Oprah Winfrey · Stanford 卒業式スピーチ

I'm going to begin with a story. I grew up in rural poverty. At fourteen, I was sent to live with my father. He demanded that I read a book a week and turn in book reports. I was so angry. But my father's discipline was the beginning of my liberation. I know something about the importance of mentors, of people who hold space for you. People who come into your life and give you what you need at the exact right time. Every one of you has the obligation to pay it forward. Somebody believed in you. Somebody made an investment in you. Now it's your turn. The key to realizing a dream is to focus not on success but on significance — and then even the small steps and little victories along your path will take on greater meaning. At the core of my being, I believe I am a storyteller. I came into my own as a storyteller when I stopped trying to be what everyone else wanted me to be. Learn to sit with the discomfort. Surrender to the uncertainty. Hold space for the possibility that you don't know what your next step is. Because the moment you start moving in the direction of your truth, doors you never even imagined will open. And whatever you do, remember to pay it forward.