Harvard College Class Day Speech

"Don't treat your heart like an action figure wrapped in plastic and never used. And don't try to give me that nerd argument that your heart is a Batman with a limited-edition silver bat-erang and therefore if it stays in its original packing it increases in value."

Amy Poehler
Harvard College Class Day

Conan O'Brien

Before we end this rodeo, a few things need to be said. There has been a lot of speculation in the press about what I legally can and can’t say about NBC. To set the record straight, tonight I am allowed to say anything I want. And what I want to say is this: between my time at Saturday Night Live, the Late Night show, and my brief run here on The Tonight Show, I have worked with NBC for over 20 years. Yes, we have our differences right now and yes, we’re going to go our separate ways. But this company has been my home for most of my adult life. I am enormously proud of the work we have done together, and I want to thank NBC for making it all possible.
Walking away from The Tonight Show is the hardest thing I have ever had to do. Making this choice has been enormously difficult. This is the best job in the world, I absolutely love doing it, and I have the best staff and crew in the history of the medium. But despite this sense of loss, I really feel this should be a happy moment. Every comedian dreams of hosting The Tonight Show and, for seven months, I got to. I did it my way, with people I love, and I do not regret a second. I’ve had more good fortune than anyone I know and if our next gig is doing a show in a 7-Eleven parking lot, we’ll find a way to make it fun.

And finally, I have to say something to our fans. The massive outpouring of support and passion from so many people has been overwhelming. The rallies, the signs, all the goofy, outrageous creativity on the Internet, and the fact that people have traveled long distances and camped out all night in the pouring rain to be in our audience, made a sad situation joyous and inspirational.

To all the people watching, I can never thank you enough for your kindness to me and I’ll think about it for the rest of my life. All I ask of you is one thing: please don’t be cynical. I hate cynicism — it’s my least favorite quality and it doesn’t lead anywhere. Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you’re kind, amazing things will happen. As proof, let’s make an amazing thing happen right now.

-Conan O'Brien
Episode 146, The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien

Chris Weitz

"I just let them do their thing. I think it would be creepy and inappropriate for me to advise them how to kiss one another or what it's like to be young in love. I'm 40 years old. I'm not going to Polanski out on them."
-Chris Weitz (The Twilight Saga: New Moon Press Tour,Interview by: Eric Ditzian, see full video here)

Kate Moss

"Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels."
-Kate Moss, November 13, 2009 interview with www.wwd.com

Tina Fey

"I want to thank my parents for somehow raising me to have confidence that is disproportionate with my looks and abilities."
-Tina Fey, 2008 Emmy's acceptance speech
see: http://www.harpersbazaar.com/magazine/cover/tina-fey-interview-1109

Peter Facinelli

Jane Fonda's Blog

I think about death all the time. I rehearse my death. I think that’s a healthy thing to do. Death, after all, is what gives life meaning the way noise gives meaning to silence.

-Jane Fonda
Excerpt from her blog entry entitled: MICHAEL JACKSON, written on June 29, 2009
view the rest of the entry here: http://janefonda.com/michael-jackson/

2006 Stuyvesant High School Graduation Speech

Four: If you want to get out of a test, don't say you have a family emergency. Everyone says they have a family emergency in college and it never works. Say you have diarrhea. No one ever says they have diarrhea unless they do.

-Conan O'Brien