A Conversation with Anthony Lake ‘57

Mr. Lake, National Security Advisor under Clinton, reflects on his Middlesex experience.

When Anthony Lake ‘57 first arrived at Middlesex in the early 50s, both the world and the school looked very different. The campus was all boys, all white, and as he recalls with wry understatement, “rather uniform in its views.”

In a community where most students and teachers leaned Republican, Mr. Lake recalls that he “somehow” became one of only a handful of self-proclaimed Democrats — a choice, he admits, that owed something to his rebellious nature. “I spent a good bit of time arguing,” he says, “and that certainly helped kindle my interest in politics and public service.”

Those early debates would follow him through a lifetime of public service that led him from the Foreign Service to the White House as the 17th United States National Security Advisor, and later to the Executive Director of UNICEF. 

As a student, Mr. Lake once was chased by his teacher out of the classroom after one too many provocations. Outside, the young Mr. Lake found himself face-to-face with a pair of prospective parents and the headmaster, Lawrence Terry. “He was not pleased,” Mr. Lake recalls, smiling. As punishment, he dug out dandelions on the Circle for two long days on his hands and knees. 

Though thoroughly humiliated and annoyed, Mr. Lake admits that he took some of that time to reflect on better ways to dissent or make trouble. “And later, even in the Nixon White House, that experience came back to me. If you are rebelling, rebel with respect — try to convince people rather than simply act up.”

That eventually became a principle that would guide his leadership throughout his career. In a profession that demands navigating different ideologies and international crises, he came to believe that true leadership depends on not obedience to superiors but the courage and grace to question authority. 

“When people speak up, it’s not an act of insubordination,” he explains. “It’s an act of loyalty.” The best leaders, he adds, are who encourage dissent, because in the end, important decisions boil down to informed guesses. If one makes an unwise choice, others will have to pay the price. 

At Middlesex, dissent was not always easy. “It was a sheltered world,” Mr. Lake remembers. Still, he speaks with affection of the wonderful teachers and of the appreciation for music, art, and literature they instilled in him. 

He credits those subjects with shaping a sensibility that later proved crucial in his diplomatic work: the awareness that persuasion is inseparable from empathy. “When you disagree with someone, the first thing you should do is try to figure out who that person is — what makes them respond. Then convince them by getting into their head, not just expressing what’s in your own.”

Mr. Lake’s advice to current students is simple: “Don’t chase titles,” he says. “Take the job that makes you want to go to work every day. If you do it because you love it, you’ll do better — and then the title will come.” He advises us to first and foremost figure out what our principles are, then pursue them pragmatically. And always stay skeptical, especially of ourselves. 

“If you have only principles, you may go to heaven,” Mr. Lake said, “but you won’t be very useful here on earth. If you have only pragmatism, you’ll be an opportunist. And if you have only skepticism, you’ll be a cynic. And you’ll burn in hell.”

Perhaps what moved me most deeply, as our conversation concluded, was Mr. Lake’s commitment to doing what he believes is just and right. Mr. Lake is one of those rare people whose sense of personal conviction comes from humility and wit. Qualities first planted, as it happens, among the dandelions of our Circle. 

Jessica Wu ‘27

image by: World Economic Forum