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The Last Lecture: Timeless Lessons from Commencement Speeches

The Last Lecture: Timeless Lessons from Commencement Speeches

By: Maitt Saiwyer
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"Graduation day ends in a few hours — but the speeches can last a lifetime."

This podcast brings together the most powerful commencement speeches ever delivered — from David Foster Wallace’s reminder to choose how you see the world, to J.K. Rowling’s hard-won lessons on failure, to Steve Jobs’s timeless call to stay hungry, stay foolish. Each episode dives deep into one landmark speech, weaving together long verbatim excerpts with reflective commentary that connects their wisdom to everyday life.

Across 10 episodes, you’ll hear the voices of writers, leaders, and visionaries — George Saunders, Neil Gaiman, Toni Morrison, Kurt Vonnegut, Barack Obama, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie — all offering a kind of curriculum for living with courage, kindness, creativity, and responsibility.

More than a podcast, this is a ceremony of ideas — a graduation of the spirit — reminding us that life itself is the ultimate commencement.

If you’ve ever wished you could carry the world’s best advice in your pocket, this series is your invitation to walk across the stage again and again — each time with new wisdom in hand.

Copyright 2025 All rights reserved. Philosophy Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Episode 16 - Oprah Winfrey: What I Know For Sure

    Episode 16 - Oprah Winfrey: What I Know For Sure
    Sep 2 2025

    For decades, Oprah Winfrey has been a source of wisdom for millions, and her commencement speeches are a masterclass in inspiration. Drawing from her Stanford address and her book, this episode distills Oprah’s core lessons on finding your purpose, listening to the whispers of your life, and understanding that failure is just life pointing you in a new direction.
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    46 mins
  • Episode 15 - Elie Wiesel: The Perils of Indifference

    Episode 15 - Elie Wiesel: The Perils of Indifference
    Sep 2 2025

    Holocaust survivor and Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel delivered this haunting speech at the White House in 1999. He argues that the true opposite of love is not hate, but indifference, a force that always benefits the aggressor. We reflect on this profound moral lesson and its urgent call to bear witness, remember history, and act in the face of injustice.
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    52 mins
  • Episode 14 - Sojourner Truth: Ain't I a Woman?

    Episode 14 - Sojourner Truth: Ain't I a Woman?
    Sep 2 2025

    In 1851, a former slave stood before the Ohio Women's Rights Convention and delivered one of history’s most powerful and enduring speeches. We explore Sojourner Truth’s masterful use of rhetoric to challenge the definitions of womanhood and personhood. This episode examines how her words laid the groundwork for intersectional feminism and the ongoing fight for equality.
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    21 mins
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