12 Quotable Gems from Gov. Ron DeSantis’s Commencement Address

On Saturday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis delivered the commencement address at Ave Maria University, a private Catholic school in southern Florida founded by the entrepreneur and philanthropist Tom Monaghan.

Governor DeSantis, who is slated to complete his two terms in January 2027 as chief executive of the Sunshine State, has cultivated a reputation for projecting moral clarity and rejecting politically and socially woke ideology.

True to form, during his speech to graduates, the governor urged the Class of 2026 to put on the “full armor of God” as they begin their professional lives. That reference, of course, is to the apostle Paul’s charge to Christians in Ephesus (Eph. 6:10-18).

A former Navy fighter pilot and Harvard Law School graduate, DeSantis didn’t stop there. Here are 12 quotes that captured the essence of his message – and the challenge and charge he gave the students and their families and friends:

1. “[We’re] not to try to conform our faith to the spirit of the age, but to pursue truth regardless of where those currents are going. We share a faith that is over 2,000 years old. It represents a fixed reality of who God is and what God has done above all in the life, death, and Resurrection of Christ.”

2. “The faith does not depend on what is fashionable or who holds power. It is, in fact, the truth that ultimately will set you free.”

3. “Truth is not subject to a popular vote, and it doesn’t follow popular fads. The church is to shape the times through faith, not to exchange these timeless truths for temporary relevance. North is still north. Right is still right, even when you have to stand all by yourself.”

4. “Truth must also be central to our civic life as Americans. I think it’s important to say this [during] the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America. This should be a time where we all reflect on the principles on which this country was founded and that made it great.”

5. “[The Founders] studied the history of every republic and the history of mankind. And they tried to draw lessons from them … Every single one of them had failed … [They asked] can we actually have a society where we govern ourselves, where our rights are God-given, not government granted? Where we live under a rule of law, not the rule of individual men? Where government is constitutionally limited? Or is mankind destined to live under various forms of despotism for the rest of human history?”

6. “[The Founders] understood you could have the best declaration of independence in the world. You could have the best constitution in the world. These do not run on autopilot. They require every generation of Americans to step up and defend institutions, defend freedom when they are at risk.”

7. “Our country was founded on principles that were not just time capsules in 1776, 1787 or 1791. These are enduring principles because they are true principles. They are an accurate reflection on human nature. They are an accurate reflection on the fact that government does not give us our rights.”

8. “God gives us our rights and governments must be constitutionally limited. So just as we rely on a 2,000-year-old faith to guide our spiritual lives, we must keep faith with those timeless political truths and those must serve as the foundation of our civic life.”

9. “Human nature has not changed since 1776. The need for constitutional limits on government has not changed since 1776. A free society must be guided by the rule of law.”

10. “Leadership is not cost free. Whenever you stand for something, if you’re making a difference, it’s likely because that’s not easy. It’s very easy to just hitch your wagon to whatever way the winds are blowing. The test of leadership is whether you’re able to dig in, stand up for what’s right, even when it is not something that is popular.”

11. “Technology can be very good but it must be channeled to benefit individual liberty and to benefit humanity. We must not be governed by the almighty algorithm. Technology must enhance the human experience, not supplant the human experience.”

12. “This is the charge to maintain and preserve that sacred fire of liberty. The question as you go out into the world goes back to [Benjamin] Franklin’s admonition [about keeping the Republic]. What does the future hold? Can we keep it? Can we preserve it? Can we make the Republic better?”

We join Governor DeSantis and graduates of Ave Maria University in praying that America will remain committed to preserving and protecting the hard-fought government our founders forged 250 years ago.

Photo credit: Governor Ron DeSantis/X