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I Gave a Talk at My Harvard 25th Reunion. Here’s What I Said.
I don’t give a lot of speeches. Mostly I write. But when my Harvard Class of 2000 asked me to say a few words at our 25th reunion — at a morning session called “The Paths We’ve Traveled” — I said yes. Then I stood up in front of a room full of type-A overachievers and told them the most honest thing I know: I found everything I was looking for in the losses, not the wins.
Here’s the video, if you prefer to watch:
Here’s the transcript, if you prefer to read:
This is so weird, because I’ve gotten really used to being the Harvard guy giving the talk. Now I’m the Harvard guy surrounded by all the Harvard people in the Harvard thing. So I really can’t fuck this up.
Since we last met, I have been on a pretty twisty journey to do just that: not squander what we have been given. In my 20s, I went to Hollywood. I wanted an Oscar. I thought I’d have one by, I don’t know, like 30…? They just work hard, right? But 30 came and went, and nobody handed me a statue.
