Andy Rooney, the iconic commentator from CBS's '60 Minutes' known for his curmudgeonly but insightful observations about American life, returned to his alma mater Colgate University to deliver the 1996 commencement address. In characteristically blunt fashion, he told graduates that they would never arrive at any condition of life with which they were totally satisfied and happy. Rather than presenting this as depressing news, Rooney framed it as an honest observation about human nature. He argued that unhappiness is actually a prerequisite for happiness — 'to experience real happiness you first, or occasionally, have to be unhappy.' The tension between ambition and satisfaction, he suggested, is what drives us forward, even as it prevents us from ever feeling completely content. It was vintage Rooney: plainspoken, unsentimental, and surprisingly wise.