"I know that happiness has been the real, if covert, goal of your labors here. I know that it informs your choice of companions, the profession you will enter, but I urge you, please don’t settle for happiness. It’s not good enough. Of course, you deserve it. But if that is all you have in mind—happiness—I want to suggest to you that personal success devoid of meaningfulness, free of a steady commitment to social justice, that’s more than a barren life, it is a trivial one. It’s looking good instead of doing good."
-- Toni Morrison
I loved Toni Morrison's commencement speech to Rutgers Class of 2011. Not only were her words beautiful and meaningful, she spoke very lyrically and with both gravity, weighing her words, and a musical lilt. I have not read any of her works but plan on reading Beloved this summer. The full video of the speech can be found here and the rest of the transcript can be found here.
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