From David Foster Wallace's indelible reflection on life and work in 2005, to Sheryl Sandberg asking graduates to "lean in" in 2011, commencement addresses have the power to make a lasting imprint.
This year, it seemed many female commencement speakers weren't just delivering a speech -- they were making a statement. From Jill Abramson speaking to Wake Forest graduates mere days after her ouster from the New York Times, to Cecile Richards addressing sexual assault at a campus central to the national discussion, to Anne-Marie Slaughter bringing men into the "having it all" conversation, these women's words will inspire more than the giddy grads and parents who heard them firsthand.
Here are 13 inspiring, important bits of wisdom from women commencement speakers in 2014: