Jon Bon Jovi told students at the prestigious Oxford Union debating society that the secrets of his success were “passion, perseverance and possibility.”
Bon Jovi gave a 20-minute speech extolling the virtues of hard work and self belief to students of the elite 800-year-old university.
“Nothing is more important than passion,” he said Friday.
“Whatever you decide to do in life, just be passionate about it. Don’t be intimidated by competition, as success is sweeter and failure less bitter when you have given everything.
“You have to be true to yourself – it’s your life. You are the masters of your destiny and passion, not pedigree, will win the end,” he said.
The New Jersey rocker, on a British tour that coincides with the release of his band’s live album, “One Wild Night,” also advised students to “be humble and stay humble.”
“I spent years playing in bar bands, watching and learning my craft – that was my university,” he said.
The 178-year-old debating society has played host to world leaders and Nobel Prize winners, but has not shied away from more marketable guests, including O.J. Simpson, Jerry Springer and Michael Jackson.
