Courage

When you feel scared, hold someone's hand and look into their eyes. And when you feel brave, do the same thing.

Take your risks now. As you grow older, you become more fearful and less flexible. And I mean that literally — I hurt my knee on the treadmill this week and it wasn't even on.

Think about not waiting your turn. Instead, think about getting together with friends that you admire, people you envy. Think about not waiting for a company to call you up.

The world is run by those who show up, not those who wait to be asked.

Innovation comes from those who see things that others don't. Be persistent. Never give up.

Fear is cheap. Fear is easy. Fear gets attention. Fear is spread as fast as gossip and is just as glamorous, juicy, and profitable. Fear twists facts into fictions that become indistinguishable from ignorance.

Fear or faith, which will be our master? Fear is whispered in our ears and shouted in our faces. Faith must be fostered by the man or woman you see every day in the mirror.

Your career as human beings and as Americans and as graduates of Yale is to stand on the fulcrum between fear and faith—fear at your back, faith in front of you. Which way will you lean? Which way will you move? Move forward. Ever forward.

Stand up for what you believe in. It's okay to be wrong. It's okay to know stuff in your heart and discover that you're wrong, and cop to it. Say, 'You know what, I changed my mind.' This has become a terrible thing to do in this country, and only art can bring it back.

Be you. Be unique. Be prepared to be alone sometimes when you're unique. It's not a bad thing. You could travel with the sheep, follow everybody else's stuff, but then you're not you.

Pessimists do not change the world. They don't think it's worth the trouble. But you can.

Intolerance on this continent is ever-present and ever dangerous. At the same time, a determined man or woman can achieve remarkable things.