Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/making-your-own-luck-weigh-in-on-michael-lewis-princeton-speech Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share Your Insight: Do We Create Our Own Luck? Politics Jun 13, 2012 8:29 AM EDT Updated, 6:40 p.m. In author Michael Lewis’ speech at a Princeton University Baccalaureate ceremony earlier this month, he said, “You owe a debt, not just to your Gods. You owe a debt to the unlucky.” Lewis’ writing career and fame were more a product of fortune than anything else, he said. Watch Michael Lewis’ speech: Harvard President Drew Gilpin Faust offered a similar take in her commencement address, telling graduates, “Good fortune is not something we have a right to, but something given to us that we have no claim on.” (Worth noting — both Ivy League campuses saw organized Occupy movements over the last year. Occupy Princeton did not seem impressed by Lewis.) Also making waves of late, the Wellesley High School speech from David McCullough Jr. The bottom line to grads: you’re not special. Watch: Jeffrey Brown will be speaking with Lewis on the PBS NewsHour. Weigh in with your thoughts by filling out this Public Insight Network query. Here are some of the responses we’ve received so far. Your browser does not support iframes. View the form in a new window. A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue. Donate now
Updated, 6:40 p.m. In author Michael Lewis’ speech at a Princeton University Baccalaureate ceremony earlier this month, he said, “You owe a debt, not just to your Gods. You owe a debt to the unlucky.” Lewis’ writing career and fame were more a product of fortune than anything else, he said. Watch Michael Lewis’ speech: Harvard President Drew Gilpin Faust offered a similar take in her commencement address, telling graduates, “Good fortune is not something we have a right to, but something given to us that we have no claim on.” (Worth noting — both Ivy League campuses saw organized Occupy movements over the last year. Occupy Princeton did not seem impressed by Lewis.) Also making waves of late, the Wellesley High School speech from David McCullough Jr. The bottom line to grads: you’re not special. Watch: Jeffrey Brown will be speaking with Lewis on the PBS NewsHour. Weigh in with your thoughts by filling out this Public Insight Network query. Here are some of the responses we’ve received so far. Your browser does not support iframes. View the form in a new window. A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue. Donate now