the modern er this month to give a commencement speech to graduates. it is 20 minutes. [applause] ms. mcnutt: wow, what a great day this is. i am just so thrilled to be here is your commencement speaker and to be able to congratulate the graduates, the parents, the families, faculty, and friends of the class of 2016. it seems like just yesterday i was sitting on your side of the , as a member of the first

class to be entirely educated under the block plan. instead, i am saving up for my own grandchildren's college education. and thinking to myself, what a class of 2034 still go to college? and i'm thinking, that is probably a pretty safe assumption, because this system of higher education has actually been around since the 11th century. so that is a pretty good run. and when you think of how many changes we have had in just the last 50 years, and how much technology has changed every , butt of our daily lives

yet, we still find it essential for young minds to gather on a campus to learn and grow, i think it is a pretty good bet that my grandchildren are going to be on a college campus, and that is how they are going to learn to be independent thinkers. time whens are a everyone wants to give all of you advice. your professors want to tell you what to do with your degree. your parents want to tell you what to do with your lives. try toduation speakers find lofty truths to prepare you .or success and, you're probably going to forget tomorrow after a good night of partying, anything i have told you. and as your esteemed board chair told me a few minutes ago, you are not only going to forget what i told you, you are not going to forget how long i told

to tell you that. [laughter] with that in mind, let me get on with my remarks. i sort of view life as a high-stakes poker game. you isthat is given to more or less like cards that you are being dealt in five card draw. and you have to decide which of those cards to keep and which to discard. when i look at the success that i have had in my own life, compared to that of my peers, i don't think that i necessarily have been dealt any better cards than anybody else. but the only thing that has been is being a little

better at deciding which cards to hold and which cards to discard. so the advice i want to try to pass on to today is, how do you make a decision on which cards to keep, and which cards to discard? what advice is worth keeping, and what advice do you want to pass on? i want to give you some examples from my own career. first, i learned early on in my own career, that you want to whoard device from people cannot imagine you doing things that are outside their own experience. this was not in my experience, so i cannot imagine it being in your experience. and that is the advice they give to you.

basically -- they want future generations to do not major in physics because there has never been a woman to graduate from this department. if the wright brothers had taken that attitude, i would have had to take a train four days to get here to give this graduation speech. usually, advice in this category sounds pretty outrageous to you, but the problem is, if it comes from an authority figure, you can have a hard time discarding it because it comes from somebody you respect. this is a time when you need to listen to what is being said, rather than who is saying it.

that more difficult choices in terms of taking or discarding the advice comes from wayne the advice is actually well-intentioned and it comes from people who are actually very much looking out for your best interests. let me give you two examples. when i was nearing graduation, i had planned along with my best friend to take a year off to work at a ski resort in sun valley, idaho. i thought my plan was brilliant. i talked to my graduate advisor about it, he was horrified. so i said, what is wrong with it? and he said that he was concerned that i would get out of the habit of studying, thought i would have a part-time job and get used to having money and that i would

get derailed from my plan of eventually going to graduate school and that basically, i would never return to school. his concerns actually made some sense to me. i ditched my plan to be a ski bum and i immediately went to graduate school instead. don't want to scare any of you out there who have cap years planned because i ensure that any pursuits you have g in yourap year are much more redeeming than being a ski bum and will actually benefit you in terms of your applications to graduate school, so do not fret. bum wouldbeing a ski not have benefit in my application to graduate school. if i had not followed my

professor's advice, who knows what would have happened? right now i could be a bartender in idaho wondering about the paths not taken. yet, rationalizing that it actually was the best i could have done and that i never would have been cut out for anything better than that. i am really happy that i took his advice. of advice from someone who was actually looking over my best interests came from a senior professor at another was looking at i my first faculty appointment. he said to me, do not go to m.i.t.. he said, they will you alive. wordsve remember his exactly. they are burned in my brain. and because i generally

respected this person's advice, i asked him why he thought m.i.t. would be a bad fit for me. he said it had to do with the expectations placed on junior faculty and he said he thought i would have difficulty balancing the demands on junior faculty --h having a young family and i had a newborn baby at the time. complete they potential of accepting these job with the concerns and the risks and i decided to discard his advice and take the job at m.i.t. later, after i also gave birth to my twins, and i received tenure at m.i.t., that same professor asked me, and i quote, how i was surviving working at a pressure cooker

place like m.i.t. and i told him that m.i.t. where is where i went on monday morning to relax and unwind after my weekend home with the children. so clearly, what is pressure he is completely relative. even relatively late in my career, i was still see got advice from trusted senior for what i consider major life-changing decisions. leading thatars monterey bay aquarium research thereute, a dream job if ever was one, i was offered the directorship of the u.s. geological survey or the usgs. everyone i knew had told me i certifiablylared insane to move from idyllic

moderate day to washington dc to take a gentleness cut in salary to obtain an equally large increase in bureaucracy. for one person. an old friend of mine who was a former science advisor, i saw it out his advice right after i met with the secretary of the interior to discuss the position. i told him that secretary who was willing to meet all of my requests for elevating the visibility and the prestige of the usgs in terms of its position in the u.s. government. this mentor that i met with told me, and i quote, in this case,

he said, you cannot turned on the position. it is not about you anymore. it is what is in the best interests for the nation. if you turn down the position, there will not be another opportunity like this to help the usgs in the nation. so, i'd job. -- i took the job. that is all lame going to say about advice given to me. now let me turn to advice i'm going to give to hear which -- you were all going to forget tomorrow, but, it is my job as your commences bigger to at least try. in the first thing i want to say is i want to encourage you all to embrace diversity. show that high-performing institutions and high-performing individuals have open minds and welcome those who come from different backgrounds

and look and think differently than they do. just as an example, the proportion of papers that are published in my journal of science with an international complement of authors has skyrocketed in the last 20 years and there is a direct correlation between the acceptance rate of articles from various nations of the world and how welcoming those nations are two students and researchers from other countries. go to a nation and i get complaints from that country about, why don't you accept more papers from our country? i will say, look at the makeup of the people linger laboratories, they are all from your countries. if you want to internationalize, you will get more papers accepted. the next important piece of advice is take climate change seriously. [cheering]

i am truly alarmed at the fraction of americans who either doubt that climate change is happening or believe that it is not a serious issue. the amount of misinformation that hasn't spread by all media channels and the amount of money that is spent spreading is trulyation staggering. for that reason, part of deciding what advice to take is knowing what are the trusted channels of communication? vested interests trying to confuse the message are determined. for example, i heard one politician the other day publicly state that 90's of percent of scientists dispute that climate change is happening and it is caused by burning of fossil fields. in fact, the truth is just the opposite. 97% of scientists agree that climate change is happening.

in fact, it is hard to find many issues about which scientists have that degree of consensus. science alone cannot say unequivocally what is the best response to climate change. we know that we can mitigate, we can adapt, and we can intervene in fact, we need to do some combination of all of those three. but we can say with the possible outcomes are from those scenarios, including doing nothing. we know that doing nothing is the worst possible response. scientists also agree that, right now, wars, famine, disease outbreaks, increased storm intensity, rising seas, droughts, fires, heat waves, and other calamities have 40 been attributed to climate change. everyone can do something about climate change, and how we live our own lives in the ballot box

and in the values we teach our children. we do not, itif may not be a very happy world for our children, your children, and your grandchildren. is tot piece of advice live a life of integrity at all costs. unless you plan to make your living as a rock legend or a poor and start, two of the -- star, in all other cases, a good reputation separates those who succeed and those who fail. will spend a lifetime building reputation for integrity that can be destroyed by one ill-advised decision. from myive an example own life. when my children were young, i hired a professional nanny to take care of my children when i

could not be home, especially since i was gone a lot as an doing fieldwork. from day one, i made the decision to pay all required social security and other taxes associated with hiring in-home help. there was a famous case in the when a number of female nominees for attorney general of the united states were exposed whenfit for the job background checks uncovered and that they as working mothers had been paying their household help .nder the table the scandal became known as nanny-gate. it was no matter that it was possible that any number of male cabinet for high-level positions had also had household help patent of the table but no

one had ever bothered to ask the questions. when the call came from the white house asking if i would be considered for the directorship of the usgs and whether i could pass the intrusive background check, i was happy that i could answer yes. finally, i hoped you will learn which advice to take in which to -- even even bad advice the advice i have given you today. my daughters tell me, no, you should never wear that -- i listen. is that you you will get to the point that your decisions will no longer be about you because they are so much bigger than you. it is at that point that you will feel you could do something of true significance. i want to steal some words from daniel morrison's song today.

usgs ands director of salads are with secretary -- salazar, there were five cc in the obama administration and when you think of that, for a small liberal arts college nestled at the foot of pikes peak to have five graduates in washington running the government, it echoes so many of the words from morrison's song. peak, above, be on the though few we are with tenacity and ferocity, like tigers soon all ofsee, i hope that

you will do something of true significance and i look forward to seeing all of your accomplishments. 2016.ed to you, class of go out and live lives of true significance. thank you very much. [applause] the graduates le moyne college heard from nasa astronaut and former intelligence officer jeanette epps for their commencement. she told the graduates to follow their own interests pointing to her own career as a lesson. this is 15 minutes. ms. epps: congratulations.

it is a complete honor and joy to be here. congratulations students, parents, and faculty. i am so honored that linda would ask me to do this. i am completely blown away by it. i am very excited for you, the graduates, because of the opportunities that lie before you. it was a long time ago that i was in your seat, about 28 years ago. i was extremely awkward and shine but i was bursting with faith and that i could be successful. despite having that stage, if someone told me that i would give the commencement speech at notine one day, i would have believed them to most of my contemporaries would not have believed them. years, as at 28 look back over my career, i have

been truly blessed and i implement away by some of the things that i have been a part of but it all started here at le moyne college. ask me,ad many students how did you get those opportunities? despite having worked at the cia -- let's not go there. what i would like to do is tell you a few stories about my career path and how that awkward girl became your commencement speaker today. hopefully i will be looked to import a few things that worked in my career and may work for you. while i cannot guarantee that you will get everything that you want by doing these things, i think he will become more successful in satisfied with careers. what worked for me? the biggest thing that worked for me was that i did not let anything define who i was.

i would choose, nor my capabilities. it took me some time to come into my own, however. for many years i was afraid to be the person i knew was in me because it was not standard. it ignored all of the norms, it was brave and bold. that person could fly jets, live underwater, climb mountains, and maybe land on the moon. over the years, she came out little by little and it started during my final year here at le moyne college. it was at a time when i have to decide whether or not i was going to pursue my dream of becoming an aerospace engineer. there were many forces telling me that i could not. that i wouldraid not get into a larger school coming from a background in physics. other thing at a time in the 1990's, the aerospace industry was at a low. schools were not necessarily

allowing anyone to come in. they were very selective. during that year, a question stood before me and before you today. who are you and who will you be? exactly what i wanted to do. i knew that i would have much work ahead of me but i also knew that i was a good student. in addition to that, i also had the support of my family. somethingt this was that i truly wanted to do. once i decided, i went ahead and i apply to the university of maryland. then, i was pulled enough to get on a plane and travel to maryland and show that the department chairs office. i sat down with him, i told him i detailed plan and he grilled me for over two hours, but i the me, he challenged

challenged me by accepting me as a student. i understood who i was inside and i decided who i would be in to world and what i wanted do. there will be many people who will try to define who you are and events may challenge your capabilities. i say, do not let them. , your time is limited so do not waste and living somebody else's life, bynity -- do not be trapped dogma. do not let the noise of others'opinions drown out your own inner voice and most importantly, have the courage to follow your own heart and intuition. costr franco, a health survivor and psychiatrist stated that there is a space in stimulus and response and in that space is our power to choose our response and in our response lies our growth and freedom. how you respond to the questions

regarding who you are and who you will be in the world besides -- decides your growth. when the u.s. decided that we would go to the moon, we were defining our national character and who we will be in the world. john f. kennedy's legendary at rice university caused nearly every american to believe in what was impossible at that time. we define ourselves as a leader in technology, a nation that can do the impossible, powerful in the past in the world -- a defining moment. we are still living on that legacy today. that defining moment that i did a very successful apollo program and shuttle program. that same character that was to find so many years ago is alive and well. in the future will see that belief in our country's character with the development of the successful -- of a successful commercial shuttle program and in nasa's development of their own shuttle -- a vehicle that may take us to

an asteroid, mars, or maybe back to them. it is crucial that you define who you are in believe that you are that person. so now once you have decided not to letanyone -- not anyone be your own worst enemy by defining who you are and you must not become your own worst enemy. you must believe that you are that person that deep in your soul if you know is there. i know that many speeches include the saying believe in inrself but it is a factor success. when i was nine, my older brother came home from college and he noticed my grades. he was very proud of me and he mentioned that i could become an aerospace engineer and may be an astronaut since at that time, sally ride and others were selected. believed thatn, i i could be an aerospace engineer but despite nobody in my family being an engineer but i do not believe the part about becoming an astronaut.

fast-forward to university of maryland, i met many people who had applied to the astronaut program. these people were very all theshed and checked boxes, bound to be selected. none of them were. theust confirmed what nine-year-old new, that it is all most impossible to be selected. a friend of mine from university of maryland got selected and he called me one day and asked why and had applied. after several years of working at the cia and forward i began to think, why not me? why was this for everyone except me? i had been as successful as others in their career, so why not now go also, full disclosure, at time i was getting older and i knew that i would completely regret never applying at least once in my lifetime. the point is not that i got into

the astronaut corps but it is this -- i almost and not get in because i cannot believe in myself that i almost never applied because i do not believe that i could be that person. you must believe in yourself and your a couple schmitz and your abilities per one you do this, no matter what happens, you will achieve a great level of personal success and satisfaction in life. what is my favorite quotes is, believe in yourself and there will come a day when others will have no choice but to believe with you. your professional career, there will come a time when you must decide between taking the path that is expected of you with the path that interests you. the path that is expected likely is a traditional career path that leads to promotions, pay raises, and positions of greater authority and responsibility. however, the path that interests you may be less lucrative and has thellenging but

promise of greater personal satisfaction. forsome, these are -- and most, like me, they will not. after completing graduate school, i decided to work at forward. the story of how i ended there -- i will leave for another time to while working there i received a job offer from the cia. it would have been very easy for me to stay at afford working the research -- stay at forward. -- stay at ford. for id consulted. with many friends and family and they all thought that i should stay with them. they were -- there was a voice and meet i knew that there was more i wanted to do and be. for me, there was no other option but to accept the job offer with the cia and i have never regretted it. working there really brought out the person that i knew was inside me, the things that i was able to do, the things that i was able to do and the places

and things that i saw contributed to the confidence that i needed to go ahead and apply to the astronaut corps. so, make your own decisions and on those decisions. if you select the path of doing something that interests you, you must accept the consequences and limitations that may arise from that decision but you will reap a personal satisfaction that comes are doing something that you love. many people that i knew at ford are still working there and they probably make double the money that a government employee makes but i think that i have been a far happier and i am still very happy with my career. of the last things i would like to add is that along the way you will have many critics, especially when you make a mistake or use of that people do not agree with. that -- evenf mandela had critics pick what they can realize is that he wasn't a perfect human but he

was perfectly human with all of his complexity. he may have made mistakes but the things that he worked other ways to not only forgive those who imprisoned him but also to forgive himself. this is important since you will do, mistakes and when you you must forgive yourself, you must align yourselfto make them. after all, you are only human. also, learn from your mistakes that you can move forward with a clear conscience. you refine how you define yourself once you do that. you decide who you are in want to be, do not let somebody else aside your future. take charge of your future, it is bright and clear -- the universe is at your fingertips. eleanor roosevelt said the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dream. shakespeare said it is not in the stars that our destiny but in ourselves. i say you decide who you want to be, prepare to be that person,

focus on it and matter what happens you will do great things. also, i challenge you to not allow the events of the day make you less to idealistic, optimistic, and less length of others. instead, despite these crazy times, the daring and courageous. if your dreams to the fullest and love people to the fullest. change the world for the better. your destiny -- and it is yours if you are willing to take responsibility for it. so congratulations again, graduates, go into the world and be who you were destined to be. [applause] announcer: larry ellison deliver the commencement spaced a graduate of the diversity of southern california and los angeles. he spoke about his early

struggles to find a job that he loved and how his best friend, steve jobs, taught and that there is more to life and money. he also encouraged graduates to try new things and not be afraid to challenge the status quo. this is 25 minutes. larry: good morning class of 2016. thank you for inviting me here. for honored to be with you your graduation from the university of southern california. this morning i would like to a fewith you about how experiences and couple of ideas taught me some important lessons and helped me discover my dreams. age, living in

going to school in chicago back in the 1960's, i used to dream about this place. the university of southern california. then, my dream was to go to the usc medical school, get , anded, raising a family practice medicine in los angeles. growing up in a lower middle-class community on the southside of chicago, medicine was considered the pinnacle of professions. noble and humane. virtually everyone important in my life, my family, my teachers, my girlfriend, wanted me to be a doctor. over time, their dreams became my dreams. they convinced me. i should be a doctor. as hard as i tried, i could not

do it. after a few difficult and unhappy years, it became painfully clear to me that i did not like the courses i was taking. i thought my comparative anatomy perversely put in this form of psychological torture. especially the dissection labs. i could not make myself study something that did not interest me. at the time, i thought i lacked discipline. and that i was selfish. maybe so. reasons,the underlying i was unable to make myself into the person that i thought i should be. so i decided to stop trying. i was 21 years old when i dropped out of college. owned,d everything i jeans, t-shirts, jacket, qatar,

into my car, and drove from chicago to berkeley, california. i guess one small part of that university of southern california injuring was mine after all. the california part. 1960's was ate the center of everything. movement, the free speech movement, the human rights movement. it was the perfect place for an undisciplined, selfish twentysomething to begin his search for himself, a righteous cause, and a job that he loved. everyone living in berkeley in the 1960's opposed the vietnam war. i was not different. , buts the age of aquarius

i never had long hair and i never wore beads did i learned to play popular songs on my aitar but i was never committed, serious antiwar protester. i found a cause, however. one i still feel passionately about today. a few hours east of berkeley are the sierra nevada mountains. i fell in love with those mountains and the ineffable natural beauty of yosemite. about the wilderness and i wanted to help preserve it and i joined the sierra club, became an environmentalist. during my california springs and summers, i spent most of my days in the high sierra's and yosemite valley, working as a river guide and a rock climbing instructor. jobs per but

unfortunately, they did not pay that well. working agot a job couple days a week as a computer programmer back in berkeley. i had learned to program in college. i do not love programming but it was fun and i was good at it. computer programming gave me the for kind of satisfaction solving math problems and leaving -- playing chess -- both things i enjoyed before anything in a confused teenager. at this point in my life, i thought i was making real progress on my journey of self-discovery. i had found a because, at a couple of jobs, and one that was fun and paid the bills. i was pretty happy with my life. wife was not. what she saw was a college dropout who spent too much time in the mountains doing foolish things p she wanted me to work

full-time as a computer programmer or go back to college and finish my degree. we compromise. sort of. i started taking classes at uc berkeley. i took several classes but the only one i can remember was a sailing class taught at the once again, i fell in love and began a lifelong affair with the limitless omnipotent pacific ocean. when my class was over, i want to buy a sailboat and my wife said, this was the single stupidest idea she had ever heard in her entire life. she accused me of being a responsible and she told me i lacked ambition. she kicked me out. and then she divorced me. moment in myvotal life.

[laughter] [applause] my family was still mad at me for not going to medical school and now my wife was divorcing me because i lacked ambition. oflooked like a reoccurrence the same problem, once again, i was unable to live up to the expectations of others. time, i was not disappointed in myself. to be the person they thought i should be. their trains and my dreams were dashed their dreams in my dreams were different and would never confuse the two of them again. i discovered things that i loved, the sierra mountains, yosemite, the pacific ocean, these natural wonders probably joy and happiness and wood for

the rest of my life. i had an interesting job programming computers and more money than i needed. first time, i was certain that i was going to survive. a huge burden of fear had been lifted. i will never forget that moment. it was a time for rejoicing. i bought the sailboat and lived cats in, just me and my berkeley. in the words of james joyce, i was alone and young and willful happy,eeded, but i was and near to the wild heart of life. throughout my 20's, i continued experimenting and try different things, racing bikes and those in constantly changing jobs. it did not take me long to

discover that the most interesting and rewarding programming jobs were found at a cluster of companies located south of stanford university and north of san jose. silicon valley was in its infancy. was still in my 20's when i went to work for my first silicon valley startup. fastestoped the world's mainframe computer, faster than anything ibm had. at the next stop, we built the world's largest digital data storage system. then on to precision instruments where we built an even larger storage system, this time using lasers. i was the vice president in charge of software development. it was all very cutting edge and challenging and cool. i liked my work most of the time but i did not love it. i searched and i searched but i just could not find a software

engineering job that i loved as much as i loved sailing. create one.o i put together a plan to start my own company. that way, i could completely control my work environment. i would hire the most talented programmers i knew and we would all work together. on the most interesting and challenging software projects. my goal was to create the perfect job for me, a job i truly loved. i never expected the company to grow beyond 50 people. maybe i really did lack ambition or vision. i don't know. it was a long time ago and i was very young. oracle employees who wanted to 50,000 people. started, it was not my

intention to build a big company. what happened? we hired the most talented software engineers in silicon valley. we assembled a team of gifted programmers who were among the best in the world at what they did. team plus one crazy idea gave birth to a giant company. i called it a crazy idea because at the time, everyone told me it was a crazy idea. the idea was to build the world's first relational database. several theoretical papers about it at already been published and ibm was building a prototype raid back then, the collective wasom of computer experts

that while they could be built, they would never be fastener to be useful. i thought all of those so-called computer experts were wrong. and when you start telling people that all the experts are wrong, at first they call you arrogant, and then they say you are crazy. graduates. this, when people start telling you that you are crazy, you just might be onto the most important innovation in your life. [applause] the other possibility is you are crazy. [laughter] this is one of those times when the experts were wrong. arrogance and insanity turned out to be innovation in

disguise. to beacle database proved a defining technology at the don of the information age. the oracle database totally to build aplan small, comfortable company, a perfect place for me and a few of my friends. as the information age moved to day, technology horizons were constantly shifting, revealing a brave and exciting world of new possibilities and opportunities. oracle doubled in size year after year after year, for 10 years. i set out to create the purpose -- perfect programming job from a paired instead, i created a job where i had to stop programming altogether. i attempted to create an environment that i could completely job. instead, i was running a company with thousands of people that was growing so fast that it was

impossible for anyone to control. it was like sailing in a hurricane. then we went public. oh, my god. maybe i should have been a doctor. learning, every day i learned something new and interesting, something that i did not know the day before. challenging,s captivating, consuming. i worked all the time but thinking back, i am pretty sure i wasnot love it or maybe just too tired to even know how i felt. i had found a place in the world. my family finally forgive me for not going to medical school. nobody ever accused me of lacking ambition again. i would like to tell you one friend,ry about my best

a guy who had lots of crazy ideas and tell me an important lesson. my friendship with steve jobs was made up of a thousand walks it if there was something he wanted to talk about, we would go for a walk. we climbed to the top of windy --l, hiked through the sins sans s -- one particular walk stood up your we had a lot of talk about so we jumped in the car, but the top down anda headed out to castle rock state parknds. in the santa cruz mountains. it was over 20 years ago. back in may 1995. steve was finishing toy story and fix our -- pixar. apple was in severe distress. it had gone steadily downhill

during the 10 years of his absence. the problems were now so serious people were wondering if apple would survive. it was all too painful to watch and do nothing. so the purpose of that particular hike through the santa cruz mountains on that particular day was to discuss taking over apple computer. my idea was simple. purchase apple. steve ceo.tely make it was not worth much back then, about $5 billion. we both had really good credit. i had already arranged to borrow all of the money. all steve had to do was say yes. more proposed a somewhat circuitous approach.

buyt, persuade apple to next computer. then steve would join the apple board in overtime the board would recognize that steve was the right guy to lead the company. i said, ok. that might work. steve, if we do not buy apple, how are we going to make any money? suddenly steve top -- stopped walking and turned toward me. he put his left hand on my right shoulder and his right hand on my left shoulder. staring unblinkingly into my eyes, steve said, very, this is why it is so important that i am your friend. you do not need any more money. i said, i know, i know.

then i said, but we don't have to keep it, we can give it all away. i was whining. steve just shook his head and said, i am not doing this for the money. i don't want to get paid. if i do this, i need to do this standing on the moral high ground. ?he moral high ground, i said that just might be the most expensive real estate owners. -- real estate on earth -- but i knew i had lost the argument steve had made up his mind at castle rock in the summer of 1995 to save apple his way. at the end, i said, steve, you created apple, it is your company, and it is your call. i will do whatever you want me to do. i went onto the apple board and i watched steve build the most viable company on earth.

the lesson here is very clear to me. steve was right. after a certain point, it cannot be about the money. after a certain point, you cannot spend it no matter how hard you try. i know, i have tried hard. but it is impossible. the only practical option is to give nearly all of it away. so why did steve called back to much, why did he devote so of what remained of his life to his job? why do i? answer is that deep inside of all of us, all of a primal desire to

do something important with our lives. freud said there are only two things important in life. love, and work. love and work were the same thing. work.assionate about my it continues to give me great satisfaction and a sense of who i am. passion and love are different. at least from aar. i love my family. a few precious friends, for cats, two dogs, cherry blossoms in japan, pacific island beaches, and the majestic sierra nevada mountains where it all began for me. my feelings about work are very intense but quite different. there was a television

advertisement for the navy that says it is not just a job, it is an adventure. that is exactly how i feel about my years in silicon valley. an interesting, challenging, all-consuming adventure. like any ongoing adventure, i have no idea how it ends, but i know it well, for me, and a long, long time from now, for all of you. but today, graduates, you are .eginning your great venture your generation will change the world's an free generation was pretty will invent new technologies and create new types of art. and possibilities will be transformed and possibilities. unexpected opportunities will present themselves. you will change the world. and the world will change you, as you learn and grow and

discover more about yourself. remember this. changing world, what is possible is a moving target. do not be afraid to experiment and try lots of different things. do not let the experts discourage you when you challenge the status quo. is anark twain says, what expert, anyway? just some guy from out of town. each of you has the chance to discover who you are and who you should be, a chance to live your dreams, not the dreams of others. each of you has an obligation to commit to a righteous cause, one that elevates you and improves the conditions of humanity and the planet. many of you will begin a new job. i hope it interests you and

challenges you. and reports you with a sense of purpose and satisfaction. but if it does not, keep searching. it is out there. it might take a a while but keep find ang, and until you job that it nights their passions, like i did. you just might find one that you love. thank you, and congratulations. [applause] announcer: with congress in recess, american history tv airs in prime time. look for our history features each type in an 8:00 user including the three-day vietnam war summit from the lyndon b.

johnson's presidential library -- the 50th anniversary retrospective on the conflict tonight the first major engagement of the war the battle of i drank and in the soldiers better after -- and a conversation with henry kissinger. wentd the administration his lifesident who all had been known as concerned primarily with domestic policy was engulfed in a division of that in a way has lasted to this day -- >> authors and historians of how america was divided over the war in a conversation with filmmakers ken burns and the novick -- >> by the time we got 4-5 thedes away, where historical triangulation can actually take place, when you can have the kind of distance and perspective necessary not to just make a reaction -- or journalistic response but

something that is, hopefully, greater than the sum of its parts you begin to realize that almost everything you thought you knew was not true -- >> and wednesday a look at the war from the perspective of those who fought it and u.s. foreign relations after the war and those with vietnam there is a good :00 eastern -- our railamerica series looks at the 1975 church committee hearing convened to investigate a diligence activities of the cia, fbi, irs, and the nsa. for the national easing of african-american history and culture opening in september, friday and :00 eastern, an all-day conference with toxin african-american religion, politics, and culture, and african-american history as american history would like i couldn't get out of my mind, that my students were thinking that somehow this african-american history wasn't because it -- there was no textbook textbook as there was in all of these american history courses taught in the department of history.

and so, i decided to write a textbook. americane for the history television schedule, go to c-span.org. announcer: president obama was at arlington national cemetery this memorial day for the traditional wreath laying at the tomb of the unknowns. he also spoke about the sacrifices made by the military and what then u.s. can do to support veterans. defense secretary -- carter and joint chiefs of staff general joe done for dollar also part of the ceremony. you can see that tonight on c-span. our look at commencement speeches continues now with filmmaker and activist spike lee. he spoke to her graduates of johns hopkins university in baltimore where he urged them to be catalysts for change. he also paid trip to the late singer prince by reading his song baltimore that was released

last year following events in the city over the death of freddie gray. [applause] spike: hello. hello -- thank you. president daniels, the board of trustees, the , and theadministration graduating class of 2016. again, we must acknowledge the people who made this possible, the parents. as the great philosopher and nelson once said,

do the beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called life. occasion, johns hopkins university, i have been blessed to do what i want and love. i love what i do and what i do is i make films. i'm a storyteller. that aren'to words almost all of my films to date. , wake up.words are sleep, wake up from being comatose, wake up from this lumber that keeps your eyes shut to the fee -- inequalities oftenjustices to this

more than not evil, crazy, and insane world we live in. let's move our minds from the back to the front to a conscious state. and wake up. lofty towers of institutions and get down to the people. as our sisters and brothers say on the block, it woke. let's be alert, open-minded, get woke. let's wake up. let's truly of the difference between love and hate. as malcolm max said, we have been took, hoodwinked, let bamboozled amok, and

. we are at a very crucial moment in history of the united states i america and the way looking at it today, to tell you the truth, things are looking dicey. it can go either way. i don't know about you, but i am worried. i am worried for the graduating class here at johns hopkins university. in addition to the graduating , isses all over this planet wish you were graduating into a world of peace, light, and love, but that is not the case. we do not live in a fairy tale and but i guess the 1% does.

today, itleave here is going to be real life, and real life is no joke. it's real at here for the 99%, for sure. it's up to the graduating class of 2016 to make a better world for the 99% who are daily being ,oodwinked, doublecrossed incarcerated, profiled, starved, ms. educated, used, abused, and even shot down on our streets. leave here andse do not go the way of skulduggery -- i got that from mike tyson.