In the closing of his speech, Colbert tied together his themes of improv and service with a surprisingly earnest reflection. Having a show filled with talented people eager to serve him is great, he said, but at its best he is serving them just as hard, and together they serve a common idea. He then posed the essential question: for each of them, what is that common idea, and who are those people? His answer was simple and direct: if you love friends, you will serve your friends; if you love community, you will serve your community; if you love only yourself, you will serve only yourself — and you will have only yourself. He acknowledged the irony, noting that the New York Times had found 'love' and 'service' were the most used words in 2011 commencement speeches.