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