Dear graduates,
dear Rectors,
dear Minister!

When I graduated from Tartu University in 1953 - the day was as beautiful as today, although the time was not - I had to ask myself if I did have higher education or not. I did have a diploma to certify it, but I also had my serious doubts. When summing up this wonderful time of my life - which is first and foremost the time of youth, the time for the first or the second love - I reached the conclusion that of my first ten terms at the university I had spent 20 % on the lectures of Marxism and Leninism, even though I only attended them for 45 minutes. Another 20% was spent idly on the lectures of political economy, where I had been told that it is in man's nature to work harder and better even without pay. 20% of my time had been spent on military training, 15% on the Russian language. And when, with this summary, I accepted my diploma, I was not too sure whether the words on it actually meant that I had higher education. This doubt was probably the best thing I brought with me from the university in 1953, on the year of Stalin's death, and it stayed with me until 1986, when another university in another country conferred to me the title of Honorary Doctor. And quite recently, some weeks ago, yet another university did the same thing. What am I telling you? I want to remind you that there is indeed such a thing as formal education. The men who have graduated from the school of higher political instructors of the building force of the Soviet army in Tallinn still proudly walk among us and claim to have higher education as "politruks". This is the Republic of Estonia, the year is 1999, and we no longer have room for such absurdities. And yet there are among us young people who have honestly and faithfully devoted their university years to their studies. And a small part of these chosen ones, to whose hands we will entrust Estonia, are standing here today. We will place Estonia in your hands with firm trust, my dear young people. On the condition that you know your responsibility to make Estonia look like you, look like your dreams, like the dreams of your parents, your grandparents, your great-grandparents, the dreams of our ancient history. The only idea of the Estonian history has been the Estonian State where the Estonian people could live a good life. You have now been offered the knowledge to make this dream true. And now it is my duty to tell you that you should be as sceptical about your knowledge as I was in my day. Do not depend on your diploma, as the diploma is nothing but a kilometre stone, or a milestone. As you see, I did not use the word "verstapost" (a verst stone). This measuring unit no longer belongs to our system.

University is just a beginning. I could assume a little more military approach and say that each of you has in his knapsack a marshal's truncheon, or at least a doctor's sword. And each of you is already wearing a doctor's cap and gown. If you take a clear look at your opportunities, and think: what is it that I have not learned? What is it that I still need to learn at the age of thirty, forty, fifty, even sixty? then you have obviously chosen the right university, the right way. Knowledge is first and foremost the doubt whether today's knowledge would still be valid tomorrow. Today, you have passed the first milestone. Speed up your pace. Open up your hearts. See how quickly the world changes. You should change even more quickly in this changing world. And the only way for man to become even more of a man is to keep learning. Even if you are just an inch ahead of the world, it means that you are holding the rudder firmly. Then you will be able to lead your country and to control your own fate, and will not let the world control you. By this, I do not mean to say that you should oppose the world. The world is moulding you and you are moulding the world. But I would be happy if the world would have your fingerprints on it. And for this, my dear graduates, in the heat of the sun, I wish you briefly but heartily - good luck and a lot of work!

Dear Rectors, dear Minister,

Thank you. I congratulate you! This is the best you could do. You have handed on your experience, such as it is. Now, Estonia is in their hands. Take good care of it.

Thank you and congratulations!

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