It's hard to live up to your potential when you don't like what you do.
Steven Levitan
University of Wisconsin-Madison Commencement, 2017, 2017
Video starts at 14:34 — the moment this quote was spoken
The Story Behind This Quote
Levitan described himself as a terrible student growing up, sharing a report card comment from his high school Spanish teacher: 'Steve could be an A-student if he wanted to. He shows no interest in Spanish and does as little work as possible.' He admitted this was entirely true, and said that had he settled for a job he showed little interest in, that would have been his report card for life — a mediocre journalist or a decent adman. But because he found work he truly loved in television comedy, he happily gave it his all and was able to rise above those early expectations. He told the graduates that not everyone can reach their dream job, but what a shame not to even try.