ContestsEvents

Taylor Swift’s NYU Graduation Speech: ‘Learn To Live Alongside Cringe’

Taylor Swift shared a video on Instagram today (May 18) getting ready to receive her honorary doctorate and to give her commencement speech for the class of 2022 at NYU….

Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift Delivers New York University 2022 Commencement Address at Yankee Stadium on May 18, 2022 in New York City.

Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

Taylor Swift shared a video on Instagram today (May 18) getting ready to receive her honorary doctorate and to give her commencement speech for the class of 2022 at NYU.

"Wearing a cap and gown for the very first time," Swift wrote in her caption. Beneath her traditional purple-hued gown, the 32-year-old “Wildest Dreams” singer wore a little black dress and leopard-print pumps.

Swift received a Doctor of Fine Arts from the university, which hailed her as “one of the most prolific and celebrated artists of her generation” in a press release shared in March. It’ll mark the Grammy winner’s first degree, as she was already writing hits and heading out on tour by the time she graduated high school.

Taylor took the stage and offered words of thanks to the class of 2022: "I know that words are supposed to be my 'thing,' but I will never be able to find the words to thank my mom and my dad, and my brother, Austin, for the sacrifices they made every day so that I could go from singing in coffee houses to standing up here with you all today because no words would ever be enough. To all the incredible parents, family members, mentors, teachers, allies, friends and loved ones here today who have supported these students in their pursuit of educational enrichment, let me say to you now: Welcome to New York. It’s been waiting for you."

Firmly stating that she hates giving unsolicited advice, the Grammy-winner said, "I will, however, give you some life hacks I wish I knew when I was starting out my dreams of a career, and navigating life, love, pressure, choices, shame, hope and friendship. The first of which is… life can be heavy, especially if you try to carry it all at once. Part of growing up and moving into new chapters of your life is about catch and release. What I mean by that is, knowing what things to keep, and what things to release. You can’t carry all things, all grudges, all updates on your ex, all enviable promotions your school bully got at the hedge fund his uncle started. Decide what is yours to hold and let the rest go. Oftentimes the good things in your life are lighter anyway, so there’s more room for them. One toxic relationship can outweigh so many wonderful, simple joys. You get to pick what your life has time and room for. Be discerning."

She continued, "Secondly, learn to live alongside cringe. No matter how hard you try to avoid being cringe, you will look back on your life and cringe retrospectively. Cringe is unavoidable over a lifetime. Even the term 'cringe' might someday be deemed 'cringe.' I promise you, you’re probably doing or wearing something right now that you will look back on later and find revolting and hilarious. You can’t avoid it, so don’t try to. For example, I had a phase where, for the entirety of 2012, I dressed like a 1950s housewife. But you know what? I was having fun. Trends and phases are fun. Looking back and laughing is fun. And while we’re talking about things that make us squirm but really shouldn’t, I’d like to say that I’m a big advocate for not hiding your enthusiasm for things. It seems to me that there is a false stigma around eagerness in our culture of 'unbothered ambivalence.' This outlook perpetuates the idea that it’s not cool to 'want it.' That people who don’t try hard are fundamentally more chic than people who do. And I wouldn’t know because I have been a lot of things but I’ve never been an expert on 'chic.' But I’m the one who’s up here so you have to listen to me when I say this: Never be ashamed of trying. Effortlessness is a myth. The people who wanted it the least were the ones I wanted to date and be friends with in high school. The people who want it most are the people I now hire to work for my company."

In concluding her speech, Swift left the graduates with this: "We are led by our gut instincts, our intuition, our desires and fears, our scars and our dreams. And you will screw it up sometimes. So will I. And when I do, you will most likely read about on the internet. Anyway… hard things will happen to us. We will recover. We will learn from it. We will grow more resilient because of it. As long as we are fortunate enough to be breathing, we will breathe in, breathe through, breathe deep, breathe out. And I’m a doctor now, so I know how breathing works. I hope you know how proud I am to share this day with you. We’re doing this together. So let’s just keep dancing like we’re… The class of 22."

Watch Taylor Swift's NYU Commencement speech below:

She’s one of two special speakers slated to appear at NYU’s graduation festivities. On Wednesday evening the school will hold an additional ceremony for the classes of 2020 and 2021 — both of which were postponed due to pandemic-related restrictions — with disability rights advocate Judith Heumann addressing the grads and receiving a Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa.

Taylor Swift turns 34 today (December 13), and in honor of the hit songstress' big day, we compiled our favorite lyrics by the queen of breakup songs.

20. Death By A Thousand Cuts

GettyImages-1350327539.jpgDimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

"Saying goodbye is death by a thousand cuts / Flashbacks waking me up / I get drunk, but it's not enough / 'Cause the morning comes and you're not my baby."

Taylor Swift's 20 Best Breakup Lines


19. the 1

GettyImages-1193814403.jpgDia Dipasupil/Getty Images

"I guess you never know, never know / And if you wanted me, you really should've showed / And if you never bleed, you're never gonna grow."

Taylor Swift's 20 Best Breakup Lines


18. Closure

GettyImages-1189851871.jpgKevin Winter/Getty Images

"Don't treat me like / Some situation that needs to be handled / I'm fine with my spite / And my tears, and my beers and my candles."

Taylor Swift's 20 Best Breakup Lines


17. Blank Space

GettyImages-1182186344.jpgKevin Winter/Getty Images

"So it's gonna be forever / Or it's gonna go down in flames / You can tell me when it's over / If the high was worth the pain."

Taylor Swift's 20 Best Breakup Lines


16. All You Had To Do Was Stay

GettyImages-1169598343.jpgDia Dipasupil/Getty Images

"The more I think about it now the less I know / All I know is that you drove us off the road."

Taylor Swift's 20 Best Breakup Lines


15. I Knew You Were Trouble

GettyImages-1155989168.jpgCraig Barritt/Getty Images

"No apologies, he'll never see you cry / Pretends he doesn't know that he's the reason why / You're drowning, you're drowning, you're drowning."

Taylor Swift's 20 Best Breakup Lines


14. I Wish You Would

GettyImages-473554904.jpgChristopher Polk/Getty Images

"I wish you would come back / Wish I'd never hung up the phone like I did / I wish you knew that / I'd never forget you as long as I'd live."

Taylor Swift's 20 Best Breakup Lines


13. All Too Well

GettyImages-1153173049.jpgKevin Winter/Getty Images

"And you call me up again just to break me like a promise / So casually cruel in the name of being honest."

Taylor Swift's 20 Best Breakup Lines


12. Red

GettyImages-1144701001.jpgDimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

"Losing him was blue, like I'd never known / Missing him was dark gray, all alone / Forgetting him was like trying to know somebody you never met / But loving him was red."

Taylor Swift's 20 Best Breakup Lines


11. this is me trying

GettyImages-1062507406.jpgMark Metcalfe/Getty Images

"And it's hard to be at a party / When I feel like an open wound / It's hard to be anywhere these days / When all I want is you."

Taylor Swift's 20 Best Breakup Lines


10. The Story Of Us

GettyImages-477782486.jpgSascha Steinbach/Getty Images

"I used to know my place was a spot next to you / Now I'm searching the room for an empty seat / 'Cause lately I don't even know what page you're on."

Taylor Swift's 20 Best Breakup Lines


9. Holy Ground

GettyImages-1048529636.jpgKevin Winter/Getty Images

"And I guess we fell apart in the usual way / And the story's got dust on every page / But sometimes I wonder how you think about it now / And I see your face in every crowd."

Taylor Swift's 20 Best Breakup Lines


8. august

GettyImages-956298740.jpgKevin Winter/Getty Images

"And I can see us twisted in bedsheets / August sipped away like a bottle of wine / 'Cause you were never mine."

Taylor Swift's 20 Best Breakup Lines


7. Forever & Always

GettyImages-499034356.jpgMark Metcalfe/Getty Images

"And I stare at the phone, he still hasn't called / And then you feel so low you can't feel nothing at all / And you flashback to when he said, 'Forever and always.'"

Taylor Swift's 20 Best Breakup Lines


6. my tears ricochet

GettyImages-510451142.jpgKevork Djansezian/Getty Images

"Didn't have it in myself to go with grace / And you're the hero flying around, saving face / And if I'm dead to you, why are you at the wake?"

Taylor Swift's 20 Best Breakup Lines


5. Picture To Burn

GettyImages-500762914.jpgGraham Denholm/Getty Images

"So watch me strike a match on all my wasted time / As far as I'm concerned, you're just another picture to burn."

Taylor Swift's 20 Best Breakup Lines


4. exile

GettyImages-460394648.jpgMike Coppola/Getty Images

"I think I've seen this film before / And I didn't like the ending / You're not my homeland anymore / So what am I defendin' now?"

Taylor Swift's 20 Best Breakup Lines


3. I Forgot That You Existed

GettyImages-500762788.jpgGraham Denholm/Getty Images

"Your name on my lips, tongue tied / Free rent, livin' in my mind / But then something happened one magical night / I forgot that you existed."

Taylor Swift's 20 Best Breakup Lines


2. You're Not Sorry

GettyImages-484816692.jpgChristopher Polk/Getty Images

"You got your share of secrets, and I'm tired of being last to know."

Taylor Swift's 20 Best Breakup Lines


1. White Horse

GettyImages-485988100.jpgKevork Djansezian/Getty Images

"I was a dreamer before you went and let me down."

Taylor Swift's 20 Best Breakup Lines