Daniel Pink

So I found politics super, super interesting when I was probably starting in, you know, high school.

Yeah, but I didn't major in political science or anything like that. I just, I was deeply interested in politics, you know, and I felt that it was substantively interesting and also important because there were things happening then that I thought were messed up and I didn't want them to happen.

Yeah, but I didn't major in political science or anything like that. I just, I was deeply interested in politics, you know, and I felt that it was substantively interesting and also important because there were things happening then that I thought were messed up and I didn't want them to happen.

You know, I'm a writer and I like to craft a narrative around big moments. And I think that makes for a good story. It's just not the reality of my life. I haven't had any like epiphanies or big moments or come to Jesus encounters. It's usually these things, they're slower. It's more like a crock pot rather than a microwave.

You know, I'm a writer and I like to craft a narrative around big moments. And I think that makes for a good story. It's just not the reality of my life. I haven't had any like epiphanies or big moments or come to Jesus encounters. It's usually these things, they're slower. It's more like a crock pot rather than a microwave.

Oh, God, no. I mean, yeah, no, I would go to work for a law firm in the summer to make some money. And I was like, oh, my God, this is so boring. Who would want to do this? That was not like some kind of traumatic wrestling. That was just like, oh, man. If I were smarter, a little less risk-averse when I was younger, I probably would have waited to go to law school and might not have gone at all.

Oh, God, no. I mean, yeah, no, I would go to work for a law firm in the summer to make some money. And I was like, oh, my God, this is so boring. Who would want to do this? That was not like some kind of traumatic wrestling. That was just like, oh, man. If I were smarter, a little less risk-averse when I was younger, I probably would have waited to go to law school and might not have gone at all.

If I was one of those people who had gone to law school when they were 30 or something like that, first of all, I might not have gone. If I had waited, I might not have gone, which could be a great decision. And if I had gone, I think I would have gotten a lot more out of it and enjoyed it a lot more if I had waited.

If I was one of those people who had gone to law school when they were 30 or something like that, first of all, I might not have gone. If I had waited, I might not have gone, which could be a great decision. And if I had gone, I think I would have gotten a lot more out of it and enjoyed it a lot more if I had waited.

But the idea of going when you're that young and you don't know anything and you're just kind of a cork bobbing along on the surface of the ocean—

But the idea of going when you're that young and you don't know anything and you're just kind of a cork bobbing along on the surface of the ocean—

It happens in a non-linear half-assed kind of way, as many things do. One of the things about politics, which I really liked, the mechanics of politics is that things move fast and it's not entirely, but it's kind of a meritocracy internally, especially in campaigns because there's winners and losers. And it's also very low paid. So the people in it tend to be younger than you would ever expect.

It happens in a non-linear half-assed kind of way, as many things do. One of the things about politics, which I really liked, the mechanics of politics is that things move fast and it's not entirely, but it's kind of a meritocracy internally, especially in campaigns because there's winners and losers. And it's also very low paid. So the people in it tend to be younger than you would ever expect.

And so I went in younger than I would, doing things at an age that I would never have expected. And basically I became a speechwriter because at some point, I don't even remember when, I don't even remember this as a moment, somebody turned to me and said, can you write a speech?

And so I went in younger than I would, doing things at an age that I would never have expected. And basically I became a speechwriter because at some point, I don't even remember when, I don't even remember this as a moment, somebody turned to me and said, can you write a speech?

And one of the things that I intuited, but which I now specifically instruct my own kids and others, is that when somebody asks you that question, the answer is yes. whether you can do it or not, the answer is yes. And then you freaking figure it out. So I was at intuitive sense that the answer to that question should be yes. And I said, yes. And I wrote a speech. It was probably okay.

And one of the things that I intuited, but which I now specifically instruct my own kids and others, is that when somebody asks you that question, the answer is yes. whether you can do it or not, the answer is yes. And then you freaking figure it out. So I was at intuitive sense that the answer to that question should be yes. And I said, yes. And I wrote a speech. It was probably okay.

And then they said, can you do it again? And I was like, yeah. Can you do it again? Yeah. And suddenly that was my job. And because, again, it's low paid and fast movie. So I started doing that. And then, you know, there aren't that many people who write speeches. And so when there's turnover, there's a limited supply of people who are eligible for that kind of job.

And then they said, can you do it again? And I was like, yeah. Can you do it again? Yeah. And suddenly that was my job. And because, again, it's low paid and fast movie. So I started doing that. And then, you know, there aren't that many people who write speeches. And so when there's turnover, there's a limited supply of people who are eligible for that kind of job.

And it turned out that was actually I mean, again, I don't want to toot my own horn here, even though I'm about to. It's like I was actually a pretty good speechwriter. I'm sure you were.