En esta noticia
Speeches by Hollywood stars often become some of the most shared and viral lessons on the internet. One of those moments occurred in the commencement speech Denzel Washington gave at Dillard University in 2015.
The famous actor received an honorary doctorate and closed his speech with a message that has been replicated throughout the whole internet since then: “Don’t just aspire to make a living. Aspire to make a difference.” It was the summary of a talk built around four life lessons.
Denzel Washington’s four lessons that define his approach to life
His first lesson was about faith. “Put God first in everything you do. Everything I have is by the grace of God. Understand that. It’s a gift,” he told the graduates.
The second was about not being afraid of failure. “Don’t be afraid to fail big, to dream big, but remember, dreams without goals are just dreams,” he said, encouraging them to set their own goals.
Denzel Washington’s quote about success and death
His third lesson was about money and generosity. “I don’t care how much money you make; you can’t take it with you,” Washington said.
He illustrated the idea with a striking image: “You’ll never see a U-Haul behind a hearse.” In other words, no one can take their possessions with them when they die, so what really matters is what people do with the things they have in life.
His final message brought everything together: success is measured by the difference people make in the lives of others, not by how much they earn.
Who is Denzel Washington
Born in 1954 in Mount Vernon, New York, Washington is the son of a Pentecostal minister and a beauty shop owner. He has won two Academy Awards, best supporting actor for Glory and best actor for Training Day, and received the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement at the 2016 Golden Globes.
At Dillard, his connection goes beyond that speech: he set up a scholarship program for students pursuing theater at the university.