Roberts drew on his own late-career epiphany to encourage the graduates to embrace change rather than fear it. He confessed that he had been so consumed with his professional life that he had missed the 'whole other side of life' — friends, family, personal fulfillment — until he had something of an awakening and began living more balanced. He told the story of a train conductor who had spent fifty years on the job and, when asked about interesting things he'd seen, replied 'Nothing that comes to mind.' Roberts used this as a cautionary tale about the danger of inertia — of sticking with something safe and familiar even when it's making you miserable. The courage to start over, he argued, is one of the most important qualities a person can develop.