I speak because I think our time on earth is short and each moment that we are not our truest selves, each moment we pretend to be what we are not, each moment we say what we do not mean because we imagine that is what somebody wants us to say, then we are wasting our time on earth.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Wellesley College Commencement 2015, 2015
视频从17:46开始——这句语录被说出的那一刻
这句语录背后的故事
Adichie reflected on the backlash she has received for speaking publicly about her beliefs — including the equal rights of gay people in Africa and her conviction that men and women are completely equal. She has been told to shut up about these topics. But rather than retreating, she explained why she refuses to stay silent. She doesn't speak to provoke; she speaks because authenticity is not optional when life is finite. She then added with characteristic humor: 'The only acceptable way of wasting your time on earth is online shopping.'