Independence

The real world doesn't reward rule followers the way the educational world does and the real world is not always merit-based. The institutions and organizations we yield to and trust in to support our success, whether they be employers or government, are flawed.

You are the only one who can create the life you want and you may have to break some rules to do that. You are the only one who can create a system that's going to work for you and that needs to start right now.

Looking back at my ambition to become a lawyer, it looks less like a plan for the future and more like an alibi for the present.

The last person to hold you accountable is you yourself. If you allow others to tell you your worth, you will have given up on yourself.

This life is yours to fill. Nobody will taste it but you, so you should only be looking to fill it with those tasty bites you want to savor.

Graduates, you're on your own. Figure it out. I believe in you. Believe in yourselves! The world is starving for new leadership, new ideas.

I could do things my way, even if that was a way that no one had ever done before or would ever care to do again. It was valid and unique and ultimately viable.

At the core, none of us were meant to be common. We were born to be comets, darting across space and time — leaving our mark as we crash into everything.

Avoid a life plan. You cannot imagine what will be invented in the future. You cannot imagine the opportunities that will be presented. A life plan will limit your future. Instead, spend your time developing a life philosophy.

The moment you focus on that, you vacate your own soul.

Don't build your life around the expectations of others.

Never let others define you. Define yourselves.