--- title: Read Joe Biden Speech at Colby College Graduation description: "Life can't be lived in this self-referential, self-reinforcing, self-righteous echo chamber we've built for ourselves online." canonical: https://time.com/4787983/joe-biden-colby-college-commencement-transcript/ author: TIME Staff article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-05-22T13:16:17.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-08T09:03:30.560Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Read Joe Biden's Speech at Colby College Graduation og:description: "It’s time for America to get up" og:url: https://time.com/4787983/joe-biden-colby-college-commencement-transcript/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5de289cab890f91c/6988ce3abc6cfc732b3e1729/biden.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2000 og:image:height: 1125 og:image:alt: American Revolution Museum og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Read Joe Biden's Speech at Colby College Graduation twitter:description: "It’s time for America to get up" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5de289cab890f91c/6988ce3abc6cfc732b3e1729/biden.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Joe Biden at Colby College Commencement: 'Now Is the Time for Engaged Leadership' > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Inside TIME: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Inside TIME is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories. Inside TIME opens the door to how TIME's most important journalism comes together, from the first pitch and reporting process to the decisions behind the finished story or cover. Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs takes readers inside the newsroom, revealing the journalists, ideas and editorial choices behind the stories shaping the global conversation. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=d19a2008-4fc5-4247-8f9b-6687be45384f&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Sam Jacobs, Editor-in-Chief | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership Globally minded knowledge seekers. Readers who turn to journalism to understand the world, with meaningful concentrations among educators, students, media professionals, civic institutions and knowledge workers. ### TIME Inside TIME: key statements * Inside TIME is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * Inside TIME is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=d19a2008-4fc5-4247-8f9b-6687be45384f&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/subscribe?i=d19a2008-4fc5-4247-8f9b-6687be45384f&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is Inside TIME? Inside TIME is a twice-weekly newsletter written by TIME Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs. It explains how TIME's journalism is made, from the first pitch through the editorial decisions behind a finished story or cover. #### How can I read about how TIME chooses its covers? Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=d19a2008-4fc5-4247-8f9b-6687be45384f&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Joe Biden Wants Americans to 'Regain Our Sense of Unity and Purpose' [Watch (HLS stream): Joe Biden Wants Americans to 'Regain Our Sense of Unity and Purpose'](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/WZQuASgu.m3u8) (0:40)  _Published 2017-05-22. Former Vice President Joe Biden is offering assurances that the country's current divisiveness brought on by a presidential election that "churned up some of the ugliest realities" of American life will be temporary._ by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff May 22, 2017 1:16 PM UTC Former Vice President Joe Biden is offering assurances that the country's current divisiveness brought on by a presidential election that "churned up some of the ugliest realities" of American life will be temporary. by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff May 22, 2017 1:16 PM UTC _Former Vice President Joe Biden gave the commencement remarks at Colby College on Sunday. The full speech can be viewed_ [_here_](http://www.colby.edu/commencement/2017-commencement-speakers-address/)_. Read the full transcript below._ --- > “” --- ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4787983/joe-biden-colby-college-commencement-transcript/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4787983/joe-biden-colby-college-commencement-transcript/"},"headline":"Joe Biden at Colby College Commencement: 'Now Is the Time for Engaged Leadership'","datePublished":"2017-05-22T13:16:17.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-08T09:03:30.560Z","description":"\"It’s time for America to get up\"","url":"https://time.com/4787983/joe-biden-colby-college-commencement-transcript/","keywords":["Education","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5de289cab890f91c/6988ce3abc6cfc732b3e1729/biden.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5de289cab890f91c/6988ce3abc6cfc732b3e1729/biden.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"American Revolution Museum","caption":"American Revolution Museum","creditText":"Matt Rourke—AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/tag/education/","name":"Education"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4787983/joe-biden-colby-college-commencement-transcript/","name":"Joe Biden at Colby College Commencement: 'Now Is the Time for Engaged Leadership'"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Joe Biden Wants Americans to 'Regain Our Sense of Unity and Purpose'","description":"Former Vice President Joe Biden is offering assurances that the country's current divisiveness brought on by a presidential election that \"churned up some of the ugliest realities\" of American life will be temporary.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/WZQuASgu/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2017-05-22T01:44:33.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/WZQuASgu.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4787983/joe-biden-colby-college-commencement-transcript/","duration":"PT40S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4787983/joe-biden-colby-college-commencement-transcript/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```