For being in a place that's landlocked, Minnesotans have a real sense of the wider world. Teachers, friends, neighbors - everywhere I went in Minnesota, people put their heads up and looked out to the horizon.

In the real world, answers may not be clear cut. There will be messy choices, and you're not going to be able to construct a policy response in a neat and tidy way. Being able to listen to other people, even as you stay true to your principles, that's how you actually succeed.

By the time I was 10 or 13, I'd learned the world capitals.

Public policy is a study in imperfection. It involves imperfect people, with imperfect information, facing deeply imperfect choices - so it's not surprising that they're getting imperfect results.