The Bishop Seabury Academy graduates toss their caps at the conclusion of the 2017 Commencement on Friday, May 26, 2017, at the school.

This spring, countless well-meaning graduation speakers will probably borrow a line from “Hamlet” in their remarks to graduates, Christopher Bryan told Bishop Seabury Academy’s Class of 2017 Friday.

But many speakers will likely misinterpret that line, the oft-quoted “To thine own self be true,” Bryan said, sending the message that a fulfilling life comes from serving yourself above all others.

“I think you’re smarter than that,” said Bryan, who chairs the school’s science department. “I think you’re better than that.”

“May you recognize that an inwardly focused life actually results in selfishness and narcissism and a sense of entitlement,” he told Bishop Seabury’s 31 graduates. “So today, I’m going to propose something radically different: That true joy and satisfaction do not come from focusing on yourself, but from living outwardly through a life characterized by curiosity, humility and gratitude.”

Those sentiments were echoed in the speeches of Bishop Seabury’s three valedictorians, who encouraged their peers to embrace the possibility of failure, to avoid dwelling on the past and to remain grateful for the positives in life.

Grant Gollier was rejected by five of the seven prestigious colleges he applied to, he told his fellow graduates Friday morning. But, on his graduation day, the star weightlifter and Seabury’s resident tech guru remained unfazed by the experience. Instead, he said, facing the prospect of failure — and continuing to push ahead in his efforts anyway — had only made him stronger.

“Even though I knew my chance of acceptance into any of these schools was low, the possibility to achieve something great shined so much brighter than the fear of failure,” said Gollier, who also walked away from Friday’s commencement with Seabury’s Headmaster’s Cup, the highest student honor at the school.

“So, let me leave you with this: Fail spectacularly,” Gollier later added. “Don’t focus on the inevitability of failure but on the greatness that comes with success.”

Bishop Seabury’s second valedictorian, Jack Edmonds, spoke of time’s ability to heal — and also to keep moving ahead, no matter the efforts we may expend to halt its progress.

As adults, Edmonds said, he and his graduates will have good days and bad days.

“Enjoy them, cherish them and learn from them,” Edmonds said of the truly great days, later adding, “… But don’t let yourself believe that such a day is your best day ever.”

For Friday’s young graduates, Edmonds said, there’s always the hope that better days — and bigger dreams to be realized — are ahead.

“Trust that the future has the potential to be even brighter … than the past,” Edmonds said.

As much as graduation day is about the accomplishments of graduates, Bishop Seabury valedictorian Gretchen Ohlmacher said, it’s also about the teachers, parents and mentors who have supported students over the years.

“As I leave Seabury, I regret all the times I said ‘thank you’ as a replacement for ‘goodbye’ instead of using it to express my gratitude toward someone,” Ohlmacher said in her remarks. “So, to all the teachers, I mean it when I say this: Thank you.”

That gratitude, she said, extends to all the lessons her teachers spent time planning, all the silly “antics” and “off-topic questions” her teachers tolerated during class and all the “passion and enthusiasm” her teachers continually showed in their efforts to educate.

“So, this is my advice for you, the student body: Be thankful for the people, places and things around you. Write thank-you notes to convey your gratitude to others; take time to sit back and think about all the good things that have happened in your life and, above all, say thank you,” Ohlmacher said, to the teachers, coaches and faculty who helped make graduation possible.