Yesterday, Michelle Obama delivered a rousing commencement speech at Oberlin College's 2015 graduation ceremony. Citing the school's history as the first college in America "to officially embrace the admission of black students, and the first co-ed school to grant bachelor's degrees to women," she encouraged its graduates not to run away from the "polarization and gridlock that too often characterize our politics and civic life" but instead, to run toward it.

"If you truly wish to carry on the Oberlin legacy of service and social justice, then you need to run to, and not away from, the noise," she said. "Today, I want to urge you to actively seek out the most contentious, polarized, gridlocked places you can find. Because so often, throughout our history, those have been the places where progress really happens—the places where minds are changed, lives transformed, where our great American story unfolds."

Below, the best bits from the First Lady's inspiring speech:

On graduating and entering the real world: "I'm not going to lie to you — for many of you, this is going to be a pretty big transition. In fact, I think Dr. Martin Luther King described it well in his commencement address in '65 when he declared, "Today you bid farewell to the safe security of the academic environment. You prepare to continue your journey on the clamorous highways of life."

On how democracy operates—and our role in it: "It is loud and messy, and it's not particularly warm and fuzzy. And believe me, I know this from personal experience. [Laughter.] Over the years, I've occasionally run into the noise myself. But I've come to realize that most of that clamor is really coming from just a handful of very loud folks out on the fringes.

See, the truth is that the overwhelming majority of people in this country are open-minded and big-hearted. They are smart enough to see through that noise, and they are so hungry for voices that rise above it—smart, compassionate, thoughtful voices like yours.

Now, the process of democracy might not always be as fast or as smooth as we'd like. But the fact is, it works. Generation after generation, this country has become more equal, more inclusive, more fair, more free. My life and so many of your lives are a testament of that truth. But that has only happened because folks like all of you left their comfort zones and made their voices heard."

On compromise: "That is what so many of our heroes of history have done. Now, did these compromises make these leaders sellouts? Traitors to their cause? I don't think so. Instead, I think they knew that if they could just get everyone to take that first step, then folks would keep on moving in the right direction. And they also understood that often, the biggest, most dramatic change happens incrementally, little by little, through compromises and adjustments over years and decades.

...If you want to change [the opposition's] minds, if you want to work with them to move this country forward, you can't just shut them out. You have to persuade them, and you have to compromise with them."

On the causes we have to fight for: "Graduates: Climate change, economic inequality, human rights, criminal justice—these are the revolutions of your time. And you have as much responsibility and just as much power to wake up and play your part in our great American story. Because it is absolutely still possible to make a difference. The great moments of our history are not decades in our past; they're happening right now, today, in our lifetimes."

On how we can effect change: "I want to be very clear: Every city ordinance, every ballot measure, every law on the books in this country—that is your concern. What happens at every school-board meeting, every legislative session—that is your concern. Every elected official who represents you, from dog catcher all the way to President of the United States—they are your concern.

So get out there and volunteer on campaigns, and then hold the folks you elect accountable. Follow what's happening in your city hall, your statehouse, Washington, D.C. Better yet, run for office yourself.

And get out and vote in every election—not just the big national ones that get all the attention, but every single election. Make sure the folks who represent you share your values and aspirations.

See, that is how you will rise above the noise and shape the revolutions of your time."

Alyssa Bailey News and Strategy Editor Alyssa Bailey is the news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton).

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