Matthew McConaughey on avoiding cynicism and finding gratitude

Matthew McConaughey is the Academy Award-winning star of Dallas Buyers Club, Dazed and Confused, and Interstellar. But he’s not just an actor—he’s also an entrepreneur, philanthropist, teacher, and prolific writer. His second book, Poems and Prayers, was built on decades of his journal entries, poems, and life lessons learned. In this episode, Matthew and Adam discuss the difference between cynicism and skepticism, reflect on Matthew’s experience in learning to laugh at his embarrassing moments, and consider effective and ineffective steps for practicing gratitude. Matthew also shares the story behind his iconic “Alright, alright, alright” catchphrase and why he’ll never get tired of hearing it.

Follow

Host: Adam Grant (Instagram: @adamgrant | LinkedIn: @adammgrant | Website: adamgrant.net/)

Guest: Matthew McConaughey (Instagram: @officiallymcconaughey) 

Links

Poems & Prayers by Matthew McConaughey

Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey

Subscribe to TED 

Instagram: @ted

YouTube: @TED

TikTok: @tedtoks

LinkedIn: @ted-conferences

Website: ted.com

Podcasts: ted.com/podcasts

ReThinking is produced by Cosmic Standard. Our Senior Producer is Jessica Glazer, our Engineer is Aja Simpson, our Technical Director is Jacob Winik, and our Executive Producer is Eliza Smith.

For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/rethinking-with-adam-grant-transcripts

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.