from a commencement address colbert gave
to knox college in 2006:
So, say "yes." In fact, say "yes" as often as you can. When I was starting
out in Chicago, doing improvisational theatre with Second City and other
places, there was really only one rule I was taught about improv. That
was, "yes-and." In this case, "yes-and" is a verb. To "yes-and." I
yes-and, you yes-and, he, she or it yes-ands. And yes-anding means that
when you go onstage to improvise a scene with no script, you have no idea
what's going to happen, maybe with someone you've never met before. To
build a scene, you have to accept. To build anything onstage, you have to
accept what the other improviser initiates on stage. They say you're
doctors -- you're doctors. And then, you add to that: We're doctors and
we're trapped in an ice cave. That's the "-and." And then hopefully they
"yes-and" you back. You have to keep your eyes open when you do this. You
have to be aware of what the other performer is offering you, so that you
can agree and add to it. And through these agreements, you can improvise a
scene or a one-act play. And because, by following each other's lead,
neither of you are really in control. It's more of a mutual discovery than
a solo adventure. What happens in a scene is often as much a surprise to
you as it is to the audience.
Well, you are about to start the greatest improvisation of all. With no
script. No idea what's going to happen, often with people and places you
have never seen before. And you are not in control. So say "yes." And if
you're lucky, you'll find people who will say "yes" back.
Now will saying "yes" get you in trouble at times? Will saying "yes" lead
you to doing some foolish things? Yes it will. But don't be afraid to be a
fool. Remember, you cannot be both young and wise. Young people who
pretend to be wise to the ways of the world are mostly just cynics.
Cynicism masquerades as wisdom, but it is the farthest thing from it.
Because cynics don't learn anything. Because cynicism is a self-imposed
blindness, a rejection of the world because we are afraid it will hurt us
or disappoint us. Cynics always say no. But saying "yes" begins things.
Saying "yes" is how things grow. Saying "yes" leads to knowledge. "Yes" is
for young people. So for as long as you have the strength to, say "yes."