Jefferson Smith Commencement Speech: You Might Be Screwed
Evan Manvel
Opinions of Jefferson may vary. But few would deny he is a strong public speaker.
In his speech at the recent University of Oregon commencement ceremony, "You Might Be Screwed," Jefferson Smith combined humor with self-depreciation, thought-provoking questions with compelling anecdotes, and a quick wit in responding to how the crowd reacted to his words.
A couple of my favorites pieces of advice to graduates: "You can't do anything you want, but you can do more than you think," and "Don't just think about what already exists, think about what doesn't. And do that."
Watch it.
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11:08 a.m.
Jul 3, '12
Disclaimer: I've endorsed Jefferson, as has Bike Walk Vote, group I co-chair. I speak only for myself.
12:03 p.m.
Jul 3, '12
I hope the college grads take Jefferson's words of wisdom to heart. It's a great speech - I hope it gets shared widely.
11:23 a.m.
Jul 5, '12
I'm a believer. Wish I could have articulated this message to my kids when they were growing up. I always struggled with telling them that they could be anything they wanted to be with hard work but really I knew that wasn't the truth. Especially when your ethics do not align with the American Dream of success. Go Jefferson!
10:18 a.m.
Jul 10, '12
Great speech with great relevance and just the right challenge to what's going on in our country! Our "machines" are in great need of redesign and maybe a new track that moves everybody not just the people riding on the top.