What was the title of J.K. Rowling’s 2008 Harvard University commencement speech?

J.K. Rowling’s 2008 Harvard University commencement speech was titled “The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination.”

Rowling delivered the address at Harvard’s 357th Commencement on June 5, 2008. She discussed two themes suggested by the title: how failure can strip away the inessential and make room for a more purposeful life, and how imagination can help people understand experiences beyond their own.

The speech drew on periods before her literary success, including financial hardship and uncertainty. Rowling contrasted the security she had once hoped to achieve with the value of choosing work that mattered to her. Harvard later published the address in book form, with proceeds supporting charitable causes.

The title is often shortened in casual references, but its full wording includes both halves. It should not be confused with the title of one of Rowling’s novels or with a quotation from the Harry Potter series.