Friends are a blessing, but it is family that sustains us. Dimples are good on babies and bad on ballots. Tastes in food become more and more sophisticated, but ice cream remains as soothing and delicious as it was the day you had your tonsils out. Most people have good hearts and consciously or innately practice the golden rule. The more experience you have, the greater your realization of the limits of your knowledge.
Faith is the underpinning of any truly successful venture.
Whether we wish for it or not, each of us will have a real and lasting effect on the lives of others, even those in generations to come. The admonition to say or write nothing that you wouldn't want quoted on the front page of The New York Times has great merit. A sense of humor is important, but the capacity to laugh at oneself is essential. Peace is better than war, honor surpasses deceit, and love overcomes hate. It was ECU's 92 nd commencement and was Chancellor Eakin's first commencement address on campus.