Failure

This past weekend, JK Rowling was the commencement speaker at Harvard University.  While some students were upset at having “only a children’s author” as their speaker, I have found her speech to be inspiring.  Two of my favorite quotes follow:

“It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all – in which case, you fail by default.”

-J.K. Rowling, 2008 Commencement Address

“We do not need magic to transform the world. We carry all the power we need inside ourselves already. We have power to imagine better.”
-J.K. Rowling, 2008 Commencement Address

Those who doubt JK Rowling’s talent with the written word need only read the above quotes and the rest of the transcript from her speech.  This “mere children’s author” is an inspiration to anyone who has ever faced failure and doubt, and to those who believe in the power of their dreams.  Magic is possible, and it allows us to change the world around us; for the better.