Happy Girl

Recently, I came across a commencement speech from one of my biggest comedic influences, Stephen Colbert. In 2006, he delivered the commencement speech at Knox College. I found a part of the transcript online, and watched the entire speech. I wanted to pass it along on this blog because it’s incredibly inspiring. The audio, video and transcript can be found at the Knox College website. Whether you are a fan of Colbert or not, he delivers a great speech, full of advice and plenty of laughs. My favorite part of the entire speech is his very last paragraph, which I keep in mind every day:

“Now will saying “yes” get you in trouble at times? Will saying “yes” lead you to doing some foolish things? Yes it will. But don’t be afraid to be a fool. Remember, you cannot be both young and wise. Young people who pretend to be wise to the ways of the world are mostly just cynics. Cynicism masquerades as wisdom, but it is the farthest thing from it. Because cynics don’t learn anything. Because cynicism is a self-imposed blindness, a rejection of the world because we are afraid it will hurt us or disappoint us. Cynics always say no. But saying “yes” begins things. Saying “yes” is how things grow. Saying “yes” leads to knowledge. “Yes” is for young people. So for as long as you have the strength to, say “yes.”"