Robert De Niro's Blunt, Inspiring Speech to NYU Arts Grads

[@Vocela]

I found this inspiring, down-to-earth, funny, powerful and full of wisdom. Thanks to Robert de Niro. He's not an icon for nothing.

[@annetteloveflower1121]

Yes! I think so too. The speech makes my soul higher. The best ever.

[@MrDanbloom]

Tisch graduates, you made it. And you’re f*cked. Think about that. The graduates from the college of nursing? They all have jobs. The graduates from the college of dentistry? Fully employed. The Leonard N. Stern school of business graduates? They’re covered. The school of medicine graduates? Each one will get a job. The proud graduates of the NY school of law? They’re covered. And if they’re not, who cares? They’re lawyers. The English majors are not a factor. They’ll be home writing their novels. The teachers, they’ll all be working. Sh*tty jobs, lousy pay. But they’ll be working. The graduates in accounting? They all have jobs. Where does that leave you, envious of those accountants? I doubt it. They had a choice. Maybe they were passionate about accounting, but I think it’s more likely that they used reason and logic and common sense to reach for a career that could give the expectation of success and stability. Reason, logic, common sense … at the Tisch School of Arts … are you kidding me? 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. When it comes to the arts, passion should always trump common sense … yeah, you’re f***ed. The good news is, that’s not a bad place to start … How do you cope with it? I hear that Valium and Vicodin work.”