Oprah delivers Harvard commencement speech

The talk show host spoke of failure, purpose and politics

Published May 31, 2013 1:41PM (EDT)

On Thursday, OWN creator Oprah Winfrey delivered the commencement speech for Harvard's graduating class, also accepting an honorary degree from the Ivy League institution. After dispensing advice on how to deal with personal and professional failure, the talk show host encouraged students to work for a greater purpose. Sharing hers, she said she worked to "eliminate the transcendent power of our better angels" in television. "We are better than the cynicism and the pessimism that is regurgitated throughout Washington and the 24-hour cable news cycle," said Winfrey.


By Prachi Gupta

Prachi Gupta is an Assistant News Editor for Salon, focusing on pop culture. Follow her on Twitter at @prachigu or email her at pgupta@salon.com.

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