"The Late Night Show" with Stephen Colbert will be premiering September 8th. To get us in the mood, I’ve found my favorite pieces of advice he’s offered over the years.
- “Saying “yes” is how things grow. Saying “yes” leads to knowledge. “Yes” is for young people. So for as long as you have the strength to, say “yes.” Don’t let hesitation stop you from taking chances and following your dreams. The world is full of people who will tell you no. Full of people who will tell you that you can’t. Challenge yourself to say yes, to let others in, and to live your life to the fullest. But always make sure your yes will make you happy, and at the end of the day, it was what made all the difference.
- “I suppose fear is like a drug. A little bit isn’t that bad, but you can get addicted to the consumption and distribution of it. What’s evil is the purposeful distribution of fear.” A little fear keeps us attentive and cautious. However the use of fear to manipulate others is something we must all criticize. Especially the fear to fail. We cannot let fear stop us from continuing to live. Fear will cause suffering. And we just can’t accept that.
- “In our benign self-absorption, I believe we have given you a gift; a particular form of independence, for you do not owe the previous generation anything.” We do not need to follow in the footsteps of those before us. They made the world, for better and worse, the way it is now. And it’s our job to figure out how we will change the world, hopefully for the better, and leave our mark for those who will come after us.
- “I love the truth. It's the facts I'm not a fan of.” Facts can be used to support truths. These can be skewed, twisted and overlooked. The truth, however, is a representation of reality which can often be far from the facts known to us. Everyone should seek the truth but in doing so should be critical of the facts they use to find it.
- “When the plane took off I was Col-bert, and when the plane landed I was Col-bear.” You can always be the person you want to be; it’s never too late. Change your clothes, your mind and your heart. And remember it’s always a good time to start.
- “In order to maintain an untenable position, you have to be actively ignorant.” To be unable to defend an idea, you must completely remove yourself from the conversation. You must ignore other points of view and narrowly form an opinion about something you don’t truly understand. The danger in doing so is the uneducated actions formed from these opinions. Make sure to educate yourself on all points of view before making an opinion to confirm your value to society.
- “Realize that the things that people say about you don’t really matter. It’s who you are, and the older you get, the more you’ll understand that.” It’s not their life and no one knows what’s best for you better than yourself. You need to live with yourself every day and live with decisions you make. No one can please everyone, and honestly people don’t care as much as it may seem. Do what you want and be who you are because the only person whose opinion matters is yours.
- “And if you love only yourself, you will serve only yourself. And you will have only yourself.” Life is nothing without others. It’s important to watch out and take care of yourself, but what’s the point in doing so unless you are going to use your life to help those around you? In the end, it’s more important how you made people feel because that’s what will leave an impact even after you’re gone.
- “I love the earth. If you ask me it's the greatest planet in the world.” We only have one planet so treat it with love. You came into the world with nothing--remember that. The world owes you nothing. But we all owe the world everything. So it’s time we start acting like it.
- “Thankfully, dreams can change. If we’d all stuck with our first dream, the world would be overrun with cowboys and princesses.” Never be discouraged if a dream fails or is replaced with a new one. As we grow, live, and understand more about the world around us, we will all find new passions, goals, and ambitions. Follow them. Do not let the past stop you from dreaming of the future. I hope you all continue to dream for the rest of your life. I also hope you have the strength to make those dreams come true.
