Charlie Kirk Shares Life Advice for Young Americans: Building Character, Courage, and Success Without College
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Charlie Kirk Shares Life Advice for Young Americans: Building Character, Courage, and Success Without College
Charlie Kirk answers questions from young Americans about building a successful career, developing character, and navigating modern life. Kirk shares his journey starting Turning Point USA at 18 without a college degree, emphasizing the importance of reading 100 books a year, cultivating wisdom over knowledge, and practicing self-control. He addresses dating advice for conservatives, discusses when young people should engage with politics, and challenges the audience to prioritize eternal knowledge and personal responsibility. Kirk encourages a 13-year-old homeschooler and other young attendees to commit to lives of courage, arguing that moral courage is the foundation of all other virtues and the most necessary yet absent characteristic in America today.
Starting a Movement at 18 Without a College Degree
Charlie Kirk founded Turning Point USA when he was just 18 years old. He never attended college, a decision that ended up being exactly right for him. Kirk took a gap year and emphasizes that not everyone in America needs to go to college. In fact, he believes way too many people are pursuing college degrees when alternative paths might serve them better.
His advice for young people wanting to make an impact centers on character development. Kirk stresses that people should strive to be better every single day because character reflects the soul. He encourages continuous learning regardless of where someone goes to college or whether they attend at all, noting that a degree is just a piece of paper. What truly matters is who you are as a person.
Success requires willingness to keep pushing forward when things get really tough. Kirk emphasizes the importance of endurance and persistence, especially during difficult times. He also highlights the value of relationships with people older than yourself, suggesting that young people should memorialize those conversations forever.
Recording Wisdom for Future Reference
While Kirk acknowledges that smartphones are destroying the country in many ways, he points out one valuable use: recording conversations. He encourages young people to record voice memos or conversations when sitting down with grandparents or business mentors. These recordings become invaluable resources that people will want to revisit throughout their lives.
This practice of capturing wisdom from older generations aligns with Kirk's broader philosophy about learning from those who have more experience. The relationships formed with people who have already walked paths similar to the ones young people are beginning are among the most valuable resources available.
Taking Personal Responsibility for Everything
Kirk offers challenging advice about encountering difficulty: train yourself to blame yourself. When something goes wrong, the instinct should be to ask what you did wrong and what you could have done differently. This approach is hard, Kirk admits. It's easy to blame others, and sometimes difficulties genuinely are someone else's fault.
However, the practice of finding something you could have done differently makes you a stronger person. This discipline of self-examination and personal responsibility is a cornerstone of Kirk's philosophy for success and personal development. It shifts the focus from external circumstances to internal growth and self-improvement.
Eternal Knowledge Versus Practical Knowledge
Kirk distinguishes between two types of knowledge that people should pursue. Practical knowledge includes things like knowing who the governor is—useful information that changes over time. Eternal knowledge consists of things that never change, also called wisdom.
Examples of eternal knowledge include understanding human nature, grappling with concepts of good and evil, mercy, compassion, justice, and truth. These permanent topics were true 200 years ago and will be true 200 years from now. The more wise a person becomes, the more cheerful and happy they will be.
Kirk emphasizes that America, despite its problems and ridiculous leaders, is a wonderful country. Young people have been given an incredible gift. Rather than complaining that everything is terrible and awful, people should believe their actions matter and apply themselves accordingly. Working harder every single day for a decade will put someone in a pretty good place.
A Vietnamese Immigrant Success Story
A young attendee shares that his parents immigrated from Vietnam with basically no money. The family now owns their own private business, and the young man describes himself as a living example of why white privilege does not exist. Kirk celebrates this story, calling the parents great patriots and expressing gratitude that they came to America.
The 17-year-old high school student drove an hour to see Kirk speak. He's a member of the Turning Point USA chapter at his high school and hopes to bring speaker Isabel Brown to campus soon. His question centers on the challenge of opening controversial political topics at school when peers don't want to engage in those conversations.
When Should Young People Discuss Politics?
The young man asks whether politics simply aren't for everyone and whether there should be an age when people should be able to have political conversations. Kirk responds that all ages should discuss politics, though he firmly opposes lowering the voting age.
Kirk actually applauds the fact that not everyone at the student's high school wants to talk about politics all the time. He finds it refreshing that there's still a remnant of people who don't want constant political discussion. Looking around at his event where people stood for hours to hear political and philosophical debates, Kirk sees promise in young people regardless of how they approach these issues.
When pressed on what age political conversations should begin, Kirk suggests around 12 years old—approximately fifth or sixth grade. At that age, politics should be discussed at a surface level rather than diving too deeply into complex issues. He confirms that eighth graders could appropriately discuss topics like abortion at that developmental stage.
Read 100 Books a Year
For the young man seeking advice on debating more and growing his mind, Kirk offers direct guidance: debate less and read more. He sets a concrete target of reading at least 100 books a year. If someone isn't reading 100 books a year, Kirk says, they're not serious about their intellectual journey.
Some people might think 100 books seems like too many, but Kirk points out that listening to audiobooks counts toward this goal. His advice is to spend less money on booze, alcohol, drugs, and nightclubs and more money on audiobooks. This shift in priorities will result in a better life.
Kirk tries to be a living example of this principle. He attempts to read 100 to 120 books a year, always listening to something or reading something. He doesn't remember everything, but he retains a fair amount. This constant consumption of books creates a happier, deeper, wiser person. The more someone dedicates themselves to reading, the easier debating becomes.
Teaching Wisdom to Fourth and Fifth Graders
An after-school teacher for fourth and fifth graders asks for advice on helping youth navigate the corrupted society and social norms of the West, especially from a religious perspective. Kirk is impressed when the teacher shows him a copy of Thomas Sowell's "Basic Economics" and enthusiastically signs it, declaring it a great book that everyone should read.
Kirk identifies that the teacher has already hit upon the most important element of education: developing wisdom rather than just knowledge. Education should focus on wisdom—the understanding of things that do not change. This is the most important thing to teach young people.
The West is filled with knowledge-based institutions but lacks wisdom-based institutions. Wisdom involves understanding deeper, permanent topics like whether human beings are naturally good or not, what constitutes good and evil, and the nature of mercy, compassion, justice, and truth. These questions are far more important than knowing the five members of the California legislature. That's knowledge, but wisdom addresses fundamental human questions.
The Crisis of Wisdom in the West
Kirk identifies a crisis of wisdom in Western civilization. The encouraging aspect of wisdom is that anybody can access it at any time. It doesn't require a college degree or special credentials. Anyone can become wise.
The most common way people acquire wisdom is through suffering. This explains why older people tend to be wiser—they've suffered more throughout their lives. Good times don't make people wise; difficult times do. Through suffering, people gain wisdom that cannot be obtained through comfortable circumstances alone.
Living a Happy and Fulfilling Life
Kirk addresses what he sees as a gap in college education: students don't hear enough about how to live happy and fulfilling lives. The starting point is being thankful for life itself. Life is a gift and a beautiful thing. True appreciation of deeper and eternal things starts with wonder.
When Kirk landed in the area that day, he saw incredible natural beauty—mountains that looked like they were literally on fire. This observation prompts reflection about what else in the world is beautiful and worth preserving. What else is eternal and elevated? What should people go above and beyond to make sure doesn't get corrupted or destroyed?
This mindset starts with gratitude—being thankful for life, consciousness, existence, and things that are deeply objectively good. As conservatives, Kirk explains, the goal is to design a society that gives preference to choices, actions, and behavior rather than complaints, grievances, or the mobilization of grievances.
The Greatest Battle Is Within
While Kirk acknowledges being on board with using political power for certain purposes like breaking up monopolistic companies, he emphasizes that the greatest battle people experience in life is the struggle within. Young people must understand that self-control and improvement of personal character must be prioritized above anything else.
It's a disservice to tell young people that their greatest struggle is fighting against racism or other external forces. The real struggle is whether someone can control their own impulses, wake up early to go to work, and commit to becoming a better and more developed human being. This internal battle is where character develops.
Conservatives believe that happiness is a choice. People can be happy regardless of how bad things are falling apart in the country. They're happy to be alive and thankful for their existence. Happiness isn't something to seek out as if it's hiding somewhere waiting to be discovered.
Happiness as a Choice, Not a Pursuit
If people go around trying to find happiness, Kirk warns, they'll end up seeking pleasure over virtue. Trying to find happiness as a state is nonsense. Happiness is a choice, a state of mind, something people must commit themselves to and work at daily.
This means asking each day what there is to be thankful for. Kirk clarifies that he's not trying to diminish suffering—everyone in the audience has something serious they're going through. But the question remains: what does it mean to live a fulfilling life?
Living a fulfilling life doesn't mean walking around always looking for something worthy of protesting, tearing down, deconstructing, or disassembling. Instead, it means considering whether making ten specific choices might improve life—choices like stopping drinking, stopping drug use, or stopping complaining. Taking responsibility for actions leads to seeing the fruits of those choices. This represents a fundamental difference in approach to life.
You Against You
Kirk emphasizes that while public policy changes certainly need to be made, the real struggle everyone must understand is you against you. If someone devotes themselves to thinking they'll be happy as soon as universal healthcare passes or as soon as a particular person gets elected, that happiness will never arrive.
The reason so many people search for purpose is that students have been told not to seek responsibility but to seek immediate pleasure and gratification. Instead, people must prioritize things that challenge them. Character develops through challenge. Strength rejoices in challenge.
Sometimes it's beneficial for 17, 18, or 19-year-olds to live through tougher circumstances. These challenges create tougher people in the long run. This perspective stands in contrast to the cultural message that young people should have everything made easy and comfortable for them.
Finding Success Without a Traditional College Path
A college senior asks how to become successful without college, coming from someone in a situation where he doesn't know what he wants to do with his life but is currently spending money on school. Kirk first clarifies an important point: when he says college is a scam, he means schools are charging too much money and the value proposition is inverted.
However, students shouldn't use that critique as an excuse to play victim and claim they can't get any value from college. Students should find the value and hold onto it. Kirk then asks the young man to identify his skill—what he's best at.
The student responds that he loves talking, dialogue, and exchanging differences (though he hesitates to call it arguing). Kirk immediately points out that this puts the young man in the top 1% of the country, since 99% of people hate talking. In fact, the greatest fear in America is public speaking, rated even higher than death.
Leveraging Communication Skills
By being comfortable with public speaking and dialogue, the student has already placed himself in a completely different category. Kirk points out that every single job in every single company on the planet needs somebody who's good at communicating. Whatever field the student enters, he should gravitate toward the communication aspects because many people who might be excellent at other elements of a job don't want to give presentations or explain complex ideas.
Kirk's biggest advice is to be a lifelong learner and never stop learning just because formal schooling ends. Since the student is a senior, Kirk's advice is straightforward: finish the degree. He's already invested this much, so it would be wasteful not to complete it. If he were a freshman, Kirk suggests they might have a different discussion, but as a senior, completing the degree makes sense.
After graduation, whether the degree proves useful or not, the student should try to find things at the intersection of his skills and passions. That's where people succeed best in life—when what they're good at aligns with what they care about.
Dating Advice for Young Conservatives
When asked about dating struggles and dating apps, Kirk shares an opinion he knows will be controversial: people should not date those with different politics. He's not a huge fan of dating apps, but his more fundamental point is about the purpose of dating.
Kirk believes people should date with the intent to marry. Dating isn't a hobby; it's an interview process. He acknowledges this is a minority opinion on most college campuses, where dating serves as a mechanism for companionship among other things. His advice is to only date people in alignment with your values.
This doesn't mean people can't have friends who disagree with them politically, but dating is serious. People should associate with, date, and potentially marry somebody who shares their deeply held values. Kirk considers this very important for long-term relationship success.
What Women Look for in Men
Kirk offers observations about men who have difficulty finding women, noting that most men today are beta males with very little detectable testosterone. Men, especially in this time of moral and societal chaos, need to get back to what it means to be physically and mentally strong.
This includes stopping pornography consumption and working out on a regular basis. Kirk also shares that according to surveys of his listeners, the most desirable quality young women look for in men is self-control. Young women report that they cannot find young men who can control themselves.
Putting this all together, Kirk's advice is to try to be the best version of yourself. Then be very clear and respectful with women about what you want and your intent. Many men are intimidated by women, partly because the culture has conditioned men to be intimidated—they might fear accusations or other consequences.
Kirk encourages directness instead of attempting to be friends first and hoping something develops. His advice: be a man and simply state your interest clearly, such as saying "I like you. I want to take you on a date." He questions whether this direct approach even happens anymore, suggesting it probably doesn't occur often in modern dating culture.
Advice for a 13-Year-Old Homeschooler
A 13-year-old homeschooled girl named Grace thanks Kirk for his podcast, explaining that politics can be difficult to fully understand but the way he presents ideas makes concepts easier to grasp. She and her younger sister recently started watching the online Hillsdale College Constitution course, which they've been enjoying. She asks what advice Kirk has for her as she moves into adulthood to become a more informed and involved citizen.
Kirk thanks her for being here and says he has hope because of people like her. His advice includes learning something new every single day and focusing on being a good person with strong character. Especially as she enters the world of social approval and peer pressure, courage will be essential.
Kirk identifies a courage crisis in America. Moral courage is the most necessary yet absent characteristic in men today. He references George S. Patton and Aristotle, whom Grace will learn about if she continues with Hillsdale courses. Aristotle taught that courage is the ultimate virtue because without it, there are no other virtues.
Committing to a Life of Courage
Kirk asks Grace to think deeply about Aristotle's teaching: if people aren't courageous, they don't have honesty, justice, beauty, wonder, or any other virtue. Everything depends on courage to act. At age 13, Kirk wants Grace to commit herself to a life of courage.
Courage means doing the right thing when you don't know how it's going to work out. Courage is committing yourself to the correct course of action regardless of the cost associated with it. Kirk expresses being given hope by the number of young homeschooling children rising up across the country.
When people ask what success looks like, Kirk paints a picture: a New York Times headline in 2050 reading "America's Sudden, Shocking, and Inexplicable Right Turn Can Be Traced Back to Homeschooling Explosion During COVID-19." That, Kirk says, is what success looks like—a generation of well-educated, courageous, principled young people who were formed outside the traditional educational system and who fundamentally changed the direction of the country.
