The inventor of Amazon.com gave a really good convocation speech to the class of 2010 at Princeton. He focused on the difference between the gifts you’ve been given and the choices you make.
What I want to talk to you about today is the difference between gifts and choices. Cleverness is a gift, kindness is a choice. Gifts are easy — they’re given after all. Choices can be hard. You can seduce yourself with your gifts if you’re not careful, and if you do, it’ll probably be to the detriment of your choices.