--- title: Jane Goodall Grad Speech: 'Live to Your True Human Potential' description: She told University of Redlands grads to live "with head and heart in harmony" canonical: https://time.com/4307361/jane-goodall-university-of-redlands-commencement-speech/ author: Megan Lasher article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-04-26T14:57:18.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T09:02:19.098Z og:title: Jane Goodall: 'Live to Your True Human Potential' og:description: Watch Goodall's University of Redlands commencement speech og:url: https://time.com/4307361/jane-goodall-university-of-redlands-commencement-speech/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0f058ed05ff88a42/698890a38e060162dd465980/jane-goodall-commencement.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Walt Disney World Awaken Summer - Media Preview og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Jane Goodall: 'Live to Your True Human Potential' twitter:description: Watch Goodall's University of Redlands commencement speech twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0f058ed05ff88a42/698890a38e060162dd465980/jane-goodall-commencement.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Jane Goodall: 'Remember to Live to Your True Human Potential' by [Megan Lasher](https://time.com/author/megan-lasher/) ## Megan Lasher Apr 26, 2016 2:57 PM UTC  Dr Jane Goodall poses at a reception in honor of Disney Conservation Funds 20th Anniversary during Walt Disney World Awaken Summer event on April 18, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. Dr Jane Goodall poses at a reception in honor of Disney Conservation Funds 20th Anniversary during Walt Disney World Awaken Summer event on April 18, 2016 in Orlando, Florida.Gustavo Caballero—Getty Images by [Megan Lasher](https://time.com/author/megan-lasher/) ## Megan Lasher Apr 26, 2016 2:57 PM UTC In her 2016 commencement address at the University of Redlands, scientist and animal-rights activist Jane Goodall told graduates to remember how connected the world is—and that one person has the potential to make great change. “Every single one of us makes an impact on the planet every single day, and we get to choose what sort of impact that is,” she said. Goodall went on to explain that she hopes the younger generation will recognize the effects of their behavior: “Just remember, we’re part of this amazing animal kingdom. Other animals like us can feel happy or sad. Other animals like us can suffer—mentally as well as physically. And just give pause to think about the abuse that we encounter as we travel around. But It’s not only that we abuse other animals: We also abuse other human beings. And we also abuse mother nature.” [_Follow Motto on Facebook_](https://www.facebook.com/mottoworkplaylive/)_._ Respect, says Goodall, is the solution. “We may have different colored skin, we may be from different cultures, we may eat different things and wear different clothes, but wherever you go in the world: If you cry, your tears are the same. If you’re happy, you laugh, and the laughter around the world is the same. … Within each one of us all around the world, the human heart is structured the same.” Watch the full speech above. _Watch more 2016 commencement speeches:_ [Anne-Marie Slaughter: ‘Care Is as Important as Career’](http://motto.time.com/4321549/anne-marie-slaughter-university-of-utah-commencement-speech/) [Barack Obama: ‘Passion Is Vital, But You’ve Got to Have a Strategy’](http://motto.time.com/4322786/barack-obama-howard-university-commencement-speech/) [Condoleezza Rice to Grads: ‘Don’t Let Anyone Else Define Your Passion’](http://motto.time.com/4323641/condoleezza-rice-high-point-university-commencement-speech/) [Cory Booker to Grads: ‘Tell Your Truth’](http://motto.time.com/4339149/cory-booker-washington-university-commencement/) [Darren Walker to Grads: ‘Stand For Something’](http://motto.time.com/4341702/darren-walker-nyu-commencement-speech/) [Earl Lewis: ‘Never Confuse The Attainement of an Education with What It Means to Be Educated’](http://motto.time.com/4338548/earl-lewis-carnegie-mellon-commencement-speech/) [Eboo Patel to Wake Forest Grads: ‘The Only Shame Is in Stagnation’](http://motto.time.com/4340068/eboo-patel-commencement-wake-forest/) [Hoda Kotb: ‘You’re the Sum Total of the Five People You Spend the Most Time With’](http://motto.time.com/4338660/hoda-kotb-tulane-university-commencement-speech/) [J.K. Simmons to Grads: ‘Live in the Moment’](https://time.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=4339313&action=edit) [Jill Bolte Taylor: ‘We Have the Power to Choose Who We Want to Be’](http://motto.time.com/4323071/jill-bolte-taylor-butler-university-commencement-speech/) [Lin-Manuel Miranda to Grads: ‘Your Stories Are Essential’](http://motto.time.com/4337719/lin-manuel-miranda-grad-speech/) [Madeleine Albright: ‘Everyone Must Participate in Solving Shared Problems’](http://motto.time.com/4337554/madeleine-albright-scripps-college-commencement-speech/) [Michael Bloomberg: ‘An Open Mind Is the Most Valuable Asset You Can Possess’](http://motto.time.com/4315386/michael-bloomberg-university-of-michigan-commencement-speech/) [Michelle Obama to Grads: ‘Excellence Is the Most Powerful Answer You Can Give’](http://motto.time.com/4307020/michelle-obama-commencement-speech-jackson-state/) [Obama to Grads: Building Walls Is ‘A Betrayal of Who We Are’](http://motto.time.com/4337470/obama-rutgers-trump-comments/) [Russell Wilson: ‘Go Make It Happen’](http://motto.time.com/4337324/russell-wilson-university-wisconsin-commencement-speech/) [Sheryl Sandberg: ‘Finding Gratitude and Appreciation Is Key to Resilience’](http://motto.time.com/4336546/sheryl-sandberg-university-of-california-berekley-commencement-speech/) [Vivek Murthy: ‘Live a Connected Life’](http://motto.time.com/4337454/vivek-murthy-commencement-speech-arizona/) [William Foege to Grads: ‘Every Day We Edit Our Obituaries’](http://motto.time.com/4327610/william-foege-emory-university-commencement-speech/) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4307361/jane-goodall-university-of-redlands-commencement-speech/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4307361/jane-goodall-university-of-redlands-commencement-speech/"},"headline":"Jane Goodall: 'Remember to Live to Your True Human Potential'","datePublished":"2016-04-26T14:57:18.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T09:02:19.098Z","description":"Watch Jane Goodall's University of Redlands commencement speech","url":"https://time.com/4307361/jane-goodall-university-of-redlands-commencement-speech/","keywords":["motto","motto instagram","Commencement 2016"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0f058ed05ff88a42/698890a38e060162dd465980/jane-goodall-commencement.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Megan Lasher","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/megan-lasher/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0f058ed05ff88a42/698890a38e060162dd465980/jane-goodall-commencement.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Walt Disney World Awaken Summer - Media Preview","caption":"Dr Jane Goodall poses at a reception in honor of Disney Conservation Funds 20th Anniversary during Walt Disney World Awaken Summer event on April 18, 2016 in Orlando, Florida.","creditText":"Gustavo Caballero—Getty Images","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":"/tag/motto/","name":"motto"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4307361/jane-goodall-university-of-redlands-commencement-speech/","name":"Jane Goodall: 'Remember to Live to Your True Human Potential'"}}]}] ```