“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
The best things in my life were never carefully planned: I was lucky to be born to a great family, came by chance to the US, certainly did not grow up wishing to go to Harvard, and only by chance found someone to love at HBS. My only talent has been being able to jump, blindfolded, into great opportunities passing by.
I came to Harvard, thinking that I might at last learn to plan my life. I thought I'd be able to write down every step of a path to love, happiness, and wealth. Boy, was I wrong! What I learned, instead, is that there is no path but the one we walk every day, and that the best plan is to be brave enough to seize opportunity as it passes by. You might ask, "Do you see then any certainty in your uncertain future?" I see only my honesty and integrity, a family, and many true friends.
I came to Harvard, thinking that I might at last learn to plan my life. I thought I'd be able to write down every step of a path to love, happiness, and wealth. Boy, was I wrong! What I learned, instead, is that there is no path but the one we walk every day, and that the best plan is to be brave enough to seize opportunity as it passes by. You might ask, "Do you see then any certainty in your uncertain future?" I see only my honesty and integrity, a family, and many true friends.
— Jose Fernandez