--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I told the members of the graduating…" description: "\"“I told the members of the graduating class that they should be ambitious not just in pursuing their dreams but in aspiring to become leaders in their ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d0/sheryl-sandberg-439_ambitious_i-told-the-members-of-the-graduating-cla_2009552.png" --- # I told the members of the graduating class that they… ![“I told the members of the graduating class that they should be ambitious not just in pursuing their dreams but in aspiring to become leaders in their fields.” quote by Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d0/sheryl-sandberg-439_ambitious_i-told-the-members-of-the-graduating-cla_2009552.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d0/sheryl-sandberg-439_ambitious_i-told-the-members-of-the-graduating-cla_2009552.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d0/sheryl-sandberg-439_ambitious_i-told-the-members-of-the-graduating-cla_2009552.png) > ““I told the members of the graduating class that they should be ambitious not just in pursuing their dreams but in aspiring to become leaders in their fields.”” [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Encourages ambition not only in personal goals but also in leading and shaping one's professional field. **In simple terms:** Aim to be a leader, not just a dreamer. Key Takeaway Cultivate leadership alongside personal ambition. Themes leadership ambition career development Mood inspirational empowering Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - career planning - mentorship - industry conferences Key Concepts management empowerment vision Questions to Reflect On - How will you inspire others? - What leadership style suits you? A Different Perspective Leadership focus may overlook teamwork and collaboration. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ambitious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambitious/) [Aspiring Leaders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aspiring-leaders-436481/) [Class Ambitious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class-ambitious-3580792/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Graduating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/graduating/) [Graduating class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/graduating-class/) [Members Graduating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/members-graduating-3580793/) ## Related quotes > [I was made fun of in the Midwest - I was the only Asian in my graduating class of 200. Fortunately, I found my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reggie-lee/i-was-made-fun-of-in-the-midwest-i-was-the-only-asian-in-my/) [Reggie Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reggie-lee/) > [I had a fun high school experience. We had a big old prom, we had 400 kids in the graduating class and everything. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-keltz/i-had-a-fun-high-school-experience-we-had-a-big-old-prom-we-had-400/) [Jonathan Keltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-keltz/) > [When I was a teenager, just about the only thing I could do right was play music. In my graduating class, I was certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pinsky/when-i-was-a-teenager-just-about-the-only-thing-i-could-do-right-was/) [Robert Pinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pinsky/) > [“Girls from my graduating class come into the store brandishing solitaire diamonds like Legion of Honor medals, as if they’ve accomplished something significant—which I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/girls-from-my-graduating-class-come-into-the-store-brandishing/) [Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/) > [My graduating class was like 55, so super small. Sports is a big thing - but it's kind of high school, maybe college. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-reaves/my-graduating-class-was-like-55-so-super-small-sports-is-a-big-thing/) [Austin Reaves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-reaves/) > [There were a hundred people in my graduating class. I wouldn't have changed it for the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmella/there-were-a-hundred-people-in-my-graduating-class-i-wouldn-t-have/) [Carmella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmella/) > [You know what they call the fellow who finishes last in his medical school graduating class? They call him 'Doctor.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abe-lemons/you-know-what-they-call-the-fellow-who-finishes-last-in-his-medical/) [Abe Lemons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abe-lemons/) > [There were eight women in my graduating class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-love-cohen/there-were-eight-women-in-my-graduating-class/) [Judith Love Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-love-cohen/) > [I don't think anybody in my graduating class would have figured that I would be doing full-on single-camera comedies or sitcoms, or anything like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-nevin/i-don-t-think-anybody-in-my-graduating-class-would-have-figured-that/) [Brooke Nevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-nevin/) > [By saying that leaders - male or female - have to look or act a certain way to be respected as role models, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-ghosn/by-saying-that-leaders-male-or-female-have-to-look-or-act-a-certain/) [Caroline Ghosn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-ghosn/) > [“But, as Eric Hoffer once observed, aspiring leaders cannot create mass movements unless conditions are historically ripe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-t-courtwright/but-as-eric-hoffer-once-observed-aspiring-leaders-cannot-create-mass/) [David T. Courtwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-t-courtwright/) > [“Two of the most significant things aspiring leaders can do are find self-love and discover truths about what makes your journey fascinating.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/two-of-the-most-significant-things-aspiring-leaders-can-do-are-find/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [One of the capabilities, which seems to be the most difficult for aspiring leaders to maste is realistic optimism. It requires one to recognize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-menkes/one-of-the-capabilities-which-seems-to-be-the-most-difficult-for/) [Justin Menkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-menkes/) > [I think at the end of the day the diversity has served as a major... that's what has determined the difference between The Roots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/black-thought/i-think-at-the-end-of-the-day-the-diversity-has-served-as-a-major/) [Black Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/black-thought/) > [You have to be really tenacious. You have to keep at it. There are many roads to get there. If you can get yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-c-k/you-have-to-be-really-tenacious-you-have-to-keep-at-it-there-are-many/) [Louis C. K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-c-k/) ## More by Sheryl Sandberg > [“Still, my argument was that if she was going to work for the next 30 years, what difference does "going back" 4 years really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/still-my-argument-was-that-if-she-was-going-to-work-for-the-next-30/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“Reverend Veronica Goines sums this up as, “Peace is joy at rest, and joy is peace on its feet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/reverend-veronica-goines-sums-this-up-as-peace-is-joy-at-rest-and-joy/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [ “\[Eric Schmidt\] explained that only one criterion that mattered when picking a job- fat growth. When companies grow quickly, there are more things to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/eric-schmidt-explained-that-only-one-criterion-that-mattered-when/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [When I went to college, as much as my parents emphasized academic achievement, they emphasized marriage even more. They told me that the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/when-i-went-to-college-as-much-as-my-parents-emphasized-academic/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [Go to a playground: Little girls get called 'bossy' all the time, a word that's almost never used for boys. And that leads directly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/go-to-a-playground-little-girls-get-called-bossy-all-the-time-a-word/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“One of my favorite quotes comes from author Alice Walker, who observed, “The most common way people give up their power is by thinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/one-of-my-favorite-quotes-comes-from-author-alice-walker-who-observed/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [Aggressive and hard-charging women violate unwritten rules about acceptable social conduct. Men are continually applauded for being ambitious and powerful and successful, but women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/aggressive-and-hard-charging-women-violate-unwritten-rules-about/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“When I wrote Lean In, some people argued that I did not spend enough time writing about the difficulties women face when they don’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/when-i-wrote-lean-in-some-people-argued-that-i-did-not-spend-enough/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“Survivor guilt is a thief of joy—yet another secondary loss from death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/survivor-guilt-is-a-thief-of-joy-yet-another-secondary-loss-from-death/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [I am a bigger-picture manager because I've lived through something that's a big picture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/i-am-a-bigger-picture-manager-because-i-ve-lived-through-something/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [Presenting leadership as a list of carefully defined qualities (like strategic, analytical, and performance-ori ented) no longer holds. Instead, true leadership stems from individuality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/presenting-leadership-as-a-list-of-carefully-defined-qualities-like/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [So there's no such thing as work-life balance. There's work, and there's life, and there's no balance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/so-there-s-no-such-thing-as-work-life-balance-there-s-work-and-there/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [Men can comfortably claim credit for what they do as long as they don't veer into arrogance. For women, taking credit comes at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/men-can-comfortably-claim-credit-for-what-they-do-as-long-as-they-don/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“As Helen Keller put it, “When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/as-helen-keller-put-it-when-one-door-of-happiness-closes-another/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“Forty percent of employed mothers lack sick days and vacation leave, and about 50 percent of employed mothers are unable to take time off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/forty-percent-of-employed-mothers-lack-sick-days-and-vacation-leave/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) [Explore all 557 Sheryl Sandberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) ## More Ambitious quotes > [I'm hungry and ambitious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julen-lopetegui/i-m-hungry-and-ambitious/) [Julen Lopetegui](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julen-lopetegui/) > [I want my squad to be confident, ambitious. They have to believe in big things and we have to set targets internally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-howe/i-want-my-squad-to-be-confident-ambitious-they-have-to-believe-in-big/) [Eddie Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-howe/) > [I almost never have a plan for myself... I'm not ambitious in that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-plimpton/i-almost-never-have-a-plan-for-myself-i-m-not-ambitious-in-that-way/) [Martha Plimpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-plimpton/) > [“Getting rich is easy, staying rich is impressive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-trip/getting-rich-is-easy-staying-rich-is-impressive/) [Don Trip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-trip/) > [Trying to be perfect may be inevitable for people who are smart and ambitious and interested in the world and its good opinion...What is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/trying-to-be-perfect-may-be-inevitable-for-people-who-are-smart-and/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Business is always a struggle. There are always obstacles and competitors. There is never an open road, except the wide road that leads to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-kirubi/business-is-always-a-struggle-there-are-always-obstacles-and/) [Chris Kirubi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-kirubi/) > [I am ambitious to do more than what has been offered me. I want to be the best in whatever career I choose and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uday-chopra/i-am-ambitious-to-do-more-than-what-has-been-offered-me-i-want-to-be/) [Uday Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uday-chopra/) > [There are four varieties in society — the lovers, the ambitious, observers, and fools. The fools are the happiest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hippolyte-taine/there-are-four-varieties-in-society-the-lovers-the-ambitious/) [Hippolyte Taine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hippolyte-taine/) > [People who are ambitious - politicians who crave power - think that they're in control of it, but at some point, the movement that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/people-who-are-ambitious-politicians-who-crave-power-think-that-they/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [I'm not ambitious. Not a bit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/i-m-not-ambitious-not-a-bit/) [Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/) > [Aggressive and hard-charging women violate unwritten rules about acceptable social conduct. Men are continually applauded for being ambitious and powerful and successful, but women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/aggressive-and-hard-charging-women-violate-unwritten-rules-about/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [I understood early on that I was not the best-looking girl in the room. But I knew my advantage was a hard work ethic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-o-connor/i-understood-early-on-that-i-was-not-the-best-looking-girl-in-the/) [Erin O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-o-connor/) > [It is ordained that to the ambitious, who derive no satisfaction from the gifts of life and the beauty of the world, life shall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/it-is-ordained-that-to-the-ambitious-who-derive-no-satisfaction-from/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [If Reagan and John Paul II were linked by anything, it was a grand, ambitious, and generous idea of Western political civilization, one in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/if-reagan-and-john-paul-ii-were-linked-by-anything-it-was-a-grand/) [Anne Applebaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-applebaum/) > [To talk only about national security, national defense, means to be selfish, ambitious. It is discrimination, isolation. "It is just me. What do I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evo-morales/to-talk-only-about-national-security-national-defense-means-to-be/) [Evo Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evo-morales/) [Browse all 1,269 Ambitious quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambitious/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I told the members of the graduating class that they should be ambitious not just in pursuing their dreams but in aspiring to become leaders in their fields.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sheryl Sandberg" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/i-told-the-members-of-the-graduating-class-that-they-should-be/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ambitious" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/i-told-the-members-of-the-graduating-class-that-they-should-be/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d0/sheryl-sandberg-439_ambitious_i-told-the-members-of-the-graduating-cla_2009552.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d0/sheryl-sandberg-439_ambitious_i-told-the-members-of-the-graduating-cla_2009552.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d0/sheryl-sandberg-439_ambitious_i-told-the-members-of-the-graduating-cla_2009552.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I told the members of the graduating class that they should be ambitious not just in pursuing their dreams…” — Sheryl Sandberg", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Sheryl Sandberg", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I told the members of the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/i-told-the-members-of-the-graduating-class-that-they-should-be/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/i-told-the-members-of-the-graduating-class-that-they-should-be/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```