In the latter part of his brief speech, Eric Carle distilled his life advice into the simplest possible terms. Having already shared his story of luck and late-blooming success, he turned to what he considered the most important lesson of all. He framed this advice with a knowing wink — attributing it to the archetypal 'wise old man on top of the mountain' — before noting that Kurt Vonnegut had given the same counsel. Carle's delivery was characteristically gentle and unpretentious. Coming from a man who had spent decades creating art that taught children about empathy, curiosity, and the natural world, the simplicity of the advice carried the weight of a life lived by its principles.