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№ 2012.016 — Princeton University — Commencement address
Michael Lewis
Field: letters
Michael Lewis recounts his unlikely path from Princeton art-history major to Wall Street employee to best-selling author, arguing that luck, more than merit, shaped his success. Drawing on his book 'Moneyball' and a cookie experiment from Berkeley, he contends that successful people rationalize away the role of accident in their lives. He urges graduates to recognize their good fortune and the obligation it creates toward the less lucky.
Key moments
- 01 Describes his thesis adviser warning him never to make a living from writing
- 02 Explains how a chance dinner seating led to his job at Salomon Brothers and 'Liar's Poker'
- 03 Uses 'Moneyball' to show how luck is undervalued even in meritocratic sports
- 04 Recounts the cookie experiment where arbitrarily chosen leaders took the extra cookie
- 05 Tells graduates they are the lucky few and owe a debt to the unlucky
Transcript
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Read the full transcript at source →Provenance
Imported from NPR commencement archive; cross-referenced with Open Commencement DB
NPR archive last updated in 2015; destination availability has not been exhaustively rechecked | Open Commencement DB transcript; not independently verified against the original recording