Matthew McConaughey Won’t Run for Texas Governor: Speech Transcript

Matthew McConaughey: (00:00)
Hey everybody. McConaughey here. Listen, over the past two years, I’ve been working on the answer to the question of how I can be most useful in this life going forward, useful to myself, useful to my family, and to the most amount of people. One category of service I’ve been exploring is politics. I’ve been considering a run for the governor of Texas. I’ve been listening. I’ve been learning, I’ve been measuring. I’ve been studying Texas politics and American politics. What have I learned? A lot. That we have some problems we need to fix, that our politics needs new purpose, that we have divides that need healing, that we need more trust in our lives, that we got to start shining a light on our shared values, the ones that cross party lines, the ones that build bridges instead of burn them, that our children are our greatest asset. Hey, let’s be as good parents as we can be. I’ve learned that freedom comes with responsibility and that great leaders serve.

Matthew McConaughey: (01:06)
Whether a politician, a CEO, star quarterback, a mother, father, husband, wife, brother, friend, mentor, or teacher. We lead by serving each other. We lead through our service. What is service? Service is taking on responsibility today, so we have more freedom tomorrow. Service is making the better choice for you and for me. Service is the investment we make in ourselves. Can we recognize that when we serve others, we actually serve ourselves and vice versa? Do we have the courage to help out more than we hurt? Can we expect to get what we earn more than what we think we deserve? Can we give ourselves more reasons to trust each other first, instead of last. That’s the leadership that we need. That’s the investment in our states, in our country that we need. That’s the investment we need. As a simple kid, born in the little town of Uvalde, Texas, it never occurred to me that I would one day be considered for political leadership.

Matthew McConaughey: (02:11)
It’s a humbling and inspiring path to ponder. It is also a path that I’m choosing not to take at this moment. What am I going to do? I’m going to continue to work and invest the bounty I have by supporting entrepreneurs, businesses and foundations that I believe are leaders, establishments that I believe are creating pathways for people to succeed in life, organizations that have a mission to serve and build trust while also generating prosperity. That’s the American dream. And politicians, the good ones can help us get to where we need to go, yeah, but let’s be clear. They can’t do anything for us unless we choose to do for ourselves. To the leaders and the servants out there and the leader and servant in each one of us cheers to you. Here’s to the freedom, to be you, the freedom to be me, and to our responsibility to be us. In the meantime and all times and until next time, just keep living.