I told them that life does not end with college. I also reminded them that while pursuing success, they should remember that success comes in different forms. While youth is forever, material wealth, fame, beauty, laurels of every kind are ephemeral. What is enduring in life is character, reputation, integrity, honesty, authenticity and, indeed, a much abused word, honor . None of these should be mortgaged for opportunism.
Cynicism sows suspicion and distrust, demeans hope and debases idealism.
It diminishes us all. So I ask that you refuse the title of Generation X and insist on one that suits your highest ideals and aspirations. I have witnessed firsthand your idealism, your understanding, the high expectations you have of yourself and your peers, the 50,000 hours of service which you, as Brown students, give annually to Providence and the Rhode Island community. Through that public service and in many other ways, you have already affirmed the concept of citizenship as the social and political bond that unites us. You have shown that you understand that it is citizenship that makes the social contract a moral transaction, governing not only our behavior towards one another now but toward generations past and future.