Harvard’s President to the Class of 2025: A Speech with a Lesson for Trump

I see you this morning not as groups of graduates separated by School but as one Harvard—a community bound by the shared cause of seeking knowledge, of acquiring wisdom, and of serving society—a community composed of remarkable individuals who take their chances rather than rest on their laurels. We gather today to acknowledge your achievements and to celebrate your excellence.

Here, among beloved colleagues and mentors, and distinguished and dedicated faculty and staff, you have learned to consider curiosity a state in which to live, open always to the ever-present possibility of personal growth.

I implore you to hold fast to that lesson after your degrees are conferred today. The world as it is tempts us with the lure of what one might generously call comfortable thinking, a habit of mind that readily convinces us of the merits of our own assumptions, the veracity of our own arguments, and the soundness of our own opinions, positions, and perspectives—so committed to our beliefs that we seek information that confirms them as we discredit evidence that refutes them.

Though many would be loath to admit it, absolute certainty and willful ignorance are two sides of the same coin, a coin with no value but costs beyond measure. False conviction saps true potential. Focused on satisfying a deep desire to be right, we can willingly lose that which is so often gained from being wrong—humility, empathy, generosity, insight—squandering opportunities to expand our thinking and to change our minds in the process.

My hope for you, members of the Class of 2025, is that you stay comfortable being uncomfortable.