Henry Winkler Tells Graduates to Act With Empathy in an Inspiring Emerson College Commencement Speech

While delivering an inspiring yet humorous commencement speech for the class of 2026 at Emerson College in Boston, the great Henry Winker encouraged the new graduates to act with empathy so they could live fulfilling lives.

You can live a life. You can accomplish. You can accumulate a lot of stuff. You can fill your house and then fill your garage and fill your basement. But you cannot live a rich life if you don’t have empathy.

Winkler also spoke about recognizing one’s inner power and using it to contribute to the world.

I want to tell you, you are powerful, and in you is a great gift. And your job is to figure out what your gift is, because this world needs every single one of you, and your job is  to find that gift and give it to the world. It doesn’t matter what it is; we need it. Go.