Original artwork, not a still
Ultimately, we all have to decide for ourselves what constitutes failure, but the world is quite eager to give you a set of criteria if you let it.
— 2008 Harvard University Commencement Address
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Failure needs a definition, and this statement insists that the choice of definition matters. Other people will readily supply standards if they are allowed to. Deciding for oneself becomes part of responsibility, preventing an outside measure from quietly becoming the final judgment on a life.
Context reviewed
