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(image via syracuse.com)

As George Saunders put it in his 2013 address to Syracuse, the university commencement address is a tradition in which “some old fart, his best hears behind him, who over the course of his life has made a series of dreadful mistakes, offers heartfelt advice to a group of shining, energetic, beautiful young people.” 

It’s a little strange that a person, based almost entirely on their celebrity status, is somehow qualified to offer life advice to the next generation. But it comes as no surprise that authors often offer the best words of wisdom. Here, we've collected the five most inspiring commencement speeches given by authors.

I was browsing my copy of The Associated Press Stylebook the other day (because, really, how else could one possibly want to spend a lazy afternoon?), and I found myself in the food guidelines. Among the common culinary conversions and the proper spellings of all sorts of ingredients (from angel hair pasta to johnnycakes, to York peppermint patties), I was excited to find that the editors had included a delicious-looking example of the proper recipe-writing style. I started to drool a little, then I made a grocery list.

Tonight’s menu: PIZZA WITH RAINBOW CHARD, GOAT CHEESE AND EGG.

Hey, if it’s AP Style, it must be good for you.