Shonda Rhimes — 2014, Dartmouth College “On Having It All†“The leading lady behind “Thank God It’s Thursday,” the prime time television programming block on the ABC network, dropped nuggets of wisdom throughout this 24 minute commencement speech.
“Forget About “Having It All” Because Perfection is Impossible.
If I am accepting a prestigious award, I am missing my baby’s first swim lesson. If I am at my daughter’s debut in her school musical, I am missing Sandra Oh’s last scene ever being filmed at Grey’s Anatomy. If I am succeeding at one, I am inevitably failing at the other. That is the tradeoff. That is the Faustian bargain one makes with the devil that comes with being a powerful working woman who is also a powerful mother. You never feel a hundred percent OK; you never get your sea legs; you are always a little nauseous. Something is always lost.”