Speech

Don't make the mistake of comparing your twisted up insides to other people's blow-dried outsides.

If you can get curious about what scares or infuriates you, especially if it's part of yourself, you can get way less scared.

There's an infinite number of possibilities for you to create for yourself now, today, with no one to stop you but your own inertia.

You aren't here on earth to just go through the motions. If you love doing something, go after it with every part of your being.

Make your decisions in life based on love instead of fear. Let money be the byproduct of following your passion.

Objective truths are true whether or not you believe in them.

I think on some level, role models are overrated. Had I required that another black man from the Bronx had become an astrophysicist for me to become one, I'd still be in the Bronx.

It is okay to encourage others to pull themselves up by their bootstraps. But if you do, just remember that some people have no boots.

Your inexperience is an asset and will allow you to think in original, unconventional ways. Accept your lack of knowledge and use it as your asset.

If I had known my own limitations, I never would have taken the risk. And the risk led to one of my greatest personal and professional achievements.

Helping others ends up helping you more than anyone. Getting out of your own concerns and caring about someone else's life for a while reminds you that you are not the center of the universe.

It's okay to map out your future — but do it in pencil.