Maddow's Graduation Speech: "Personal Triumphs Are Overrated"

Rachel Maddow, as Smith College’s commencement speaker, did not disappoint.

We like any speaker who uses a public forum to talk about her obsession with temperance advocate Carrie Nation and the evils of Prohibition! Not only did Maddow do this — and reference Deborah Bloom’s excellent Slate piece on alcohol-poisoning, the KFC Double-Down, and the AFC Gremlin — but managed to drive home the graduation-appropriate point that, not only should you not bother to live each day as if it’s your last, but “some dreams are bad dreams.” If you can watch the full 18 minutes, do so, but if you can only take away one line? “Glory has a way of sneaking up on fame and stealing its lunch money later anyway. Life may very well be long; keep your eyes on the horizon and live a life you’ll be proud of.”

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Rachel Maddow Delivers 2010 Commencement Address [Smith]
Related: The Chemist’s War [Slate]