Abraham Verghese Address to Harvard Graduates

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
Emma Lazarus, 1883

Abraham Verghese, Physician and world renowned author, gave a brilliant and timely graduation address at Harvard which will long ring with clarity about what the American people and government intended to create and preserve.

Verghese’s 334th Commencement Address at Harvard. Harvard Gazette Article

The gentle quiet voice of truth and wisdom reminds his audience what America is about and how immigrants are central to America’s strength and social compact for the betterment of all who come to these shores to make a life.

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Author: Susan Feathers

Family, friends, nature, books, writing, a good pen and journal, freedom of thought, culture, and peaceful co-relations - these are the things that occupy my mind, my heart, my time...

3 thoughts on “Abraham Verghese Address to Harvard Graduates”

  1. Such a lovely person & wonderful author! How lucky Johnson City was to have a physician of such compassion in those early days of AIDS.

    Thanks for the post! Much needed in the current day of unrest!

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    1. I highly recommend you watch the address. When a person possesses great wisdom like Verghese, the clarity of the moment seems so obvious. Like a light and bell in the darkness and clamor of our times. I think I’ll reread My Own Country again. S

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  2. Thank you! I heard snippets of his speech from the news but not the whole speech. He was the perfect person at this time for Harvard and all of us. I am going to forward your blog to Barbara and Jim as it is such a moving message. Have you read any of his book? I remember when Cutting the stone was such a huge success. Any recommendation? Hugs Betty

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