Robert De Niro vs Matthew McConaughey Commencement Speeches

[JakeStyle]

Robert De Niro:

Robert De Niro delivered the commencement speech for NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts on Friday at the Theater at Madison Square Garden, and began by telling the graduates, “You made it… and you’re f*cked!” The actor explained to the graduates how unstable a career choice they made, pointing out how much easier their lives would have been had they selected a field like medicine, law or accounting. Watch the video below.

“The school of medicine graduates, each one will get a job,” De Niro said in his speech. “The graduates in accounting? They all have jobs. Where does that leave you? Envious of those accountants? I doubt it.” He continued, “Maybe they were passionate about accounting, but I think it’s more likely they used reason and logic and common sense to research a career.” He also poked fun of a few other professions, including lawyers. He said the law school graduates have jobs, too, adding, “But who cares? They’re lawyers!”

Though his comments were met with laughter, De Niro soon proved to have an inspiring message for the art school graduates. “You didn’t have that choice, did you?” he said. “You discovered a talent, developed an ambition, and recognized your passion. When you feel that, you can’t fight it. You just go for it.” The Oscar-winning actor explained, “When it comes to the arts, passion should always trump common sense. Yeah, you’re f*cked. The good news is, that’s not a bad place to start.”

De Niro then prepared the students for trying to land a job in the arts or, what he called, “a lifetime of rejection.” He said their mantra needs to be “next.” “You didn’t get that part? Next! You’ll get the next one or the next one after that.” He concluded his 15-minute commencement speech by telling the graduates, “I know you’re going to make it. Break a leg. Next!”

http://www.gossipcop.com/robert-de-niro-commencement-speech-nyu-graduates-video-****ed/

Matthew McConaughey:

As the commencement speaker for the class of 2015 at the University of Houston, Academy Award-winning actor Matthew McConaughey advised the graduates that life is “not fair” and it “won’t ever be,”  and urged them to not adopt the mentality that they are “a victim” and entitled to things.

“Life’s not fair, it never was, it isn’t now and it won’t ever be,” McConaughey, a Texas native, told the graduates on May 15.

He also told them, “Do not fall into the trap, the entitlement trap, of feeling like you’re a victim. You are not.”

McConaughey, who started his acting career in television commercials in the early 1990s, also gave the graduating students some advise on jobs and the economy.

"Some of you already have a job lined up, you have a path where today's job is going to become tomorrow's career,” he said.  “But for most of you, the future is probably still a little fuzzy. And you don't have that job that directly reflects the degree that you just got.”

“Many of you don't even have a job at all,” said McConaughey. “You don't have the answers and it's pretty damn scary. And I say that's okay because that is how it is.”

http://cnsnews.com/blog/michael-w-chapman/mcconaughey-grads-lifes-not-fair-it-never-was-it-wont-ever-be-dont-fall

I know Matthew McConaughey is a pot-smoking, naked bongo drummer, but I prefer his message.  If you are going to have a spoiled Hollywood star address your commencement, it's a good thing to find one that speaks the truth.

[Big Dog]

DeNiro did a good job, too. It was a graduation speech, not career counseling.

Honest but inspiring: Well, here you are. You chose this. An arts degree generally won't feed the bulldog, and you need to learn to live with rejection. Now, get your ass out there and try to earn a living, doing what you love.

The only thing I would have added is "I'll be seeing you... at the drive-through."

[JohnnyReb]

DeNiro did a good job, too. It was a graduation speech, not career counseling.

Honest but inspiring: Well, here you are. You chose this. An arts degree generally won't feed the bulldog, and you need to learn to live with rejection. Now, get your ass out there and try to earn a living, doing what you love.

The only thing I would have added is "I'll be seeing you... at the drive-through."

....and the rest of you I'll see in the welfare line.