Ben Affleck's Commencement Speech

Ben Affleck shared pearls of wisdom to students on Friday at the graduation of Washington DC’s Falls Church High School, where Affleck was the Commencement Speaker.

Affleck praised 19-year-old Joe Kindregan, a disabled student he met in 1998 on the set of Forces of Nature. Since then, the two built a close friendship. Kindregan invited him onto the stage saying, “He is married to the cutest girl (actress Jennifer Garner) … but most important he is the best friend you could ever have.” Affleck turned to the teen and said, “You’re right about my wife” (she sat front and center during the ceremony).

On his friendship with Kindregan: “I’m here because what I learned about the distance between how you see someone and who they are, I didn’t learn in Hollywood, I learned from a classmate of yours, my friend, Joe Kindregan.”

On his incredible acting abilities: “I haven’t been in space, I’m not a politician, I’m not a super hero – I’m not even a gangster. I’ve only pretended to be all of those – in some cases just barely.”

On believing in yourself: “What others say about you means nothing. What you say about you means everything. Your job is to make other people see you as you are.”

On not having any more degrees than anyone else in the room: “We will be tied,” he said. “I’m sure many of you could teach me quite a bit. In fact, I’m sure many of you could school me on that Smarter than a Fifth Grader Show.

You can watch Affleck‘s whole graduation speech here.