Wie kommt es, dass ausgerechnet die große Abschlussrede an der Universität die beinah einzige amerikanische Tradition ist, die es noch nicht nach Deutschland geschafft hat? Würde uns das Personal dafür fehlen? Die Kultur des Redenhaltens? Die Kunst, die heikle Mischung aus Pathos und Komik, aus Allgemeinplätzen und Subjektivität hinzubekommen?

Jedenfalls hat der Schriftsteller Neil Gaiman dem großen Genre der commencement speech einen weiteren Höhepunkt hinzugefügt. Er sprach am 17. Mai an der University of the Arts in Philadelphia, und ich hatte am Ende der zwanzig Minuten wieder einmal einen Kloß im Hals.

…

And I decided that I’d do my best in the future not to write books just for the money. If you didn’t get the money then you didn’t have anything. And if I did work I was proud of, and I didn’t get the money, at least I’d have the work.

…

But people keep working, in a freelance world — and more and more of today’s world is freelance — because the work is good and because they’re easy to get along with and because they deliver the work on time.

And you don’t even need all three. Two out of three is fine.

People will tolerate how unpleasant you are if your work is good and you deliver it on time.

People will forgive the lateness of your work if it’s good and they like you.

And you don’t have to be as good as everyone else if you’re on time and it’s always a pleasure to hear from you.

…

So be wise, because the world needs more wisdom. And if you cannot be wise, pretend to be someone who is wise and then just behave like they would.

And now go, and make interesting mistakes, make amazing mistakes, make glorious and fantastic mistakes.

Break rules. Leave the world more interesting for your being here.

Make good art.