Curiosity

If you're the kind of person who finds the most interesting thing in the world to you is something you don't know, you're probably in the right place.

Your diploma is really not a ticket to show off what you know. You know what it really is? It's permission to admit to yourself how much you still have yet to learn.

Be vigilant in the struggle toward empathy. Consider the Happy Birthday Sir Despite the Circumstances possibility — the possibility that the lives and experiences of others are as complex and unpredictable as your own.

A life oriented toward discovery is infinitely more rewarding than a life oriented toward not blowing it.

Don't write what you already know, write what you want to know.

Be hard on your opinions. A famous bon mot asserts opinions are like assholes in that everyone has one. There is great wisdom in this but I would add that opinions differ significantly from assholes in that yours should be constantly and thoroughly examined.

Don't ever feel boxed into a single career or pursuit. Remain curious. Explore every axis, on every front, in the battle to make a difference.

Even if you know you are right, you may be wrong.

I cannot stress enough that the answer to a lot of your life's questions is often in someone else's face. Try to find the most interesting-looking person in the room, the ## person most unlike you, and talk to them.

You will eventually use everything you've ever learned.

Never become so enamored of your own smarts that you stop signing up for life's hard classes. Keep your conclusions light and your curiosity ferocious. Keep groping in the darkness with ravenous desire.

It's your curiosity and enthusiasm that will get you noticed and make your life interesting—not your grade point average.