Actor Harrison Ford offered some common-sense advice to graduating students, and admitted his generation has left them “a mess.”
The leftist actor only briefly touched on politics during his commencement speech at Arizona State University on Monday and encouraged students to change the world for the better.
“I was squandering my life in riotous living,” he said of himself during his college years as he found acting. “Hiding in character, costume, and makeup, I had a freedom, a bravery I had never felt before – and I got an A!” he joked. “I was, I realized, present for possibly the very first time in my life. My passion had led me to community.”
After hitting it big with mega hits like Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark, Harrison said the “load lightened” and allowed him to pursue his passion for environmentalism.
“Humanity is a part of nature, not above it,” he continued, as he urged students to become stewards of the earth and protect native peoples. “These communities have long understood that the trees, the mountain, water, soil are not commodities; they are relatives to be cherished.
“We can all play a role by embracing that wisdom in our day-to-day lives, by loving the planet, by honoring nature’s authority, her generosity, the bounty she affords us, the justice of her example,” he said. “Because the world you’re stepping into, the world my generation left you is a real mess.”
He encouraged students to become leaders and “build something that didn’t exist” before.
Actor Harrison Ford encouraged graduates at Arizona State University to “build something that didn’t exist yesterday” in a rousing commencement speech on Monday, telling them to “go change the world.”
“When opportunity presents, recognize it. This is your time. Own it.” pic.twitter.com/EwmFq0t9km
— CBS News (@CBSNews) May 13, 2026
“Find a place for yourself,” he continued. “Whatever talent or ambition you have, find some way to put it to work. Build something that didn’t exist yesterday. Stand up for someone who can’t stand up for themselves. Bring people together that weren’t talking before. That’s leadership. That’s what moves the needle.”
“Your generation has far more power than you may realize. And if you harness that power, if you find your leadership, your issues, your voice, the world will not be able to ignore you.”
Harrison concluded his speech by telling students to “go change the world.”
“This is your time. Own it. Enjoy every second of it. Because what could be worse than getting to the end of your life and realizing that you haven’t fully lived it. Congratulations. Go change the world,” he said.
Harrison’s full speech can be watched below:
May 11, 2026.
Harrison Ford delivered the undergraduate commencement address at Arizona State University (ASU) in Tempe, Arizona, during the Class of 2026 ceremony at Mountain America Stadium. He also received an honorary Doctor of Arts and Humane Letters degree.“Passion and… pic.twitter.com/doq3Mg3hDm
— DARTH TESLA (DJR) (@TeslaDarth) May 14, 2026
