A graduating senior with top-of-the-line grades and top-notch athletic skills took to the stage to deliver his salutatorian commencement speech and touted — in complete defiance of his school’s order — his Christian faith as the roots of his success.

He also quoted from the Bible, a YouTube video of his address indicated.

“In coming before you today, I presented three drafts of my speech, all of them denied on account of my desire to share with you my personal thoughts and inspiration to you: my Christian faith,” said California graduate Brooks Hamby, to the crowd gathered for graduation ceremonies, The Blaze reported. “In life, you will be told, ‘No.’ In life you will be told to do things that you have no desire to do. In life, you will be asked to do things that violate your conscience and desire to do what is right.”

The Blaze reported the crowd began to murmur a bit — but Mr. Hamby went on: “And the advice I would give to you is this: No man or woman has ever truly succeeded or been fulfilled on the account of living for others and not standing on what they knew in their heart was right or good,” he said.

Mr. Hamby then quoted from what he described as the “biggest, best-selling book of all time in history” — the Bible.

He said, a YouTube video of his speech indicated: “You are the salt of the earth but if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under earth. Be the salt of the earth. Be strong and stand for your convictions and stand for what it right what is ethical what is moral what is godly, no matter what is the cost to you.”

And Mr. Hamby’s final statement: “May the God of the Bible bless you each and every one of you.”

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