--- title: Read Barbara Bush's Wellesley Speech on Life, Love description: Former First Lady Barbara Bush died at the age of 92 on Tuesday. Read Barbara's Wellesley College commencement speech on life and purpose canonical: https://time.com/5244232/barbara-bush-death-wellesley-commencement-speech/ author: Mahita Gajanan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-04-18T01:05:24.000Z article:modified_time: 2024-01-24T11:35:09.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: 'Believe in Something Larger Than Yourself.' Read Barbara Bush's Remarks on Life, Family and Love in Her Wellesley Commencement Speech og:description: Complete with a Ferris Bueller quote og:url: https://time.com/5244232/barbara-bush-death-wellesley-commencement-speech/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5dd6f37e0a27785d/69892dec929fad6049bf04a8/barbara-bush-death-tributes.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Former First Lady Barbara Bush Passes Away og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 'Believe in Something Larger Than Yourself.' Read Barbara Bush's Remarks on Life, Family and Love in Her Wellesley Commencement Speech twitter:description: Complete with a Ferris Bueller quote twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5dd6f37e0a27785d/69892dec929fad6049bf04a8/barbara-bush-death-tributes.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 'Believe in Something Larger Than Yourself.' Read Barbara Bush's Remarks on Life, Family and Love in Her Wellesley Commencement Speech > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. 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Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Mahita Gajanan](https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Updated: Jan 24, 2024 11:35 AM UTCPublished: Apr 18, 2018 1:05 AM UTC  Former First Lady Barbara Bush is interviewed for 'The Presidents' Gatekeepers' project about the White House Chiefs of Staff at the Bush Library, Oct. 24, 2011 in College Station, Texas. Former First Lady Barbara Bush is interviewed for 'The Presidents' Gatekeepers' project about the White House Chiefs of Staff at the Bush Library, Oct. 24, 2011 in College Station, Texas.David Hume Kennerly—Getty Images by [Mahita Gajanan](https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Updated: Jan 24, 2024 11:35 AM UTCPublished: Apr 18, 2018 1:05 AM UTC Former First Lady [Barbara Bush died at the age of 92](http://time.com/5242261/barbara-bush-dies/) on Tuesday. Remembered by her family for her [immense strength](http://time.com/5244192/barbara-bush-death-george-w-bush/) and tenacity, Bush lived a full life, spanning tragedies and numerous victories. She joined [her husband, George H.W. Bush](http://time.com/4640852/barbara-bush-george-hw-love-story/) at White House while he was President and later got to see her son, George W. Bush, take the same office. In 1990, Barbara Bush delivered the commencement speech at Wellesley College in Massachusetts. Addressing the graduating class, Bush stressed the importance of family and cherishing connections with other people. “At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, winning one more verdict, or not closing one more deal,” she said. “You will regret time not spent with a husband, a child, a friend or a parent.” To Bush, finding joy in life was vital as well. She even quoted a line made famous by the movie _Ferris Bueller’s Day Off_: “Life moves pretty fast and if you don’t stop and look around once in a while you are going to miss it.” Read her [full speech](https://www.wellesley.edu/events/commencement/archives/1990commencement/commencementaddress) below. --- > “” --- ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5244232/barbara-bush-death-wellesley-commencement-speech/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5244232/barbara-bush-death-wellesley-commencement-speech/"},"headline":"'Believe in Something Larger Than Yourself.' 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