Sometimes, I am not all of those things.

"Because I love jokes, I will conclude with one that is very appropriate for today's celebration. A young college graduate is filling out a job application. When asked to list his strengths, he writes, ``I am a hard worker, I am mature, I pick up new things easily, I am self-motivated, I like working with others, I am a good listener, I accept criticism, ...'' and so on and so forth. When asked to list his weaknesses, he only writes, ``Well, sometimes I am not all of those things.'' During your undergraduate years at Brandeis, I hope you got to confront those limits to your abilities. I hope you got to find out that you were ``not all of those things.'' It's inevitable, it's part of being human. How you learn to deal with that inevitability will tell what kind of person you become. Thank you, and congratulations again to all of you. "

-Remarks at the Brandeis commencement, May 1996 School of Science ceremonies