Carpe Every Diem

Book excerpt: A thoughtfully curated, cleverly designed keepsake that distills the wisdom of all those powerful graduation speakers—from Barack Obama and Gloria Steinem to Kermit the Frog—into the best advice for grads of all ages. Carpe Every Diem is a thought-provoking collection of quotes from famous graduation speakers meant to motivate and inspire the next generation of leaders. Paired by theme, many of the quotes complement one another. George Saunders, for example, riffs on the “failures of kindness” of his youth, encouraging grads to be kinder. Jimmy Buffett offers a simpler nugget of kind-spiration: “Be Santa Claus when you can.” Other quotes, however, are paired with conflicting advice, giving graduates the opportunity to choose what to believe in. Some may respond to Neil Gaiman's “make good art” speech, while others may prefer John Waters's call to arms to horrify and outrage others with their art. Which of these affirmations will you choose? Each quote is accompanied by a short bio of the speaker and stamped with the year and institution where the commencement speech was delivered. With advice from the likes of Abby Wambach, Angela Davis, David Foster Wallace, Oprah Winfrey, Spike Lee, and more, readers will be swept away by the wit and wisdom contained in this book—perfect for graduates, creative thinkers, or anyone seeking inspiration.