"Stay on Your Path, Young Man"

Almost ten years ago I participated in the conference whose proceedings would become the volume Stanley Cavell and Literary Studies: Consequences of Skepticism. Stanley sat directly in front of me and listened attentively to my talk, thrilling and scary, not to say awkward, reading out “Cavell writes...” and “Cavell says...” with the man right there. After the Q and A, someone, I don't remember who, brought me over and introduced us. Stanley shook my hand and with the other patted my shoulder and said, with a broad smile, “Stay on your path, young man.”